Sylvia is passionate about understanding dietary behaviors, diet quality, dietary patterns, and generating evidence to develop timely strategies that promote a healthy lifestyle. She disseminates culturally relevant nutrition and health education programs for disease prevention and management. Drawing on her compassionate, family-focused approach, she helps the low-income community establish healthy eating habits within their budget.
She leverages tasteful, healthy cuisine to promote a cultural lifestyle for diverse populations who face mounting health problems today. Sylvia executes numerous knowledge training programs, providing optimal wellness nutrition and fitness presentations in English and Spanish. Sylvia authored the award-winning Hispanic Family Nutrition: Complete Counseling Tool Kit with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Sylvia proudly worked with SHARE (Stroke Health and Risk Education), a program co-sponsored by the University of Michigan, the Diocese of Corpus Christi, TX, and the American Stroke Association to educate the Mexican American community about the role of nutrition in reducing stroke risk. She was a member of the Midwest American Heart Association board of directors for three years. Additionally, she has volunteered for 30 years with the American Heart Association, leading the development of various nutrition task forces such as Women’s Heart Health and Diversity committees.
Sylvia has continued her mission to share the joy and benefits of nutritious eating as a blogger for MSGdish, serving as a board member at large for the Alliance for Food and Farming, and providing menu development and nutritional counseling for families in the Head Start program. Additional collaborations include:
- Chief Nutritionist for 3PM Cookie development
- social media for Soyfoods Council
- preceptor at the University of Illinois Chicago
- consultant for the Midwest Dairy Council and Empower Health
- oncology expert for Wellness House, Northwestern Medical Living with Cancer, and Asbestos.com.
Sylvia has served on the Board of Namaste Charter School in Chicago, IL, a charter school (k-8) educating low-income children for over seven years. She established a nutrition curriculum and healthy menus in compliance with the most recent USDA guidelines that promote a balanced diet and lead to healthy cooking demonstrations for their mothers or caretakers monthly. She also worked with the Bensenville, IL, public school district (K–5) to develop and execute health programs for underserved families.
As a Grain Foods Foundation Scientific Advisory Board Member since the foundation was initiated more than a decade ago, Sylvia developed and executed numerous national media segments and articles to provide public health messages about the benefits of grains (whole and fortified grains) at a time when there were significant conflicting messages about its benefits. The board is committed to providing education on science-based grain nutrition.
CERTIFICATIONS
- CPR Certification
- Food Sanitation Certification
- National Council Strength and Fitness (NCSF) Certification
- Food Recall/Assessment Certification