I’ve been trying to be smarter about how I eat. And I’ve just generally become interested in nutrition and whatnot. Probably because I’m barreling fast and furious toward 40. Additionally, I’m interested in social issues, and how a person’s demographics and the like play a huge role in things such as nutrition, health, medical care, life expectancy, etc.

We all know about the existence of food deserts in America (I assume we all know, anyway). And we all (I know, I’m making assumptions here – but I feel like you agreed with the previous sentence) know that food deserts create poor health outcomes for residents of the impacted areas. But did you also know that the White Girlification of nutrition – the kind you see the Instagram Girlies touting – also has a huge impact on not only the health, but the overall well-being of people with of different cultures and lifestyles than said Girlies?

Think of some of the nutritional “advice” you’ve heard:
“Just trade white rice for CAULIFLOWER RICE”
“LESS CARBS MAKES YOU MORE HEALTHYYYYY”

Blah, blah, fucking hurl. Rice is fine. Carbs are good for you. Your ancestors survived off the very same food the Girlies (sorry, I don’t mean to blame just the Girlies. Put the Shirtless Seed Oil Boyz in there too) vilify. And you know what? They thrived. Eat tortillas. Eat rice. Have that flan. Do you. There is nutritional value in tacos (omg, so much delicious nutrition). You don’t have to eat kale and chia pudding to live a long healthy life. And if you want to up your protein or fibe, or lower your caloric intake, you can certainly do so without giving up your cultural foods. Seriously. Don’t listen to those people who say you have to eat nothing but chicken breasts with undressed salad. Or eat nothing but meat. Or cut out carbs. They’re all just trying to sell something. Or their Grade A dipshits. Either way – not to be trusted.

Also, while we’re at it, don’t allow some rando on the internet to tell you what you can and can’t eat if you want to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Trust a dietician. You know, someone who has undergone rigorous nutritional training.

Just a little FYI for you: according to Healthline, “to earn the credentials of Registered Dietitian (RD) or Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), a person needs to complete the criteria set forth by governing bodies like the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) in the United States. To earn these credentials, dietitians-to-be must first earn a bachelor’s degree or equivalent credits from an accredited program at a university or college. Typically, this requires an undergraduate science degree, including courses in biology, microbiology, organic and inorganic chemistry, biochemistry, anatomy, and physiology, as well as more specialized nutrition coursework. As of January 1, 2024, all dietetics students must also hold a master’s degree to qualify for their RD board examination in the United States. In addition to formal education, all dietetics students in the United States must apply for and be matched with a competitive internship program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). Earning dietitian credentials requires national board certification. What’s more, 13 states, including Rhode Island, Alabama, and Nebraska, require that dietitians be licensed in order to practice. The remaining states either don’t regulate this profession or provide state certification or optional licensing. The process of licensing sometimes has additional requirements, like passing a jurisprudence exam. This is meant to ensure that dietitians practice under a code of conduct to protect public safety. The dietitian must also continue their professional development by completing continuing education credits, which helps them keep up with the ever-evolving field.”

Sorry, that’s a lot. I know. One last thing:

“In the United States, the title “nutritionist” may encompass individuals with a broad range of credentials and training in nutrition. In over a dozen states, certain qualifications must be met before an individual can call themselves a nutritionist. Additionally, accredited certifications grant titles like Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS). In most states, those who receive these certifications have the authority to practice medical nutrition therapy and other aspects of nutrition care. In many states, such as Alaska, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, RDs and CNSs are granted the same state license, usually called a Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist (LDN) license. In states that don’t regulate the use of this term, anyone with an interest in diet or nutrition may call themselves a nutritionist. These individuals may apply their interest in nutrition to anything from running a food blog to working with clients. However, because uncredentialed nutritionists typically lack the expertise and training for medical nutrition therapy and nutrition counseling, following their advice could be considered harmful.”

My point is this: there is no guarantee that any advice from a nutritionist is even coming from anyone with any sort of education in diet, nutrition, or anything else even semi-relevant. So seriously – eat the foods you love. Don’t listen to Amberlynnnah Crystalsmith or whatever. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Find a trusted source whose qualifications can be vetted.

A fantastic read for anyone who has ever experienced any type of issue with food/gut health. So basically, great for everyone! I really enjoyed the opportunity and invitation to read this and will be adding to my purchase list so that I can have it on hand for future reference and rereads. So much helpful information and so many great tips provided.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to review this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was great read.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books for the arc of this book

This is a must read for any Latino or Caribbean people who are looking to make a change in their unhealthy eating habits and don’t know how. The author encourages you to choose and eat the ethnic foods that you grew up eating. To ignore the mainstream advice that your cultural foods are bad for you. The writing is funny and playful, but the author is passionate about getting you to lose weight in an authentic way.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

🚨 LIFE-CHANGING BOOK ALERT! 🚨

I just finished The Latina Anti-Diet by Dalina Soto, and WOW—this book completely shifted how I think about food, my body, and my culture! From the very first chapter, where she breaks down how our bodies process glucose (why did no one teach me this sooner?!), to the ten levels of hunger that made me rethink everything I thought I knew about fullness and satisfaction—I was hooked.

This isn’t just another book about food. It’s a love letter to our cultural dishes, a rejection of toxic diet culture, and a call to finally listen to and trust our bodies. I couldn’t stop talking about it—I shared what I learned with my husband and kids because it was that important.

Dalina Soto, THANK YOU for writing this! Every Latina (honestly, everyone!) needs this book in their life. If you’ve ever felt guilt about food or struggled with diet culture, this will be the most freeing thing you read. 10/10 recommend!

#TheLatinaAntiDiet #DalinaSoto #FoodFreedom #IntuitiveEating #LatinaReads

DALINA SOTO brings it home. The Latina Anti-Diet: A Dietitian's Guide to Authentic Health that Celebrates Culture and Full-Flavor Living is kick ass. I’ve been following Dalina on Insta for years. I really loved her style and determination to reclaim our collective Latin food.

When my paternal grandmother had a heart attack decades ago, I remember visiting her in the hospital and the doctors making a big deal out of tortillas. I figured that our food was bad. Then I read more about NAFTA and noticed when indigenous foods turned into super foods, aka healthy! I brought the same attitude to my work creating a research fellowship for Latinx science students. I complicated their view of science and how science is done on our collective community. Each time a student said they wanted to cure diabetes because their abuelita had it and “We eat poorly!” I would ask them to think about how many grocery stores are in their neighborhood. Do they have fresh veggies? Is there a place for Lita to take walks? Introducing pre-med students to public health perspectives really blew their minds.

I can imagine how much guff Dalina got in school and gets from other medical professionals for pointing out the minuscule differences between white and brown rice. I was cheering when she went off

She also tackles the sensitive topic of Latino families, eating, and weight. I had a fairly athletic build as a kid, but I did have a family member point out that in the winter I gained weight. “Um, I’m not riding my bike 6 hours a day during a Chicago winter?”

Dalina is firm with her science, but gentle with her clients. She embraces sweets and treats. But she contextualizes them. Why are we stress eating? What is at the root of the stress? Let’s address that! Not shame ourselves for the cupcake. As gentle as she is with her Chulas (her name for clients and by reading this book, we are a Chula), she is equally vicious with diet culture.

This is an absolute must read for any Latinx person who has struggled with eating, dieting, or even just the judgement some family members dish out. If you have found peace with your body, but your tia or mom still struggle, this might be a good group read. And even if you aren’t Latinx, I think you’ll find that firm and loving direction you have been seeking for your diet. Diet as in how you eat, not diet as in a way to lose weight.

I think it’s a good introductory book for those wanting to learn more about health especially through the lens of Latino culture. For me however, it was a little repetitive and didn’t provide much insight for me as its material I have studied before. It can be frustrating trying to focus your health while also being told you shouldn’t eat the foods from your culture. I was able to pick up some ideas and make slight changes to my routine so definitely worth the read. I wished it leaned a little more into that aspect rather than breaking down the basics but I understand why it was necessary. I would read a second book if it dove a little more in-depth.

Dalina Soto has written an approachable book on eating sensibly with individual needs at the heart. Initially, I thought this was going to be a cookbook and, in a way, it does go into detail about nutrition, but without recipes. It takes into account individuals with Integrated Eating. A special emphasis on healthy eating without compromising culture.

The book is divided with Chula stories. Each one with different life circumstances and how they are resolved. My favorite was Mi Mami. I felt like I was a guest with all the warm feelings of being fed a delicious meal.

Dalina's voice is authentic, and she doesn't mince words. She tells it like it is. It's refreshing with additional reading ideas throughout. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for early access.

Food, fat, and flavor start with the same letter for a reason. I'm deeply anti-diet. This book crystalizes my objections to the diet industry's be-afraid-of-your-food message, its relentless focus on women and the concomitant relentless bombardment of negativity about appearance, or more stealthily but with the same objective, relentless "health" messaging that is anything but healthy.

The author is a social-media Force. She's got followers in droves...legions...and she's been giving this very practical method to get yourself into a healthy, sustainable pattern of eating the food you enjoy for a while now. I hadn't heard of her because I'm not all that interested in diets except to belittle and insult the anti-food goblins that perpetrate and perpetuate the anti-food messaging that damages so many people.

What else can I say? If you think you need a diet book, you really need this book. Skip the "one weird trick" fads, spend your time and your treasure here. Author Soto is Cicero to the Br'er Rabbits that abound in this space. She spends a deal of her page-count telling stories about those who've used her method...CHULA, explained above...to mend their fractured relationship to food. There's a lot of informative and explanatory text, so it's not just a paper version of an infomercial; the aim was to recreate her social-media presence's warm, approachable presentation of self. I found it effective, and agreeable, where I expected to feel it was kinda cringe.

*I*, a certifiable curmudgeon with a long-standing hatred of the dietmongers, am rating this book 5 stars and recommending it to people who think they need to diet. Push a pin in that idea until you've read this book.

The book speaks to the reader on a personal level.The author doesn't talk over or down to the reader. I felt welcomed in the conversation even though I am a male. A direct and human conversation about latine foods and how society has villainized our flavors and traditions.
A comfortable read that I couldn't put down , it felt like she was speaking right to me and allowed me to both eat my meals and enjoy them . Definitely a must read .

I am a proud Latina. Puerto Rican if you want to be exact. I was born and raised in New York City. This really hit home as I read this. As Latina, I witnessed so much about food and weight - because we have to eat but at the same time we can’t be “huge” as some of my family would call it. I am right now in 2025, the heaviest I’ve ever been. I am mid-size borderline plus size and I am looked sometimes down upon from family.

Soto, didn’t disappoint. I connected so easily and quickly with the ladies in the book.

I learned so much from this and happy to announce that I enjoyed every. Single. Moment. I had with this read.

Thank you.

4.5 ⭐️ It felt like a love letter to the community. A reclaiming of our cultural foods, seeing the beauty in our bodies and unlearning harmful myths about health. I went into it thinking it was a cookbook, and ended up feeling empowered. I hope she follows this one up with a cookbook.

Review posted to StoryGraph and Goodreads on 3/8/25. Review will be posted to Amazon on release date.

If you’re starting your journey to heal your relationship with food this is a great introduction. I’ve been following Dalina on social media for a while and have always loved her way of being upfront, realistic, and encouraging. This book is her gift to her community. There is so much factual information in this book and it could have easily been overwhelming but Dalina presented it in a straightforward and simple way. Her personality and passion shines in this book.

This book is magic for the Latinas that truly feel like our cultural foods aren't prefered or healthy in other people's minds. Growing up I was told that my tacos aren't healthy and that I shouldn't have salsa but have "real" veggies. This book is the wake up call that everyone with judgment needs to hear.

This book is a necessary read for any Latine person attempting to heal their relationship with food and their body. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything like this but I enjoyed learning all that intuitive eating encompasses but also being encouraged to create our own habits!

An informative, thoughtful book about diet culture and life. It's not a cookbook but it might well be a roadmap for how you want to eat in the future, Thanks to Netgalley fro the ARC. Interesting,.

I tore through this book and know I'll read it several more times.
The author succeeds at:
✔ Highlighting the importance of social determinants of health
✔ Heavily educating me on the racist roots of modern diet culture
✔ Giving me a deeper understanding of Latine culture and how much more Latines deserve from our society and healthcare systems.

Needless to say, this book made me think. A lot.

This is a difficult review to write. I’m pouring some rawness in here because the topic demands it and this book deserves it. If nothing else, take away that I *adore* this book, and it’s had a bigger impact on me than any book since my first intro to Intuitive Eating.

I read a *lot* about anti-diet culture, intuitive eating, and nutrition. I’ve spent years learning, absorbing, and reshaping my understanding of food, health, and weight. And yet, this book still taught me so, so much—despite what I thought I knew.

Soto doesn’t just call out diet culture—she rips it apart, lays out its racist roots, and demands we do better. The way she ties modern diet trends back to eugenics was something I’d never seen laid out so clearly before. It was a bittersweet reminder that diet culture, rooted in patriarchy, racism, and white supremacy, has hurt everyone. And yet, that’s not to center “my hurt,” because this book also made me acutely aware of my privilege as a *white*, fat person. It reinforced that everyone has a stake in dismantling these oppressive systems, and everyone should care.

This book mattered to me because my relationship with food and body image was *complicated* growing up. I was white in a place where European diets were not the standard, and white bodies were not the ideal. I was surrounded by cultural foods, cultural practices, and different body norms. I was allowed access to them, but they were not for me. Yet, I didn't have alternatives, so no matter they were a part of me no matter what. I felt like an outsider. I struggled with a lack of belonging, a weak sense of identity. A lot of that centered around food. I was wrong for being different, but wrong if I tried to embrace what was around me. It was a unique, and challenging way to grow up. I still haven’t untangled that from my privilege of being white. And so reading this book requires a lot of time with these complicated feelings and how the subconscious biases they formed still impact me.

So reading Soto’s experience—and the deep, emotional truths about body and food struggles in the Latine community—was hard. Hard because her experience is not mine. Hard because some of my struggles were directly about being white. Hard because so much of what she describes—shame, pressure, impossible expectations—is something I deeply relate to, just from a completely different angle. And hard because while I’ve been invited to benefit from this book, I am completely aware it is not *for* me.
(Note: I'm aware this review is very me me me. For better or worse, it's the only way I know how to review something that struck me so deeply.)

The challenge is exactly why this book is important. The best books about anti-diet culture, food justice, and systemic oppression aren’t just about affirming what we already know—they challenge us to step outside of our own experience. This book crushed my ego a little bit and I appreciate that.

What really resonated with me is that food is about so much more than nutrients or calories. Soto hammers this home over and over—food is community, identity, history, connection. She makes it impossible to separate food from culture, and honestly, that's a message that needs to be spread as far as we possibly can. Because when nutrition is reduced to macros and portion sizes, it erases entire histories.

There were parts that could have been more clear and more consistent with the message of the whole book. The Intuitive Eating chapter, for example, critiques how IE has been co-opted and misinterpreted, but at times, it wasn’t clear if Soto was questioning the framework itself or just how people have applied it. One moment she draws the line at eating a sleeve of Oreos, saying that’s “not learning balance,” which… didn’t sit right with me. Because sometimes, when you’re unlearning diet culture, *it is* a sleeve of Oreos. And sometimes, it isn’t. And both are fine. That’s part of the process. Drawing that line for someone else felt like a contradiction to the overall message of food freedom.

But what stands out far more than these moments is how thoughtful and deeply human this book is. Soto brings so much warmth and cultural pride to these pages. The personal stories she shares about her family, her community, and the deep, generational ties to food are some of the strongest parts of the book.

This book is powerful. It’s direct. It’s unapologetic in the best way. If you care about food, culture, and dismantling harmful systems, i’s absolutely worth your time. And if you don't care about those things... Well, you read this far, so it's time to reconsider. This is the right place to start.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc. Anything with a Latina in the title, I will definietly read. I enjoyed this very much. It was a good, quick read, very informative and entertaining.

5 stars

The title of this book made me feel, transparently, that maybe this book was not for me. I'm not Latine, and I'm not particularly interested in information about diets, though according to some, I have a pretty unusual one (vegan). It's that latter factor that ultimately compelled me to read and thoroughly enjoy this!

Soto apparently has a huge social media following, and I'm laughing as I type this, because she mentioned she only needed to say that for those folks with no social media accounts. Well? Thanks for the personal messaging! I came to this read with no information at all about this author, and since it sounds like most readers will have the opposite perspective and reality, I'm adding that info here. No background needed to understand and enjoy!

The book is not for an audience that is as limited as the title may suggest. Is this the target audience? Yes. Do the rest of us have a lot to learn? Absolutely. I really enjoyed the discussion of multiple styles of eating, common mistakes, cultural connections, and what seem like common sense tips about keeping ourselves nourished and healthy. This is informative and useful but never feels didactic, which is exactly the tone I want from a book on this subject.

This was an unexpected gem for me, and I'm so glad I had the chance to read it. I'll definitely be recommending it.

Many of us are taught that our Latin food is unhealthy, greasy or junk food, but Dalina Soto teaches us to celebrate our culture and our food in an intuitive healthy way. We do not have to stop eating our platános, rice or beans; we just need to pay attention to our portions. She teaches us many helpful ways to stay healthy. I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to learn more about about intuitive eating. I especially recommend this book for Latina women
Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books for the arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.