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The Road to Become and RDN Adina entered college at the ageof 25when her youngest was a toddler. She challenged herself and became an honor student in college. “It wasn’t easy being a student while balancing the roles of housewife and mom, but I’m happy I did it. It’s one of my greatest accomplishments.” Adina obtained an associate degree in allied health from Kingsborough Community College and a bachelor’s in health and nutrition from Brooklyn College. She completed her dietetic internship online with Meredith College in NC, which allowed her to intern in person in New York. After completing 1,200 supervised internship hours, Adina studied for and took the registered dietitian exam. “It was one of the most grueling processes I’ve been through. But I knew it would be worthwhile.” Adina became an RDN in May 2023, licensed to practice in NY & Illinois. She works remotely as a Telehealth Dietitian, providing individualized Medical Nutrition Therapy to clients with a variety of health and nutrition needs. Her position encompasses virtual consultations, delivering meal plans, personalized guidance, and ongoing support to those seeking to improve their health. Role Models Adina values her parent’s unconditional love and support. “My parents made me feel like I can be anything and raised each of us to feel like we are the favorite.” Her father’s wisdom makes him the go-to person for business advice, and he mentors young entrepreneurs. He helped Adina craft her website and continually roots for her success. “My mother is one of the smartest people and is my #1 fan, proofreading each recipe before I submit. She speaks six languages and assisted the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society by translating for the Syrian Jewish refugees seeking asylum in the nineties.” Adina’s mother-in-law, Claire Yaakov, is an experienced community educator and many tell Adina that Claire was their favorite teacher. Profession and Passions Adina’s passions are food (and food photography), nutrition, and art. “I teach canvas painting (paint parties) to adults and children and offer resin tray, tambourine painting, canvas painting, and marble/fluid art classes.” Once Upon a Thyme Adina launched her column with her own photos in 2018. She enjoys the feedback she receives from new readers, particularly when they attach photos of a recipe they tried. Her website, onceuponathyme.co. has a diverse collection of recipes with photographs. When asked why she chose “Once Upon a Thyme,” Adina responded that it sounds like a storybook and thyme is a spice. She often posts new recipes on her WhatsApp status. “I create every recipe, photo, and article by cooking or baking, styling, and photographing the food. I use an iPhone and the natural light from the daylight, often on my front doorstep.” Intuitive Eating Adina is an advocate of intuitive eating, an eating style that promotes a healthy attitude toward food and body image. Adina explains, “Eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full. Babies won’t eat past fullness and they let everyone know when they are hungry. By the time we’re adults, many of us haven’t retained that innate way of relating to food. We need to understand our internal hunger cues.” Adina is impassioned about educating people about intuitive eating and preventing eating disorders especially in our own community. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, one study conducted by Dr. Ira Sacker of ultra-Orthodox and Syrian Jewish communities in Brooklyn found that one out of 19 girls was diagnosed with an eating disorder, which is a rate about 50 percent higher than the general U.S. population. “Education begins with the parents, preventing negative talk about oneself, eliminating diet talk, and healing people’s relationship with food.” Adina has successfully introduced nutritious and delicious food choices to her family. Downtime To unwind, Adina reads biographies and books based on true stories. She enjoys playing Scrabble, Boggle, and Othello with her husband and kids, whoever is willing to lose. What’s Next Adina plans on writing and illustrating a children’s book to encourage children to make nutritious food choices and she plans to create a cookbook with new recipes and photos. “Some people advise me to drop the dietitian job and teach art, or vice versa. I love both! I am committed to helping people with their relationship to food and body image and feel rewarded seeing the proud faces of my art students when they complete their projects.” Please check out onceuponathyme.co , and email Adina at adinayaakov@gmail.com . Ellen Geller Kamaras, CPA/MBA, is an International Coach Federation (ICF) Associate Certified Coach.  Her coaching specialties include life, career, and dating coaching. Ellen is active in her community and is currently the Vice-President of Congregation Bnai Avraham in Brooklyn Heights She can be contacted at (www. lifecoachellen.com ). ONCE UPON thyme a SHEVAT - ADAR 1 5784 / FEBRUARY 2024 57