Maria Castro Bacca

Maria is a bilingual Latina dietitian and board-certified Health Coach. Born in Bogota, Colombia, and raised in the US, her bicultural identity is at the forefront of her practice. She grew up in a single-parent household, raised by her father and brother. It wasn’t easy to always have a home-cooked nutritious meal, though her father always made sure there was food on the table. Maria and her father bonded over food and cooking, as he worked as a cook to provide for the family. Food and cooking were also ways she celebrated and connected with Latine cultures and communities. She knows how important and special traditional foods are, and she’ll never ask you to give them up because she knows they can be part of a thriving lifestyle.

Maria grew up in the 90’s, a time characterized by an overwhelming focus on weight and size. The foods she ate growing up were no longer acceptable as she fell deep into diet culture and the pursuit of thinness compounded by the pressures embedded in the Latine culture. After dealing with acute health issues, she began to understand how food made her feel in her body AND soul. As she slowly crawled out of the diet culture hole, she became a health coach, learning the hows and whys of behavior change. Maria has become committed to helping others redefine their relationship with food and their bodies, emphasizing empowerment and behavior change. In the words of the great Lauryn Hill, “How you gonna win when you ain’t right within?” She knows not every day will be great but believes small, consistent steps lead to lasting change.

Maria is an avid beginning gardener, inspiring her advocacy for food sovereignty, sustainability, and food justice. She is married to her high school sweetheart and recently welcomed a baby girl into the world after struggling with infertility.

She received her undergraduate degree in Biology and a minor in Latin American Studies from the University of California, Riverside, and a Masters degree from Columbia University. She completed her dietetic internship with Garden to Table Nutrition.