Page 50 - Today's Dietitian (March 2020)

Get to Know … By Lindsey Getz

cultural backgrounds, frustrated
Weaver, as the Food Pyramid omits
many culturally relevant choices for
clients of color and those from different
countries. This experience was the
catalyst for Weaver to create the Soul
Food Pyramid, which used the same
dietary guidelines as the Food Pyramid
but was tailored to the “culture of the
South” with culturally relevant foods.
Today, the Soul Food Pyramid has
transformed into the Soul Food Plate, a
twist on USDA’s MyPlate.
Over the years, Hebni has won
several major awards, including the
Sapphire Award (which is funded by
Blue Cross Blue Shield’s Florida Blue
Foundation and recognizes “excellence
and innovation in community health”)
and the Helping Kids Shine Grant
for children’s programs from Disney.
Weaver says the funding they’ve received
over the years from awards and grants
has been vital to Hebni’s success. All of
Hebni’s programs are grant funded or
funded via foundations.
Weaver has been a guest lecturer
at a variety of seminars, appeared on
multiple television programs, and
researched, authored, and coauthored
four books: The New Soul Food Cookbook
for People With Diabetes (now in its
Roniece Weaver third edition), Slim Down Sister, Month
of Meals, and The Family Style Soul Food
Diabetes Cookbook.
Taking Culturally Competent Care Where It’s Needed Most Today’s Dietitian (TD): What is Hebni’s
R oniece Weaver, MS, RD, LD, is to receive limited or substandard care. mission?

a superstar of culturally com-
So, in 1995, Weaver cofounded Hebni
Weaver: We are currently celebrating
petent care for underserved
our 25 year in existence as a nonprofit,
th
Nutrition Consultants, Inc, a nonprofit
communities. Her passion
when we had this idea, it was all
risk, underserved populations—primar-
formed early; as teens, Weaver agency that engages and educates high- but if we go back to the beginning,
and her twin sister were helping their ily African Americans and Hispanics because of a need we saw—that many
father manage his newly diagnosed type living in food deserts and negatively of the minority populations had very
2 diabetes when they noticed the lack of impacted by social determinants of little access to information from a
cultural sensitivity from the dietitian he health—about nutrition strategies to registered dietitian because there
was working with and how difficult prevent diet-related diseases. With pro- was a fee for service. We [Weaver and
it made her father’s care experience. grams for everyone from elementary founding partners Fabiola Gaines, RD,
That incident—in combination with school students to older adults, involv- LD, and Ellareetha Carson, RD, LD]
the siblings’ love of food and cooking— ing everything from fitness and nutri- felt it was important for us to reduce
ultimately led both Weaver and her tion education to cooking skills and free the barriers in order to get nutrition
sister to become RDs. health screenings, Hebni leaves no one education out to these populations
But Weaver knew she wanted to do in need behind. and make an impact on nutrition-
more than hang out a shingle in stan- Before moving to Orlando and related diseases that so often impact
dard private practice or participate in founding Hebni, Weaver worked in the minorities. We started out with the
community nutrition education. She WIC clinic in Atlanta while attending development of culturally relevant
wanted to bring more cultural compe- graduate school. Teaching the standard educational materials, including the
tence into dietetics practice so clients Food Pyramid at the time to all Soul Food Pyramid, which has now
of color like her father wouldn’t have families, despite the families’ different transitioned into the Soul Food Plate.

50 TODAY’S DIETITIAN • MARCH 2020