Navigating the healthcare system as an immigrant with Diana

Diabetes Digital Podcast by Food Heaven

Wendy Lopez, Jessica Jones

Nutrition, Health & Fitness

4.9 • 2.4K Ratings

🗓️ 16 April 2025

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, we’re joined by Diana Mesa, a bilingual dietitian and certified diabetes educator, to talk about the real-life challenges immigrant and first-generation families face when navigating the U.S. healthcare system. From language barriers and cultural stigma to confusing diagnoses and food shame, Diana shares practical tips for advocating for yourself or your loved ones.

We also dive into how diabetes can be managed with cultural foods, why weight is not the whole story, and what true support looks like in care that honors your identity. Diana shares stories from her work supporting first-gen clients, and offers practical ways to advocate for yourself, challenge medical bias, and find providers who truly listen.

If you're living with diabetes or prediabetes and want personalized support from a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist covered by insurance, visit diabetesdigital.co to connect with our culturally aware and weight-inclusive team. And if you love the show, don't forget to rate and review us on iTunes or Spotify—it makes a huge difference! For additional resources and show notes, head to diabetesdigital.co/podcast.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome back to another episode of the Diabetes Digital Podcast.
0:04.3	Today, we are talking about navigating the health care system as an immigrant.
0:09.7	This is a conversation I don't think we've ever had on the podcast before.
0:13.8	And it was just a really good refreshing conversation.
0:16.6	We were all able to share our stories of working with patients from different cultures, as well as lived experience also from Wendy and our guest.
0:27.4	So in this episode, we're going to talk about some of those concerns and layers of complexity when it comes to navigating the health care system as an immigrant, including cultural stigma, language barriers,
0:38.4	and even pressure to prioritize family over health. So in today's episode, we're sitting down with
0:44.1	Diana Mesa, who's a bilingual dietitian and diabetes care specialist to talk about the challenges
0:50.3	that immigrant women, and especially her as an immigrant Latina woman, face when it
0:55.8	comes to getting the care they deserve. So we'll talk about how growing up as the first in your
1:00.9	family to navigate the health care system can lead to unique struggles and kind of how to push
1:05.7	through them. So if you ever have felt unheard or overwhelmed in the doctor's office, this episode is definitely for you.
1:12.6	And also, if you are the children of immigrants and you want to know how to help support your parents better, we talk about that as well.
1:22.3	Yes, and a little bit about Diana.
1:24.0	She's the founder of Enla Mesa Nutrition.
1:26.6	She's a bilingual registered dietitian
1:28.4	and certified diabetes care and education specialist providing culturally inclusive care
1:32.9	in Miami, Florida. She's also a sought after subject matter expert featured in media
1:39.1	outlets such as Dele Mundo, today's dietitian, and women's health, just to name a few. All right,
1:44.0	we're going to hop right in.
1:45.5	Welcome to the Diabetes Digital podcast. I'm Wendy. And I'm Jess, and we're best friends,
1:51.0	registered dieticians and diabetes educators. Through our telehealth platform, diabetes digital.co,
	...

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