Jenna Corsi works in the Rebecca M. Sykes Wellness Center as the new nutritionist and registered dietitian. Corsi owns an online private practice, Jenna Corsi Nutrition and also hosts a podcast called Grace Over Guilt, a personal mantra which relates to her Christianity. She moved back to Massachusetts from Hawaii and enjoys hiking, traveling, surfing, and supporting her clients in their dieting and food intake.
1. What does nutrition mean to you?
When I think of nutrition, I don’t think of just food. I think of how we nourish ourselves… Obviously, we want to make sure it’s balanced, but it also is how else [we are] nourishing ourselves, like through social media or through who we’re surrounding ourselves with or the self-care activities that we’re doing. Again, yes, the center is food, but we can do that in different ways that support… [both] our mental well-being and physical well-being.
2. What do you most enjoy about being a nutritionist?
I think the main thing is that I get to help people and communicate with individuals and meet them where they are…and then help them see the steps forward and guide them forward rather than just me telling them what to do. I like to get to know different personalities and people and how I can communicate better. I like to support people, help people. I love that [nutrition] can be so fun… It doesn’t have to be this stagnant, boring thing. It can be really fun whether it’s cooking a meal or it could be talking about it in a relaxed, fun way.
3. What were the challenges you had as a dietician?
For the past four years, I worked at an eating disorder clinic in Hawaii called ‘Ai Pono, and I was their intensive outpatient dietitian. Throughout these years, I’ve learned so much about eating disorders both from my coworkers, different psychologists, and therapists, and learning how to counsel those with eating disorders and how to support them best. I just think that there needs to be more awareness around eating disorders, the severity of them, how dangerous they can be, and how disordered eating can lead to eating disorders. That’s why I say it is very serious. My goal as a dietitian is to prevent disordered eating and to do my best to support those who have challenges with their nutrition or with the thoughts in their head around food or their body and to support them with that.
4. Who or what inspired you to become a nutritionist?
I took a gap year between high school and college, and I volunteered in Costa Rica. During that time, I volunteered at a school and lived with a host family… When I went back to school, I thought I wanted to study social work. I thought I wanted to support people in that way. But then I realized I grew up around food in a big Italian family, so [my life has always] been centered around that. I realized I could help people and have it be focused on nutrition or food. That combination was perfect for me because I could do the two things that I’m passionate about: helping people, and food.
5. What advice would you give Andover students for keeping a balanced diet?
I think a balanced plate is obviously important. But what’s sometimes more important than that is how you think about food and how you feel about food and if you’re stressed about eating food or certain foods. Making sure your mental health around food is a positive one and [also] the foods that you’re eating, making sure it’s balanced. You have a carb[ohydrate] and a fat and a protein and some veggies and some color… Also having fun with food and eating cookies when you go out with your friends or whatever. Just keeping things balanced in that way.
6. What’s your favorite Paresky Commons food?
It’s the fries sometimes. The stir fry is good, but the tofu kimchi noodle bowl is probably my favorite thing so far. I [also] like it when they have homemade banana bread or muffins and things like that. Those are really yummy. I love kimchi. I learned to love kimchi when I was living in Hawaii. But I just love [it], especially in the winter, [it’s] so comforting and just really delicious.
7. What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I love to travel. My boyfriend knows that I’m just like, “Where’s the next trip we could go to?” I also like to spend time with my family and friends, and I like to get outside whether that’s hiking or when I was in Hawaii surfing. I love to surf. I want to learn how to surf… Hawaii is the best place to surf or to learn how to surf. And [I enjoy] just kind of anything outdoors. I love being in nature… [Additionally, I also enjoy] hanging out with friends and family.
8. How has the transition to the New England area from Hawaii been for you?
It’s been okay. I grew up here, so…I’m used to this weather. I’m used to the cold, but when you live in Hawaii and you don’t experience winters [and you] get used to that, it’s like, “Oh my goodness…” And sometimes I enjoy [the cold], but sometimes I totally love and miss Hawaii. I’m excited to go back. I’m going back during the March break, which will be nice and fun… If someone were to live in Hawaii their whole life and then come here, that would be a huge shock… But for me, it’s been really enjoyable just because my family is all here.
9. Could you tell us a bit more about the business you owned as a private dietician?
I started Jenna Corsi Nutrition LLC in 2020, and it’s been an online private practice so I can see and meet with people all over, which has been awesome during Covid[-19] especially. I’ve continued it [and] I’ve seen clients one-on-one in a group setting. I had a separate group coaching program called Grace Over Guilt. Then that’s where I was like, let’s name the podcast Grace Over Guilt. I [also] created a course called Reclaim Your Health [that is] focusing on improving your relationship with food and your body and improving your health through nutrition but not in a stressful way. I’ve continued to do that, and I still have clients in my private practice that I see at night after I work. I’m having that be a little side thing that I’m doing, which is great because again, I love supporting people. That’s why I became a dietitian to support their nutrition.
10. What are your main takeaways from hosting your podcast Grace Over Guilt?
I started that right in 2021 [because] I saw a lot of people who were feeling guilty around food, they felt bad in their bodies. They just weren’t feeling positive around food and with their body, so I talk to my clients and now students a lot about giving yourself grace and understanding that it’s not gonna be perfect. It doesn’t need to be perfect. [I talk about] giving yourself grace over guilt and focusing on forgiveness and focusing on understanding and being compassionate towards yourself and giving yourself that self-care and self-love that we all deserve… I have a lot of people who say “I love listening to it” and [ask] “When’s the next episode coming out?” I put a little break on it as I started this new job, but I plan to get back into it soon because it’s just great. It’s such a great way to get a good out there and to connect with people and to get this positive message about food and their bodies out there.
