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I am from the island of Kaua’i. I’m a nutritionist, environmental educator, farm to school advocate and a nature lover. I created Farm to Keiki to empower people like you to adopt healthy lifestyles, care for our children and mālama ‘āina – take care of the earth.
I have been involved in the farm to school movement since 2009 nationwide and statewide. I guess you could say I sprouted the movement for Farm to Early Childcare and Education in Hawai’i. I pioneered two farm to school programs, Farm to Keiki (a farm to preschool program) and the Kaua’i School Garden Network. Through this work, I became a founding member of both the Hawai’i Farm to School Hui and the National Farm to Preschool Subcommittee. In 2015 I was recognized by Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move Childcare” initiative for my leadership in the Farm to Early Childcare and Education movement. What an honor!!!
I honor my deep connection with the ʻāina and hope to provide opportunities for others to do the same. ʻĀina means “that which feeds us”, “that which provides”, “land” “Earth” in the Hawaiian language.
Creating fun, educational and engaging experiences in nature is one of my many passions. I have led over 2,500 keiki on field trips through Limahuli Garden and Preserve where I was the Education and Agriculture Specialist. The inspiration for many Farm to Keiki lessons are rooted in my experiences teaching ‘āina-based education and growing Hawaiian plants at Limahuli. This was a very sacred time in my life. If you havenʻt been to the gardens yet – then you better start planning your next trip there! Here’s a link to their site.
The more I taught children at Limahuli about the healing power of plants, the more I realized I needed to learn. I wanted to be able to prevent, treat and heal people using food as medicine. This led me to complete my Masters of Science in Nutrition (MSN) from the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. In my private nutrition practice, Hawai’i Holistics, I teach food as medicine classes, coach individual clients and consult internationally to develop healthy products.
I’m a passionate foodie and farm to table enthusiast. I love the slow-paced life – perhaps that’s why I LOVE slow food! I do my best to live farm to table and love to grow, cook or forage our family’s food and medicines. It truly is the most empowering feeling to be able to grow your own food – lighten our path on this planet, nourish our bodies and connect with nature all at the same time. I have spent many of my years traveling or living abroad, so many of the foods you will see on this website are influenced from my travels, Hawai’i, my family and those I have met along the way.
I was born lactose intolerant and battled with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS – unexplainable gastrointestinal problems) for many years. Doctors NEVER mentioned that my diet could be the problem. While my mother was extremely health conscious, it wasn’t until later in life that I discovered the importance of individual dietary needs. For me, I needed to avoid certain foods, eat others and rebuild my gut that had been deeply wounded for many years. One reason I have launched Farm to Keiki is because I believe that NO CHILD should ever have unnecessary food related diseases like I did growing up. It felt awful, humiliating and got in the way of living my life to the fullest as a child.
Today I feel AH-MAZING! I am in the best health of my life right now and attribute that to learning the power of using food as medicine – for the body, mind, spirit, soul and the EARTH! I hope that my book and website will encourage you to live your healthiest life possible – and to care for your children just the same!
I manage this entire website by myself, so please be gentle on me for anything that goes wrong! Please do send me an email if there’s something that needs my attention 🙂
Sending love, appreciation and good food vibes to you all!
Aloha,
Tiana
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