Fareeha Jay takes the spotlight at FUCHSIA this week for her incredibly fun, engaging yet informative videos on all things diet, weight loss, healthy lifestyle, women’s health, and more.
Fareeha Jay is a Registered Dietician based in Plymouth. She is working as a Diabetes specialist, conducting educational sessions for people who are recently diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. She also has a private practice. Her work entails online consultations with South Asians all over the world. In addition to this, she is quite active on social media and never misses out on making fun yet informative videos for her followers. We were curious to know about her journey but more than that, how she got into social media and what are the challenges she faces on a day-to-day basis.
Keep scrolling to read our conversation with her.
1. How did your interest in nutrition develop? Did you have someone in your life who inspired you to take this career path? Why the special focus on Diabetes?
“When I moved to the UK for the first couple of years, I worked with Blackburn with Darwin Borough Council as a Community Development Officer for Healthy Living Centre. Most of the projects with them were based on physical activity and diet. Different nutritionists used to work there, and I started to aspire to them. I really loved how with their advice, they were helping people change their lives. So, I decided I would do something close to nutrition,” she narrated.
“I also wanted to work in a hospital environment, so I decided that rather than doing a nutritionist degree, I’ll go for a Dietetics degree. It became my dream, and I had children, and life got busy. When my second son turned one that day, I decided it was time to return to my studies. I did my access course, then I did IELTS and then I got admission to Plymouth University. After I qualified, the first job I got was in diabetes, and that is the only reason for the focus. Perhaps I enjoyed working in diabetes care so I continued to do so,” she added.
2. What are some of the most common concerns desi people come to you with regarding diet & health?
Fareeja Jay explains why “diet plans” aren’t sustainable.
“Some are on diabetes, cholesterol, and hypertension, but most clients book consultations with me for weight loss. Everyone wants a “diet plan”, and I really have to explain to my clients that they have to empower themselves to make better choices rather than relying on diet plans. The fact that they are following a plan means they are not sustainable for life. Hence, we talk about sustainable lifestyle changes,” she stated.
3. What’s your biggest challenge?
She has a hard time explaining to her clients that the “weight loss mafia” is only trying to prey on their vulnerability and that these weight loss products are completely ineffective.
My biggest challenge is explaining the “weight loss mafia” to people and conveying that these people are not interested in your health but in your money. Making people understand that weight loss products are a scam and that anything that promises fast results is unreliable. They know that people wanting to lose weight are vulnerable, and they take advantage of that.
4. You have a significant following on social media & are quite active on it as well. How did you get into it & do you enjoy it?
She shares the negative side of being on social media and why she personally thinks it can be toxic at times.
I love being on social media, but it can sometimes be toxic. It hurts when you are trying to spread a positive message, and even then, people point out the negatives. Initially, I started a Facebook community just for fun. As it grew, my passion also grew. I then consciously wanted to bring a change among the South Asian populations. And then, I started focusing on all social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
5. Your advice to others who want to join this field but might hesitate to put themselves out there. Getting a certification is one thing. Promoting it on social media is another. How do you let loose, and be so comfortable so easily?
Consistency is key. This is what she advises people who want to promote their field of work on social media.
Creating a presence on social media about your field is certainly only for some. However, those who want to do it have to be persistent and keep trying. When I look back on my videos from a few years, I am shocked, and I seem incredibly uncomfortable. It seems as if I am following a script. With time and practice, you start to become comfortable and enjoy it
6. How do you come up with ideas for your videos?
“My Facebook community leads me toward topics. Every day we get hundreds of questions on the Facebook group. Those questions give me ideas for my videos and posts. Many times, I’m even requested to cover topics. As far as thinking out of the box is concerned, I try to be imaginative and do not want to convey a message just didactically. I try making videos and posts more interesting to capture attention and leave a mark in people’s minds,” she stated.
7. Were you apprehensive when you posted your first video on social media? Did you get any negative comments? If so, how did you deal with them?
“No, I was not. I will be very honest I didn’t even give it a thought. I just made a video and put it up,” expressed Fareeha.
Yes, a lot of negative comments. Most of them on how I look or being judgmental of the type of person I am, my faith and my beliefs. Extremely hurtful! It would be wrong to say these comments do not affect my mental health. `Initially, these negative comments did upset me and they still do, but with time I have learned to read and forget.
8. Which was the most challenging video that you did?
Fareeha revealed that making videos comes naturally to her, in a way, because she does not follow a script.
“I do not find making videos challenging at all. I do not even write a script; I make bullet points and use them as reminders. When I’m asked to follow a particular script usually made for TV channels, then it becomes challenging. You’ll be surprised that I can go on and on making my videos, but when I’m making a video for a TV channel, I have to go through dozens of takes.”
9. Which post got you the most engagement & you weren’t expecting it?
My videos and posts on body shaming do really well, which shows how much of a problem it is in our society.
Recently one of my TikTok on depression and menopause did really well. I made that TikTok without preparation, waiting in the car to pick up my children from their football game.
We are deeply inspired by Fareeha Jay, not only for her incredible presence on social media and her ability to engage so many people of varying age groups but also for her immense knowledge on topics ranging from weight loss to women’s health, diabetes, and the list goes on. If you want to check out her work, links to her social media accounts are below. Have at it!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dietitian_fareehajay/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FareehaJay
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSXc-Vg8wc2SdY8Jh7TK45A
