Mrs. Christeena Johnson Harvey

Mrs. Harvey graduated from the University of Technology, Jamaica with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Dietetics and Nutrition in 2012. After working in Workplace Wellness for 2 years, then as a Dietetic Assistant for another year, Mrs. Harvey went on to participate in the JAPINAD-MOH Supervised Practice Programme in 2016, graduating to become a Registered Dietitian in 2018.

While completing the programme Mrs. Harvey and her colleagues successfully launched a Diabetes Support Group for children, based at Cornwall Regional Hospital – proving that with persistence and collaboration more can be done to improve the lives of our young ones living locally with chronic conditions daily. She also worked at the Heart Foundation of Jamaica developing her skills in nutrition counselling, nutrition education and customer service.

Mrs. Harvey is a member of the Jamaica Association of Professionals in Nutrition and Dietetics (JAPINAD) and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) in the US. In her spare time Mrs. Harvey likes to listen to her favourite music or podcasts, read, watch documentaries, take polaroid pictures, and catch up with family and friends.

Mrs. Harvey is dedicated and compassionate with a strong interest in supporting the development of positive eating habits and relationships with food. She adores children, understands the struggle with “picky eaters” and believes that with preparation, progress can be made one meal at a time.

As the Dietitian at Caribbean Tots to Teens, Mrs. Harvey provides nutrition counselling and education. Much of Mrs. Harvey’s philosophy as it relates to feeding children comes from respected dietitian and therapist, Ellyn Satter. This includes the Satter Theory of Division of Responsibility in Feeding. Mrs. Harvey believes that all children are born to be intuitive eaters and can successfully self-regulate their own food intake in order to nourish their bodies (which includes listening to their hunger cues) with the guidance and positive role modeling of their parents. She is certain that good habits form over time and that children can learn to accept new foods with continued exposure and patience.

As it relates to teens, Mrs. Harvey also teaches them to trust their hunger cues and normalize their eating to nurture a positive relationship with food and their bodies.

Mrs. Harvey is also a big believer in staying active, that play is important for child development and that parents should find activities that are fun for children and that the whole family loves to do together, regularly. She is confident that children who are regularly physically active can carry this habit into adulthood.