Kira Freed, MEd, MScN, is an adjunct faculty member at Portland Community College, teaching in the Functional Nutrition program. She also has several roles at her alma mater, National University of Natural Medicine, as the Teaching Kitchen Coordinator, a Professional Teaching Assistant for the Nutrition program, and as a Food as Medicine Everyday educator.
Kira’s career in nutrition was inspired by her lifelong love of cooking and a transformative experience using food as medicine. After a cancer diagnosis in her family, she was inspired to examine the many ways that how and what we eat impacts our health and well-being. Cooking with whole foods, using seasonal, local ingredients, and preserving foods at their peak were family values Kira learned very young, and now they are intentional habits that are foundational to her philosophy of nutrition, her practice in the kitchen, and her belief in food as medicine.
Prior to pursuing a career in nutrition, Kira worked for more than ten years in higher education, as an academic advisor and college success instructor at a local community college. She is passionate about higher education and the opportunities it presents, and especially enjoys working with adult learners as they pursue educational and career goals.
Kira is a lifelong lover of food, so most of her interests revolve around it! She loves cooking, gardening, canning and preserving (especially jams and jellies), visiting farms and farmers markets, and collecting cookbooks. When not thinking about food, Kira also enjoys thrift store shopping and reading for pleasure.
In addition to her professional roles in nutrition education, Kira also has a personal food blog. You can visit www.thejoyfulplateful.com to learn more, and see what she’s cooking! You can also find her on social media: Instagram @the.joyful.plateful or Facebook @thejoyfulplateful