TEDxFIU: Eat healthier and save the environment

FIU alumni Brian Machovina ’91, MS ’94, and Eileen McHale ’93 are the inventors of Yonanas, a kitchen appliance that turns frozen fruits into a treat that looks and tastes like soft-serve ice cream, now sold in more than 50 countries. The married couple has spent their careers devoted to health, nutrition and the environment, working together as a duo developing many mission-driven organizations.

As founders of Nui, they developed healthy beverages for children, published an eco-nutrition fictional chapter book, and promoted the youth-oriented healthy-lifestyle brand through a variety of media and marketing programs. At Guayaki Sustainable Rainforest Products they helped develop new products and marketing efforts that supported a rainforest-grown tea become a leader of “market-driven conservation,” positioning the company as one of the hottest selling brands in natural foods. The duo co-developed a charity, Oasis Preserve International, which preserved rainforests in Latin America, guiding a board of directors consisting of leaders in the entertainment, foundation, and scientific communities.

McHale is the creator and host of Dish with Eileen, a healthy foods cooking show sponsored by Yonanas broadcasting to students in schools and youth centers nationwide on the HOPSports Network. McHale attended culinary school in Los Angeles and is a former caterer and private chef, with a focus on healthy, creative, and delicious foods. Machovina is now completing a doctoral degree in biology at FIU where he studies ecological issues related to food security.

Be inspired by their 2014 TEDxFIU talk.