Cable network Veria Living recently added Dr. Evelyn Minaya as a host to its lifestyle and health talk show, "The Juice." As an OB/GYN, vice president of Women Caring for Women, mother and Latina, Dr. Minaya brings a much needed voice to the wellness discussion.

Dr. Minaya serves as the chief medical expert, aka "Chief Mommy Correspondent," for the live talk show. In an interview with Latin Post, Dr. Minaya described her new role as "an opportunity of a lifetime."

"For a very long time, the typical physician was white, a male and very stern; it was not easy to ask questions freely and openly. I'm none of the three," she said. "I bring a little light into the mix as a woman and being Latina. ... 'The Juice' is also a fun show. Those are aspects that I really want people to understand. It's all about communication and making you feel good."

The doctor and mother of two has two segments on "The Juice." During "Ask Dr. Mom," Dr. Minaya, who has practiced medicine for 20 years, discusses pop culture and social issues affecting mothers today. The second segment, "What's Up, Down There?" allows audiences to ask their most bold, shocking or embarrassing questions.

"I get the answers out it in a funny way so you don't feel awkward in your position, and I share how we treat it," Dr. Minaya said. "When you go to the gynecologist, our job is to make you as comfortable as possible, so this sort of forum is very informative."

According to Dr. Minaya, even the hosts, which include Sonia Baghdady, Emmy Award-winning television anchor and reporter, and comedian Chuck Nice, have questions, but there's nothing she can't handle.

"They chime in and ask questions they wanted to ask but never went through with," she said. "There is nothing that shocks me. Nothing down there surprises me, whether it's painted, has rings on it, nothing."

In addition to Dr. Minaya representing an open ear, she also represents a Latina voice in the television and medical world. Dr. Minaya's parents came to the United States from the Dominican Republic, and she was raised in New York. As a native Spanish speaker, English is Dr. Minaya's second language.

"I hope I give my daughters a good example of being a Latina," she said. "I have hope that we're changing the face of how undocumented immigrants and regular Latinas are viewed. We are wonderful, well-educated professional women, and we have a lot to give to our world."

Having a respectable Latina in the medical field is important in conquering medicine's cultural barriers. According to Dr. Minaya, some Latinas struggle to find proper medical care because of difficulties in finding a woman they are comfortable with who also speaks Spanish.

"It's hard for Latinas to get physicians that also speak the native tongue, and there are some women physicians that don't like to speak Spanish in particular," Dr. Minaya explained. "So I think early care and a better understanding of how culture works ... [could help in] implementing changes."

The need for Latinas to have understandable health information is emphasized when one considers unique health issues the group faces. For example, March of Dimes, a nonprofit organization dedicated to mothers' and babies' health, released their "Maternal and Infant Health in US Hispanic Populations: Prematurity and Related Health Indicators" report this month which revealed that in 2012, Hispanic women's likeliness to give birth prematurely was 12 percent higher than that of white women. According to Dr. Edward McCabe, senior vice president and chief medical officer of the March of Dimes, "24 percent of premature babies are Hispanic."

March of Dimes now recommends that the Food and Drug Administration allow corn masa flour, a popular ingredient in various Hispanic dishes like tortillas and tamales, to be fortified with folic acid, which is known to help prevent neural tube defects.

"This shows how cultural medicine really is, as this speaks to women of Mexican descent in particular," Dr. Minaya said. "We have to be aware of cultural differences especially when it comes to diabetes, diets, etcetera."

Dr. Minaya said she's a "big proponent" of fortifying corn masa flour with vitamins.

"Sometimes women are unsure they are pregnant for a time," she added. "Often, Latinas don't go early enough to do prenatal care, so diets and things like that are kind of not highlighted for them."

Dr. Minaya and the rest of her "very loving cast" on "The Juice" can be seen on Veria Living weekdays at 1 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET.
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Follow Scharon Harding on Twitter: @ScharHar.

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