I’m going to go ahead and apologize for such a delay in getting my Week 11 recap up! I came home each evening worn out and so not in the mood to sit by a computer any longer…I need to stop making excuses! Anyway, this week (Sept. 28-Oct 2) went pretty smoothly. I got to teach my second cardiac rehab class, observe a couple outpatient appointments, and sit in on a meeting with the cafeteria assistants. My preceptor is contracted through Morrison and is also the Clinical Nutrition Manager at the hospital, so she does interact and work with the cafeteria staff a good bit.
Monday, September 28, 2015: Mmm….dealt with a lot of the usual: COPD, chronic kidney disease, heart failure, hypertension, dementia, hip and knee surgeries. I also did some deeper research on nutrition therapy for liver disease, because I really haven’t seen a lot of it yet. It was interesting to find that a diet that focused on more plant-based protein (versus meat/animal protein) could benefit and decrease the stress placed on the liver. Fun fact.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015: Today was a slow day in terms of the number of patients I saw, but I ended up working on an outcomes measure project focusing on malnutrition screening, so productive nonetheless.
Wednesday, September 30, 2015: Taught my second cardiac rehab nutrition class, this time the topic was on restaurants, fast food and eating out. We did a short “guess the calories, fat and sodium content” of some popular menu items, then discussed techniques and tips for identifying healthier items and taking healthier steps when ordering. The class participants are engaging and actively participate in discussion, which makes for a much more enjoyable time.
A couple of my favorite tips for a healthier eating out experience are:
– To be aware of the words and adjectives used to describe a menu item. Creamy, battered, glazed, smothered, loaded, crispy, and drenched are just a couple adjectives that automatically make me think “hmmm, may not be the healthiest item I could choose”. I try to go for items that are described with adjectives like fresh, grilled, seared, broiled, baked, or roasted. These usually lend belief that the food was prepared in a slightly healthier way.
– Ask for the salad dressing on the side! Restaurants often will drown salads in much more dressing than one serving size. It’s nice to be in control of how much you take in sometimes đ
– Be picky with your order — you’re paying for it, afterall! I’m not afraid to ask what something is cooked in, or if I can sub a healthier side in place of one that might be slightly less healthy. More times than not, a restaurant will cater to your needs. Just make sure you tip!
Aside from class, I sat in on two more cardiac rehab one on one appointments, as well as the weekly rehab care plan interdisciplinary meeting.
Thursday, October 1, 2015: We had an outpatient appointment today that was referred from a primary care provider to discuss a patients “vitamin regimen”. Vitamins are a slippery slope, as I feel like dietitians and nutrition professionals are either strongly for or against vitamins. I personally take a calcium supplement everyday, because I don’t feel like I get enough in my day to day diet. However, I don’t just rely on my supplement and call it a day; I’m actively trying to incorporate more calcium-rich foods (other than dairy products) in my diet, so that I don’t have to rely so much on a supplement. I’m a big proponent of “food first”, and I’ve found that the case for most dietitians and nutrition professionals, which is great! Look out for a post in the near future that might help you boost your calci-yum intake đ
Friday, October 2, 2015: Wow, Friday never looked so good. I’m not sure why, but this week felt extra long. You ever have those weeks? Nothing went wrong, and I never found myself counting down the hours before the end of the work day throughout the week, but man did Friday at 5 feel good today! We had a good amount of follow-ups with patients in our rehab/skilled nursing facility, which I find I’m preferring over acute care. Mainly patients are in the “transitional care unit”, as it is so called, for rehab and recovery after a knee or hip surgery or heart failure…at least, those are without a doubt the most common. My preceptor also had a short meeting with the CA’s from the cafeteria to review the different diet plans that are offered to patients based on any conditions they present with (i.e. hypertension, heart failure, diabetes, celiac, modified texture/swallowing impairment, etc…).
I got back in town after work and headed straight for the hot bar at Whole Foods for dinner. I was set to leave early Saturday morning for FNCE and had been cleaning out my fridge all week in anticipation, meaning I had next to nothing left to eat! That coupled with the fact that I was so #done with this work week, the hot bar was the perfect dinner for a relaxing and rainy Friday night of packing.
That was it for the past week! As I mentioned, I left for FNCE on Saturday, and was there until Tuesday the 6th. What is FNCE, you ask? Click the link for more info, or wait for my post in a couple days to get a fuuuull recap!
Thanks for checking in!
