Got a nice gift for Doctors Week this am with a bag of "goodies" from one of the hospitals I belong to. It was a container filled with colorful decorations and snacks. I opened the bag and started pulling out the snacks and wondered.....wheres is the gift? (Mama taught me to say it's the thought that counts). Then I got to the bottom of the red paper filler and found some golf tee's.
So I just finished my morning loose leaf green tea (Genmaicha from Adagio Teas), toast and fruit (banana) and thought good thing I'm not hungry. If I didn't have my morning ritual, I may have been tempted to pop open the Special K breakfast bar. The design of the "100 calorie" bags is deceiving; packaging says 100 but it's flat, small and carries about 20-30 pieces of mini size edibles. (I would not be satisfied with 1 package unless I intentionally ate one at a time and allowed the wafer to melt on the roof of my mouth then worked it with my tongue-sounds sensual but this is mindful eating - (see Jon Kabat Zinn Mindfulness for Beginners-The Raisin Story) and allows for satiety with changing blood levels of ghrelin/leptin/cortisol/serotonin/oxytocin/IGF1. Mindless eating comes when stressed, hungry, tired, thirsty, overwhelmed, sick....and I just described every American I see in clinic. Obesity is an epidemic and it will carry heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes along with it for 1in3 people -excluding Colorado. (Cool to watch on my lecture link by advancing from slide 12-slide 39 and you will see the evolution of obesity in the US.) I calculated the total calories from all these snacks
to be 1010 calories. (This would be in addition to 2-3 regular meals in a day!) The downside is the glycemic index for the snacks is very high and in 30-120 minutes I would crave more fast food due to the hypoglycemia response after fast food I refer to as the "insulin dump".
In comparison, the bulk of my packed food for the day is about 1300calories- good enough for me! I am working a 14 hour shift today so in anticipation of hunger this evening, I will plan on a pre-emptive strike to cravings with an order from local veggie restaurant if necessary. My food looks bland compared to what I ate 20 years ago but across the hallway is a physical therapy place. My excitement/satisfaction will come in the endorphin rush from getting on the treadmill during down time and cranking out a mile or two. (unless the physical therapy police tell me the equipment is only for patients). Speaking of police, if an officer of the law is found doing anything illegal the news will chastise him/her and suspend without pay until decided by a judge. No one is above the law but I am sure some law enforcement officers break rules every once and a while.
So I just finished my morning loose leaf green tea (Genmaicha from Adagio Teas), toast and fruit (banana) and thought good thing I'm not hungry. If I didn't have my morning ritual, I may have been tempted to pop open the Special K breakfast bar. The design of the "100 calorie" bags is deceiving; packaging says 100 but it's flat, small and carries about 20-30 pieces of mini size edibles. (I would not be satisfied with 1 package unless I intentionally ate one at a time and allowed the wafer to melt on the roof of my mouth then worked it with my tongue-sounds sensual but this is mindful eating - (see Jon Kabat Zinn Mindfulness for Beginners-The Raisin Story) and allows for satiety with changing blood levels of ghrelin/leptin/cortisol/serotonin/oxytocin/IGF1. Mindless eating comes when stressed, hungry, tired, thirsty, overwhelmed, sick....and I just described every American I see in clinic. Obesity is an epidemic and it will carry heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes along with it for 1in3 people -excluding Colorado. (Cool to watch on my lecture link by advancing from slide 12-slide 39 and you will see the evolution of obesity in the US.) I calculated the total calories from all these snacks
to be 1010 calories. (This would be in addition to 2-3 regular meals in a day!) The downside is the glycemic index for the snacks is very high and in 30-120 minutes I would crave more fast food due to the hypoglycemia response after fast food I refer to as the "insulin dump".
In comparison, the bulk of my packed food for the day is about 1300calories- good enough for me! I am working a 14 hour shift today so in anticipation of hunger this evening, I will plan on a pre-emptive strike to cravings with an order from local veggie restaurant if necessary. My food looks bland compared to what I ate 20 years ago but across the hallway is a physical therapy place. My excitement/satisfaction will come in the endorphin rush from getting on the treadmill during down time and cranking out a mile or two. (unless the physical therapy police tell me the equipment is only for patients). Speaking of police, if an officer of the law is found doing anything illegal the news will chastise him/her and suspend without pay until decided by a judge. No one is above the law but I am sure some law enforcement officers break rules every once and a while.
So what should we do with health care workers that are unhealthy. Or healers that don't know the law of letting "food be thy medicine". After prescribing medicines, most doctors would apply some anecdotal stories of what they have tried personally which is honorable but not usually deep enough to build individual templates for the wide variety of people/diseases/ethnicity/tastes/ages. In the 90's, insurance used to cover visits to a Registered Dietitian but not now. With some insurance companies- after you have been diagnosed with Diabetes, you will get 2 visits to an RD in the first year and then 1 visit annually (lifechanging right?). Most diabetics I speak with roll their eyes when I ask "how informative was your visit and why are you not taking advantage of what your insurance covers?" Looks like patients are on their own when it comes to nutrition....unless you find someone locally on EatRight.Org. A friend told me it would be better to see someone for counseling that you know versus a stranger, at least make sure they have been through credible training. Be your own policeman! (Or attend local lectures like mine at Advocate Sherman Hospital April 26th!)
