For my second interview I spoke with Jennifer (Jenny) Reay. She is a Registered Dietitian (RD) and a Licensed Dietitian/Nutritionist (LDN) and works at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center. I spoke to Jenny about this course and the fact that I have never heard of the DASH diet.
Dash (dietary approach to stop hypertension) is something she uses and talks about with many of her patients. It is a program that is full of fruits, vegetables, nuts and low fat dairy. Jenny jokingly said you eat you weight in fruits and vegetables, and that all those foods that taste good “including bacon” are out. I asked Jenny if this was one of those crazy “fad” things that we will find out in a couple years that causes cancer or is horrible bad and then we develop …show more content…
The DASH diet is endorsed by America Heart Association (AHA) and many other health and human service organizations. Jenny disclosed that many of her patients have quit taking medications after adhering to DASH style diet after few weeks to a month. The majority of patients she sees at the medical center are either pre-hypertensive or hypertensive and taking multiple medications. This diet approach is the reduction salt or sodium. It is based on six servings of whole grains, four to five servings of fruits, vegetables, and nuts add two to three services of lean meat with nothing processed. She said the goal would be to limit sodium to 1,500 mg per day. Doing this has seen significant results in lowering blood pressure within weeks and weaning patients off medications …show more content…
She shared another story of a patient that claimed to cut salt out of her diet and was eating “right” but still suffered from hypertension and had not lost any weight. After talking it was discovered the patient had cut down on adding salt, but continued to eat ding-dongs for lunch and dinner desserts as well as bags of chips for snacks. As a dietitian, it is overwhelming how people justify their actions. There is no magic diet or pill. Jenny said the secret is simple; eat less and move more. Today many of us eat out of convenience and those conveniences come with a price. That is why so many Americans suffer from hypertension, obesity, and growing healthcare issues. It is about lifestyle changes and ability to make choices. When you eat 2 pieces of carrot cake, it does not count for 2 services of vegetables. There is no need to cut everything you like out of your diet, to starve yourself and to never drink a beer (we were having a beer during our conversation) it is all about moderation. Moderation we have lost control of in the United States. Everything is supersized! Jenny shared that you can eat canned vegetables, wash them off before cooking. You can still have a hamburger, go with the smaller patty and leave off the bacon. You can still have a plate of food on the holidays, start with filling the middle of the plate with vegetables and fruits and smaller portions of the other items. Make choices it is not a singular
Dash (dietary approach to stop hypertension) is something she uses and talks about with many of her patients. It is a program that is full of fruits, vegetables, nuts and low fat dairy. Jenny jokingly said you eat you weight in fruits and vegetables, and that all those foods that taste good “including bacon” are out. I asked Jenny if this was one of those crazy “fad” things that we will find out in a couple years that causes cancer or is horrible bad and then we develop …show more content…
The DASH diet is endorsed by America Heart Association (AHA) and many other health and human service organizations. Jenny disclosed that many of her patients have quit taking medications after adhering to DASH style diet after few weeks to a month. The majority of patients she sees at the medical center are either pre-hypertensive or hypertensive and taking multiple medications. This diet approach is the reduction salt or sodium. It is based on six servings of whole grains, four to five servings of fruits, vegetables, and nuts add two to three services of lean meat with nothing processed. She said the goal would be to limit sodium to 1,500 mg per day. Doing this has seen significant results in lowering blood pressure within weeks and weaning patients off medications …show more content…
She shared another story of a patient that claimed to cut salt out of her diet and was eating “right” but still suffered from hypertension and had not lost any weight. After talking it was discovered the patient had cut down on adding salt, but continued to eat ding-dongs for lunch and dinner desserts as well as bags of chips for snacks. As a dietitian, it is overwhelming how people justify their actions. There is no magic diet or pill. Jenny said the secret is simple; eat less and move more. Today many of us eat out of convenience and those conveniences come with a price. That is why so many Americans suffer from hypertension, obesity, and growing healthcare issues. It is about lifestyle changes and ability to make choices. When you eat 2 pieces of carrot cake, it does not count for 2 services of vegetables. There is no need to cut everything you like out of your diet, to starve yourself and to never drink a beer (we were having a beer during our conversation) it is all about moderation. Moderation we have lost control of in the United States. Everything is supersized! Jenny shared that you can eat canned vegetables, wash them off before cooking. You can still have a hamburger, go with the smaller patty and leave off the bacon. You can still have a plate of food on the holidays, start with filling the middle of the plate with vegetables and fruits and smaller portions of the other items. Make choices it is not a singular