Well I'm going to take advantage of this beautiful platform and make a vent of my frustration, sorry guys for be part of this, but I would love to invitate you to this true and sad story.
I'm a nutrition student, I'm cursing my last year and I finally can do my internship (because of corona, I couldn't for months), and I'm working with a lot of patients everyday, sometimes I say "hello" and "bye" to some of them the same day. And when they have to leave the clinic (I don't know how the say this in english, but we have a word of this in spanish, we said "el alta" and is when the doctor said that he actually is ready to go after his/her hospitalization), anyway, in that moment, I have to "deliver a feeding guideline"(?), I mean, I have to give a paper with the things that the patients can eat and can't eat.
SO, this is the point when I feel sad about all of this. because so many of the pathologies that they have are, actually, because of the food that they intake in their daily life. And when I have to go with a piece of paper with information that they are going to read and maybe forgot at the minute, I feel so hopeless about my rol as a health worker. I mean just with a piece of paper I have to destroy an entire life of bad habits and psychological patterns. Is this fair? Is this enough??...I don't think so...now! Of course, I try my best, believe me, in the poor minutes that I have to explain that piece of sheet, I give all of me.
And, don't get me wrong, I won't never get angry with my patients at all if they forget my indications. I just get frustrated because I realized that this is no about them, is about the social and economic environment (or in other words, the social determinants of health), the education and the misinformation of medias (television mostly). And yes, I see how people died for obesity, diabetes, hypertension, etc. And please tell me that someone (politician or a powerful person) want to help to sociaty in this point...Or is just us? Nutritionists?.... And I think "Ok, I studied this area, I know things that they don't, it's my mision to help them", but there is something deeper in all of this. People know that they don't have to eat too much sugar, or delivery food, or Backery products and they know that they need to work out, but why they don't do it? What is the line you need to cross for finally get the motivation to DO IT, and this question goes through every social and economic standar.
I really want to know, I really want to help people about this. If someone have...I don't know, a link for a motivational speech course or something like that, everything can work for me. But as a health worker I sometimes can feel kinda frustrating when I see how little people care or know about how to improve their health and this, at the same time, make me realize that how much important is my major and the nutrition science. This reallly make me feel in love of my degree because most of the diseases that my patients have are because they have bad food habits, and a good alimentation can really be a powerful tool to prevent so many illnes.
Anyway, if you read all of this, thank you so much. You have to know that at this point of the text I feel better and I could canalize (?) or transform all my frustration in words so, it's a relieve.
I want to ask too if the tittle that I wrote for this post is correctly used or not. Let me know.
And if you are interested in nutrition, let me know too, and we can talk a little bit more about it! I'm from Chile so I would love to know if exist my major in other countrys and that kind of stuff. Maybe someone can tell me about it!
I totally know what you're saying! I feel the same worry about my family members -- and if it's so hard for even family members to help, I can't imagine how hard it is for nutritionists. Keep doing what you're doing, and keep writing! It was really interesting to hear about this from a nutritionist's perspective.
Oh yeah, my mother have diabetes and my father have obesity (I don't like to say "is obese" because I think that is a pathology too) so maybe both are the most hard patients that I have right now lol
I totally agree, and it is so easy with all this junk food at our fingertips, but I try haha. Keep working hard, nutritionists are important people that could really change our society!
yesss so easy to get all that food, just we need to call them and they are already in our door's house! (?)
Wow you are doing a lot for society 👏 I have poor eating habits, I tried different - vegetarianism, stop eating sugar food, but ended with the same. I think it is also when we feel bad and sad it is difficult to find a power to prepare healthy food and do a workout, when it is little free time. But, I'll try better!
Oh man, I'm not great with my diet either, but I find that making small changes works better than trying to change everything at one time. --And my cousin is a nutritionist too! She works at a hospital, mostly helping sick people (often cancer patients) plan meals. So for her patients, often the trouble is that they're too sick to eat much...
I hear you. There is so much social trauma (and then food makes us feel better, society makes us feel shame if we are fat, mental health care is hard to access and not always culturally appropriate) it is hard to know where to start when we want to help people! I love that you're thinking about these topics and that you want to help. I know you will find answers for how you can help if you keep asking these great questions.
@Belenrosero: this was a very interesting posting, thanks a lot for taking the time to put your frustrations into words. My older sister has also a major as a dietitian/nutritionist and she also worked several years in a hospital. But in the mean time she became a mother and quit working alltogether. So yes, we have that major in Switzerland too :) Finally, on a more personal note, one of my new year's resolution was to drastically cut back my sugar consumption (allowing some exceptions at birthday parties, when visiting someone or the like). I don't have overweight problems (rather the opposite, with a BMI a little below 20), but I decided to stick with it and it worked. It was actually easier than I had thought. I think what helped me stay the course, was the fact that I found replacement for my chocolate bars and such in forms of energy balls made of nuts and dry fruits. But soon enough, I could do even without them, and an apple or another fruit would just do the trick too. :)
Thank u @Zere for share your experience with me, and yes I sometimes find myself in plenty self-sabotage. And I spent years of my life studying the consequences about junk food. That's when I think, what is the real problem here? The enviroment? the habits? the addiction to sugar products?
@Janewt Oh! interesting! Where is she come from!? I'm thinking to make a video about nutritionists around the world and which place is better to study this major, so I want to compare some colleges and the final function that we have in every country. I know I'm thinking bigger but maybe this could help to a future young people to chose this beautiful profession.
@BaileyDorothy WOW so much deeps topics that we can talk from your words. Actually I think I will have a moment to think about your point of view and write about it, because my brain is making connections right now hahha thank you so much really!!!
@eco-erich Erich!!! your comment is so powerful! you experience about how you replace chocolate is a really great idea actually, now I will think in ideas for my diferents patients too. And now I'm thinking......meanwhile I'm writing this words that maybe already exist habits theorys..... I mean, maybe existed people with the same questions than me and I will search more about it....
I would love to know more about your sister too! I'm thinking to make a video about nutritionists around the world, so your sister experience it could be a nice experience to record.
@belenrosero - The truth is I don't know much about where and how my cousin studied. But we're in the US, and she works now in one of the major hospitals in Boston. (Boston is where we both grew up. It's a city on the east coast, with some very good medical centers.) I think she really likes the work, even though it's often hard and sad. She plainly cares a lot about her patients, same as you.
I'm a nurse in the US and listening to nutritional advice from doctors makes me cringe. I find most people hold nutritional beliefs like political beliefs. They're very difficult to change and good advice is almost useless. My favorite books on diet and lifestyle and health are How not to Die by Dr. Michael Greger and Thirty Days to Natural Blood Pressure Control: The "No Pressure" Solution by Greg Steinke MD MPH, Mph David DeRose MD, and Trudie Li Msn Fnp. The second book talks some about motivational strategies which is the real crux.
Hey @Belenrosero! Thank you so much for your post! I agree with you. The right diet is the best prophylactic for many diseases.