Hair Shopping

When I travel or move to a new place, I am a Tourist, Explorer, Dweller, and Shopper.  When it comes to shopping, my favorite way to spend time and money are at grocery stores and farmer’s markets.  I know, I know, the stereotypical female gods now scream blasphemy as clothes nor malls have entered this favorite list!  Alas, one of my favorite (economical) shopping centers in Memphis has a Kroger, Wal-Mart & Goodwill; I usually park in the middle and stretch my legs walking the parking lot between the stores.  

Yesterday after work, I parked in my standard mid-spot, and walked the 7 or so minutes to Goodwill.  Just as I was about to enter I heard, “Excuse me! Excuse me!”  I assumed directions were needed, but instead was met with a much different non-interrogatory response.  “You are simply beautiful!  Beautiful!” exclaimed a smiling older man.  A childish smile embraced my face. J

Tagxedo & Chasing Jessie awesomeness

I found this great website that allows one to customize a (pre-loaded) shape with words, colors, font types, and themes!  What is the standard shape representation of dietitian?  An APPLE, of course!  Here is the Chasing Jessie (Dietetic Internship only) word art!

Make your own at Tagxedo.com :)
(It is legitimate, this is not a spam posting!)

Rock On: The Kidney Stones!

DIETETIC INTERNSHIP: Weeks 18 & 19 (of 41)

Renal (Kidney) Disease

The renal world (i.e. kidneys) poses a lot of complications for patients in many arenas, from medication management, coordination of many healthcare specialists, and very importantly, drastic nutrition alterations.  Unless you develop some form of kidney troubles, most people have no idea what the kidneys do, where they are located, or how many we have?...  (Psst!  In general, your two kidneys are located in the back of the abdomen (see a picture here), working hard all day long to filter blood (remove waste products, create urine), maintain fluid and electrolyte balance, and secrete hormones to control blood pressure!)  Everything you know about healthy eating recommendations is (nearly) reversed in kidney disease.  Let me explain...

Standard healthy eating advice:

Eat whole grains, buy wheat bread instead of white, brown rice, not white!  Eat more fruits and vegetables!  Consume low-fat dairy 3 times per day!  Limit your sodium intake!

Oh wait, you have chronic kidney disease (CKD) and/or on dialysis?  Screeeeeech!  Cancel nearly ALL of those recommendations! 

MIFA & Meals on Wheels

DIETETIC INTERNSHIP: Week 17 (of 41)
Week 17 - MIFA

The past few weeks/months have been very busy in my world as a VA Dietetic Intern.  Actually, it varies by Intern, as every rotation has different requirements and associated assignments, which may demand a few extra hours that week, or 10-20 hours more.  The latter category was starting to get tiring, in addition to putting in excess hours for research projects.  Just in time, a rotation week away from the VA!

The Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA) was founded just after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr in Memphis, TN (1968).  This organization manages a number of different programs from emergency family services to Senior citizen assistance, including administration of Meals on Wheels.  Briefly, Meals on Wheels is a government-funded program that provides home-delivered and congregate meals 5-days per week to nutritionally at-risk individuals over age 60 years.  MIFA’s research and studies have shown that congregate and home-delivered meals benefit the community immensely.  It is estimated that there is a substantial 11% return on investment for these programs in a community.  Nutritional programs help seniors in need by reducing malnutrition, falls/fractures, and depression.  According to MIFA, last year they provided 447,967 meals to Seniors!