Meal for a Day

On February 2, 2015 I had:

• 1 bowl (about 1 cup) of Reese’s puff cereal with whole milk: Serving size of Reese’s Puffs is 3/4 a cup. Without the milk, total fat is 3g and sodium is 160 mg. 1 cup of whole milk is 9 g of total fat and 130mg of sodium.
• For lunch:
  • half a steak and white cheddar cheese panini sandwich from Panera bread: total fat 18g and sodium is 910mg
  • 1 regular sized (20 ounces) iced green tea. Total fat is 0g and sodium is 10mg.
• Dinner: 1 1/2 cup of homemade Ham soup. I do not know the Fat content and sodium but most of the fat and sodium content would be from the Ham. No extra salt was added. Other ingredients (Carrots, onions, celery, potatoes, and elbow macaroni noodles).
• Snack: 1 bag of mini nutter butters: 115mg of sodium and 6g of total fat
• Other Beverages besides water: Arizona Green tea: 16 fl. oz. has a total fat of 0g and sodium 20mg

After looking through the American Heart Association Website, there are different recommendations on how to change lifestyle habits such as nutritional habits and exercising. The website also offers different languages such as Chinese and Spanish. Looking at what is recommended for a healthy lifestyle in relation to nutrition and exercise, the recommended sodium intake is 2,400 in order to reduce cholesterol; however, the recommended intake for lowering blood pressure is 1,500 mg. Looking at what I had yesterday, if I had eaten a whole panini sandwich for lunch, I have already eaten more than my recommended sodium intake if I were on a low-sodium diet. Furthermore, my patients may not only have poor blood pressure control, but may also have heart problems such as heart failure that may decrease the recommended sodium intake to about 1,200 mg. I think we ask a lot out of patients, to suddenly make changes in there life especially when it comes to eating habits or exercise. I think it is important to understand that we are asking them to make lifestyle changes and that it takes times. I think including the patient into plan of care is important because it will affect them in the long run. Asking them what they will be willing to cut down and what is possible for them to do now. Making smaller strides to conquer the huge milestone. I do not think I could change into a low-sodium, low-fat diet in one day. I think it would take time, but it’s important to find creative ways in order to conquer the smaller strides. For example, I do really exercise as much as I should and I noticed I would have a lot harder time breathing after a short walk up stairs. Also, my 4 year old sister could not walk far and would constantly complain. What I did, was I decided to walk to the farthest park in my community with my sister and son. After about a week, my sister would not complain walking to the far park nor after we played at the park to go home. Not only did I help build her endurance, I built my endurance back up as well. Maybe, our patients have a hard time walking and can only do minimal exercise, and that is where we as nurses have to be creative in order to help our patients make those small strides.

Also, on the American Heart Association website, to maintain a healthy diet, control blood pressure and cholesterol, and maintain a healthy weight, a variety of fruits and vegetables should be consumed daily. Looking at my meal list, I need to tackle that better because there will be some days I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and on some days it is very minimal the amount of fruits and vegetables I eat. Exploring the website, I have gained a better understanding the changes we are asking our patients to make and things that I have to take into consideration such as the patient’s culture and lifestyle.