One of the things I insisted be in my care plan
was a consult with a registered dietitian (RD). I know what you are thinking, “But
Kelly, didn’t you.., don’t you..?” The
answer is “Yes”. Yes I had worked in clinical nutrition for over 12 years and
yes I have a master’s degree in nutrition. You’d think I could have figure
things out for myself. Well, no. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, the
osteoporosis diagnosis really threw me; I felt so overwhelmed, so beaten, so
tired. I knew I needed to make some changes where my diet was concerned and quite
frankly, I just wanted someone to tell me what to do.
I had been following a local nutrition practice on
Instagram and I really liked their approach. I ended up meeting the owner at a
networking event, never thinking I would refer myself! I reached out and
made an appointment with an RD on her staff.
I liked Dana right from the start; I knew I was in
a good place. In our first meeting, she brought up keeping a journal. I have always
hated keeping journals, writing down every little bite, dragging around a
stupid notebook. But this is 2017 and (like the old saying goes) there is an
app for that! She introduced me to Recovery
Record, a tracking app for logging meals, behaviors, thoughts, and feelings.
Dana demonstrated it to me on her phone, it seemed simple enough; I agreed to
try it.
The thing
is amazing! I free text what I eat; no food lists to sift through. I snap pictures of my plates (I would do it
for Instagram anyway!) I answer simple yes/no questions (that I can choose from
a master list.) She even provided me with a way to share my entries with her.
In our appointments, she logs on to her lap top and pulls up my dietary life;
it’s pretty slick!
She asked me if keeping the log made me notice
anything. I said, “Yes, my answer to the question ‘who did you eat with’ is
almost always ‘alone’ and my lunches are uninspired or non-existent. This
makes me a bit sad”
As we discussed what might be contributing to my
issues with lunch, talk came back around to the little voice inside that tells
me: I am not important enough, I am not worth the time, I don’t have enough
time, I should be doing other things, I don’t deserve to take time for a nice
lunch. I should be thankful I have a husband that works all day and devote
my energies to him. (I do realize this little voice is an ass-hole but
sometimes it just won’t shut up!)
Dana
suggested, one of the most healing acts of self-care we can do for
ourselves is to cook for ourselves. She offered an
option that would be time friendly and also provide an attractive and
nourishing lunch, Mason jar salads. I had heard of them but never thought much
about them. Well, I am now a fan! I also
got the ‘buy-in’ from my husband; he loved the idea and said he would gladly
take one in his lunch.
 |
| My first attempt at Mason jar salads |
It’s been a super fun process, gathering my jars,
reading over the various recipes, shopping, chopping, and assembling. I even
enjoyed the clean-up! The salads turned out gorgeous and hubby was impressed. Instead
of viewing lunch as an inconvenience, I see it as an event to look forward to;
a chance to do something nice for myself that will nourish my soul as well as
my body. And I am so worth it! (Take that little voice!)
