00:00
With our first inter
professional goal.
00:03
We're going to use a lot
of Health Care team members
because it will involve the treatment
of the specific underlying disease.
00:09
Our second inter
professional goal
will definitely
involve the dietitian.
00:14
Now you look at a two gram sodium
diet and think how hard can that be?
Well, let me tell you about my
experience with nursing students.
00:22
Students became
pretty laissez-faire
about a two gram sodium diet
and just explaining
it to patients.
00:28
They didn't really help patients
understand the meaning behind this,
so I got an idea.
00:34
In class and pharmacology,
I started asking them.
00:37
All right. Think about your
last diet your last meal
that you ate out at a
restaurant or a drive-through.
00:45
Then I have them look up the
sodium content of that meal.
00:49
Most students eyes
pop out of their head.
00:52
You should try that yourself
because we're completely unaware about
how much sodium is in processed foods.
00:59
And if you're eating
out in a restaurant
or a drive-through particularly,
you're getting a lot of sodium.
01:07
So I have them figure out
the sodium in their diet
and then I have them plan
a two gram sodium diet day
so they can eat eat
whatever they want.
01:15
It just can't be more
than two grams of sodium.
01:18
Then they have to follow
that diet for a day
and then we come back and
talk about what it felt like.
01:24
Now, why would I do that?
Just because I'm mean?
No, that's not the reason.
01:28
See a lot of times we flippantly
recommend things to patients
without acknowledging that
it's difficult change.
01:35
It's a big deal.
01:36
So I wanted them to
have the experience
of what it was like to actually
live on a two gram sodium diet.
01:44
So I would recommend that
you try that sometime
just to recognize what
patients are going through.
01:50
That's why a dietitian is so
important in helping the patient
learn more about
their food choices.
01:58
Now, you can work with
a dietitian to make sure
that you include the
most palatable foods
for that patient.
02:04
If you have a patient who's
from a different culture
than you are accustomed to,
recognize the foods that are really important
to them for celebrations and for customs,
we can work around it,
but we just need to know what
the patient usually enjoys.
02:19
It does no good to make
a meal plan for someone
if it's not foods that
they're ever going to eat.
02:25
Our goal is to help the patient
understand the importance
of a controlled sodium lifestyle
because controlling their sodium
will help them control
their ascites and the edema.
02:38
Then they're going to have
a better life all around.
02:41
They're going to feel better,
have more energy and be more comfortable.
02:45
So don't make it
what you can't eat
make it what they can
eat and dietitians are
fantastic Partners
collaborators in this process.