Match Day

My hand was literally shaking as I clicked refresh over and over again. I watched the seconds count down to when I would know my future. I can't believe it all comes down to this-all the work I have done-just to find out from a website how I will spend the next year of my life. Then I get to the final seconds and, of course, the page hesitates and takes several seconds, which felt like hours, to refresh. And there it was:

I am pleased to inform you that you have been appointed (computer matched) to Bowling Green State University Distance Education.

All I really had to see was the "you have been appointed" part and I could breathe again. At least I had something. But then I realized that I had received my number one choice! Even better!

Why thank you for informing me, D&D digital, that I will be able to move on rather than just sit idle for the next year until there's another chance to apply.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some celebrating to do.

A walk in the park!

My "core and more" class is on break this week, so I am going to have to get motivated to exercise on my own.
The weather is finally nice enough to walk outside again, and I couldn't be happier! I don't know about you, but I get totally bored exercising indoors. There's just so much more to look at outside! I am lucky enough to have a nice park less than a mile from my house, so that's where I usually go. It's not a huge park, but if I circle around a couple of times I figure it's about 3 miles including the walk there and back. There were a lot of other people out for a Tuesday morning, which is always nice to see!
Even walking outside can sometimes get monotonous when you do it often enough. I'd rather walk with a friend, but of course that's not always possible. I really rely on my music to get me through it. Today I started out with some Death Cab for Cutie, which you might think isn't upbeat enough for walking, but somehow it worked. Then for the second half of my walk I rocked Madonna's Confessions on a Dance Floor album. I grew up on songs like Lucky Star and Borderline (showing my age here) and a lot of her newer stuff doesn't really make the cut for me...but this album totally rocks!

What's your workout "soundtrack"?

The countdown has begun!

In exactly two weeks I will find out the news about my internship! I can't wait-this is going to be the longest 14 days ever. For those of you out there who are not dietetic students, the internship is what stands between me and becoming a registered dietitian and they are extremely competitive to get. In fact, so competitive that last year only half of those who applied got one. So it's really my future I'm waiting to hear about! Scary, huh?

So, I will just have to try to keep my mind off things by trying out new recipes :)

I am a real sucker for would-be sinful foods turned healthier. This pasta carbonara recipe used nonfat Greek yogurt to make a creamy and delicious, but light, sauce. I used half the amount of pasta the recipe calls for, and I still had a ton of leftovers. I also used fat-free half & half since that's what I had on hand. It worked just fine and turned out great. And, it was Matt-approved, even with turkey bacon!

Here's the recipe ,from Self.com.
















I thought it needed a little extra something on the side, so I served with some roasted asparagus. I drizzled a little olive oil, salt and pepper and placed in the oven at 425 degree for about 15 minutes, then sprinkled with a little Parmesan when it came out. Delicious!

Spring Break Wrap Up

I certainly had every intention of posting each and every day during spring break this week. I did, however, remember to take pictures of some of the new dishes I tried out so I can offer those now! Better late than never, right?

Pollo Montecristo From Self.com
This was a really good recipe! Self.com is one of my new favorite sources for recipes. They don't have as many available as Cooking Light, but those I have tried so far have been great.












Spaghetti with Chicken and Thai Peanut Sauce from CookingLight.com
YUM! Ever since I have taken a liking to Thai cuisine, I have wanted to duplicate the chicken pad thai that we get from our favorite restaurant. I have to say, this came pretty darn close! It was also not too difficult to make. I did have to invest in some fresh ginger, but I just bought a tube of the minced that I found in the herb section of the grocery store. Well worth it, because I will definitely be making this again and again.












Baked Goat Cheese and Roasted Winter Squash over Garlicky Fettuccine from CookingLight.com


I honestly wasn't sure about this one-that's why it sat untouched in my "saved recipes" file on Cookinglight.com for so long. I was really glad I finally tried it though, because it was actually quite good. A bit labor intensive-I have to say, one of my least favorite activities is cutting up winter squash-but well worth it. I don't know why I sat on this one for so long...how can you go wrong with goat cheese?!













We also had a couple of excellent dining out experiences. Last Saturday, we went to the new Mai Lee (Vietnamese cuisine) that opened in Brentwood near Hanley/Eager. It is the same restaurant that used to be near Delmar and 170, but boy has it improved! The menu was still very similar, but with a few new options. We have always been a little intimidated by their menu because there are soooo many choices. This time, we asked the waitress for suggestions and the ones she gave were great. Matt had steak with a peppery sauce and I had chicken with vegetables. Yummy!
Here's their website


Last night I was craving Greek food, so I searched for a new restaurant to try. Instead I came up with a great little Russian place (which I never realized is actually very similar to Greek) in Webster Groves called Dvin. It was the most adorable and charming place, run by a mother and daughter. It's so small I have never even noticed it before, but I'm so glad I found it! The food was absolutely wonderful. They don't have a website, but their menu and address is posted here

We got the Armenian dip as an appetizer, I got the meat blinztes and Matt had a pork steak which was served with mashed potatoes. Everything was awesome, and the prices were very reasonable-I can't wait to go back and try more!

Have you had any interesting food adventures this week, either inside our outside of your kitchen?

Renal Diet - Final Reflection

Aside from the obvious goal of gaining empathy for patients on this diet (which I did), the most positive aspect of this experience was the fact that it forced me to go outside of my comfort zone and try some new foods that I don't normally include in my diet. I found some new recipes that I will definitely keep around! I also realized that I don't have to be perfect and follow the rules I have established for myself all the time. For example, I started this blog as a challenge to myself to meet the MyPyramid recommendations every day for a month. I gained some really good habits from that which I have tried to continue as much as possible. However, on this diet, I was not able to do so seeing as I wasn't allowed to have any whole grains or anywhere near an adequate amount of milk products. And guess what - I didn't die and neither will anyone else who doesn't meet their recommendations every day. It is great to follow those recommendations for a general healthy lifestyle, but when you're on a diet for a major medical issue that becomes much more important. It's better to keep your kidney function and avoid dialysis than to have your 3-a-day dairy servings!

The most negative aspect of this diet was the difficulty of meeting my goals, especially for protein. It was stressful for me to try my best to follow the restrictions but still wind up going over. Perhaps I was obsessing over the numbers a bit - I suppose the important thing is that I made the effort and definitely included less protein than I normally would have had. Another negative aspect was being hungry all the time. I am not used to being starving between meals, at least not to the extent that I felt so on this diet.

I have learned some important things through this experience and definitely have some tips I might share with patients in the future.

1. Rice milk-not worth the money. I paid nearly $4.00 for a small carton and hardly used it all week. I did not find it to be a good substitute for milk at all, and it made my pudding flop. It's better to just stick to 1/2 cup of actual milk every day and just plan the rest of your meals without it.

2. The Davita website! What a great source for recipe ideas. And they were all submitted by RD's :) (not that I am biased). There are lots of other great resources on there too, including information about renal disease, blogs, and support from peers through discussion boards.

3. Don't be afraid of fat. It is the one thing you get to eat that will keep you full on this diet! I had to get over my "fat phobia" this week and add more than I normally would have.

4. Spread out your fluid consumption. If you have a cup of coffee in the morning, don't also have juice with your breakfast. Take sips of water throughout the day rather than drink it all at once.

5. You seriously have to limit your meat servings to stay within the allowance for protein. I'd recommend only having meat at one meal so it looks like a decent size portion.

Thanks to those who followed me this week, and to Matt for being supportive and always being open to trying the foods I make!

Renal Diet - Day 7

I am undergoing these dietary restrictions for the purpose of a project meant to teach patient empathy which will last for one week. I am not suggesting that anyone follow this diet unless it has been prescribed by their physician.

Breakfast (8am):

8 oz cup coffee

2 tbsp fat free half and half

1 1/2 cups Special K Blueberry cereal

1/2 cup skim milk

6 oz glass of blueberry pomegranate juice

I went back to the Speciak K cereal this morning, despite the fact that the last time I had it I almost passed out a few hours later! I had a bigger serving this morning but still only used a half cup of milk. I'm not too into milk by itself anyway, I just use it to moisten. I never did try the rice milk in cereal. I used it all up last night in an attempt to make pudding from it, which did not work out at all, by the way. I made the instant kind and even used less rice milk than the directions call for (a tip I saw on Davita)-but two hours later the pudding still had not set. So much for my big idea of using rice milk as a milk substitute this week.

Snack (11:30am):

6 unsalted crackers

2 tbsp whipped cream cheese

I made it until 11:30 for a snack today-hooray! But I was pretty hungry by then. Instead of having my normal "at work" snack of a muffin, I went with something that includes fat so hopefully I'll be able to feel full longer.

Leftovers for Lunch (1:30pm):

3 oz pork chop

1 cup lemony rice pilaf

3/4 cup asparagus

I walked again during lunch today, this time inside at the fitness center. I was just starting to feel very hungry as I was finishing up on the treadmill after 45 minutes. It was better than realizing I was dying of starvation and still being a half mile away from my lunch! By the way, this meal was just as delicious the next day.

Snack (4:30 pm): Not much different from yesterday

8 oz cup of coffee with 2 pkg coffee mate non-dairy creamer

6 vanilla wafers

Dinner: the final challenge!
From Chinese Express, affectionately titled "the Blue Hut" (right by the big Amoco sign near 40 and McCausland):
Egg drop soup
Buddhist Delight (about 2 cups veggies) with 3/4 cup steamed white rice
2 crab rangoon

I realized tody that I had actually made it through the entire week without going out to eat, so when Matt suggested chinese for dinner I was definitely up for it. Our favorite chinese place does not look like much from the outside (or the inside), but I really believe their food is better than some of the more upscale places in the area. I usually order the broccoli chicken, but tonight I went for the Buddhist Delight all veggie dish since
I already had most of my meat servings for the day. The food here is not very salty as one would expect- especially not this dish. The egg drop soup is great too, and even has pieces of FRESH tomatoes in it. Now, I find that impressive! Chinese food is actually not a horrible choice for the renal diet. There are already no milk products (unless you count the cream cheese in the crab rangoon) and most places use white rice anyway. You just have to watch out for the sodium, but if you have done well all day you could probably get away with it.


Dessert:
1 slice strawberry bread (from Davita again) : http://www.davita.com/recipes/Rice,_pasta_and_breads/a/1762
3 tbsp Cool Whip Lite

This bread was super easy to make. I actually substituted apple sauce for 3/4 of the oil. It turned out great!









Misc. H2O Record:
10 oz (morning/early afternoon)
6 oz (afternoon)
8 oz (early evening)
4 oz (with dinner)

How compliant was I today?
Total calories: 1947 out of 1861 allowed
Total fluids: 1830 mL out of 1861 mL allowed
Protein: 75 g out of 53 g allowed
Phosphorus: 1113 out of 1200 mg allowed
Potassium: 2952 mg out of 2127 mg allowed
Sodium: 3192 mg out of 3000 allowed

Well, these numbers show that I was not very compliant today, but I am going to rate myself as good because I'm still not sure I totally trust this analysis. I stuck to the plan today and even had less of my meat servings than I was supposed to. I am positive that the sodium was not this high based on my tastebuds, and lack of being able to enter the exact items I ate at the restaurant into MyPyramid. But hey, it's the end of the last day! I survived the week!

Renal Diet - Day 6

I am undergoing these dietary restrictions for the purpose of a project meant to teach patient empathy which will last for one week. I am not suggesting that anyone follow this diet unless it has been prescribed by their physician.

Breakfast:

8 oz cup of coffee

2 tbsp fat free half & half

1 pkg (1 oz) cream of wheat, made with 2/3 cup rice milk

1 tsp Smart Balance Light

1 tsp honey

2 tbsp dried mixed berries (blueberries, cherries, raisins and cranberries)

a generous sprinkle of cinnamon

I'm still trying to like the cream of wheat. It was better with the dried fruit, but the texture is just so grainy! Two more days and I can go back to my oatmeal :)

"Second" breakfast:

blueberry muffin (1 1/2 oz)

small hardboiled egg

I had a late "second" breakfast at work, because I knew I was walking again today and would need the energy.

Lunch:

1 1/2 oz turkey on 2 slices white bread

1/2 oz slice colby jack cheese

1 oz Baked Ruffles potato chips

1 small apple

Despite my attempt to eat closer to when I was going to walk, I was still super hungry when I returned. I was talking with a friend in the office today, and she said she was gaining more sympathy for our renal patients by reading about my experience. It's pretty cool that the patient empathy is even reaching beyond me!





Late afternoon snack:
8 oz cup of coffee (regular mixed with french vanilla latte)
6 vanilla wafers

I was getting really tired by late afternoon, so I grabbed a little coffee to have with my cookies. Our french vanilla latte is a no-no for our renal patients, I guess because there is milk powder somewhere in the mix, but I probably only used about 1/4 of a cup of it. It makes a nice flavoring for our lovely hospital coffee (really, it's not that bad when it's fresh but I couldn't wait until they made a new batch).


Dinner: More goodies from Davita

3 oz Baked Pork Chop - http://www.davita.com/recipes/Meats_and_seafood/a/617
1 cup Lemony Rice Pilaf - http://www.davita.com/recipes/Rice,_pasta_and_breads/a/1284
3/4 cup asparagus, tossed in olive oil

These recipes were awesome. I have been eating more pork lately (my Jewish half is disappointed, I think) and am always looking for new ways to prepare it. I will definitely keep this one on hand. The rice was perfect with it, and of course asparagus is always good. I tossed it in olive oil, sprinkled with a little salt and pepper, and baked at 350 for about 15 minutes. I added a little Parmesan cheese and lemon juice right before it was ready.

Misc. H2O record:

6 oz (morning)
12 oz (afternoon/early evening)
10 oz (with dinner/evening)

How compliant was I today?
Total calories: 1788 out of 1861 allowed
Total fluids: 1370 mL out of 1861 mL allowed
Protein: 68 g out of 53 g allowed
Phosphorus: 1022 out of 1200 mg allowed
Potassium: 1963 mg out of 2127 mg allowed
Sodium: 2489 mg out of 3000 allowed

My compliance was very good today. I was within my limits in all categories except protein, but I've realized that's nearly an impossible feat.