As a cardiac ICU nurse, patient education is a large part of my job. After patients undergo bypass/valve surgery, it is critical that they make significant changes in both their diet and activity level…
Fortunately for them (and me) I am quite passionate about health and nutrition, which makes that aspect of my job all the more enjoyable. Unfortunately, not all of my coworkers are as gung-ho about this part of nursing (nor are they as keen on incorporating what knowledge they do have on it into their own lives). Not to get all judgmental or anything, but it’s pretty pathetic to leave the hospital on my lunch break and see crowds of health care workers huddled in the ER entryway smoking after polishing off their Dunkin Donuts. I really despise hypocrisy. Not only do several of my colleagues smoke, but they often belittle my vegan ways. It’s especially confusing and frustrating because we are taking care of patients who had to have surgery because of the exact same unhealthy lifestyle choices. I just don’t get it…
I mean, it’s one thing to enjoy a donut every once in a while, but it’s QUITE another to be fully aware of the damage cigarettes and high cholesterol diets do to your arteries and just carry on like you are ignorant.
For me and my patients, every month is heart healthy month (not just February).
In honor of that, here are my eats along with some heart healthy tips.
This salad’s layers were deeper than Jack Handey.
- spinach
- kale
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- asparagus (stinky pee!)
- carrots
- mushrooms
- dried cranz
I also had a sweet potato/raisin ensemble, two apples, and two bars. Unlike the magic of Larabars, this thinkThin chocolate covered strawberry bar was unable to replicate the flavor after which it was named and was a complete miss in the taste department. I have to say, I definitely fell for the marketing ploy on this one. Chocolate covered strawberry sounds like such a yummy idea, though!? And as long as I’m confessing, I actually do like the thinkThin white chocolate bars. I’m not proud of this since the label’s ingredients read longer than Kate Gosslin’s grocery list (assuming she still does her own shopping for the small army of children she has).
Anyways, at least the Honey Graham Z bar was on stand-by to rescue my taste buds.
When I got home from work I had a pinata apple while I put dinner together – eaten so fast that I only had the fruit sticker as photo evidence.
And by “put together” I mean added my prepared food to a plate. Such effort. My scrumptious dinner included cannellini beans, steamed broccoli, quinoa, whole wheat pita, and roasted red pepper hummus.
Round deux was hearty, but left plenty of room for dessert. Dates + home made soynut butter = love. It’s been so long since I last had medjools and the reason is fairly legit. I’m picky when it comes to my dates, and I haven’t been able to find the big, fat, juicy mothahs to which I’m accustomed. I searched my Whole Foods high and low and could only find the pitted kind. I guess I just need to find another grocer 
If only my patients got as excited about beans, grains, veggies, and dried fruit as I.
FYI, 100% of my patients’ histories contain this trifecta: high cholesterol, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Sure, some of this is genetic, but there are certainly lifestyle issues to blame, too. Add on years of smoking and you pretty much have the recipe for heart disease.
Being 94.6% vegan, I have pretty stellar cholesterol levels (I had labs done in November). Your body makes enough cholesterol on it’s own, so in reality, we don’t need to consume any. Because cholesterol is found in animal products, this is pretty easy for vegans. If you aren’t vegan though, fear not, because there are foods that are known to lower your cholesterol levels such as omega-3 fatty fish (salmon), walnuts, oatmeal/oat bran, and foods fortified with plant sterols. If you increase these kinds of foods and reduce the animal sources in your diet, you are sure to improve (lower) your cholesterol levels. So get crackin’ peeps!
More packed lunch food/snacks for work:
Salad with da works, hummus, whole wheat pita, sweet potato pie with raisins, caramel greek yogurt, and an apple.
Hope you don’t think I’m being preachy…it’s just so hard to not write pages and pages about this topic. In a world with cancer and war causing deaths that we can’t control, it’s so ridiculous that everyone doesn’t heed the advice that is scientifically researched, proven, and documented to keep you out of the hospital. I see (and treat) the effects from ignoring said advice and trust me, it’s better to dodge the bullet all together than to rely on surgery to give you a second chance. Dietary choices don’t have to be sacrifices – it’s not cardboard, it’s hummus! Ok, soapbox is back under the sink now. Night!
{ 46 comments… read them below or add one }
AMEN!!!
Plus, vegan food is so dang YUMMY, what’s NOT to love!?
Great post! I’m totally with you.
Also, ThinkThin bars are so good but a bit cloyingly sweet. I’ve only had the PB/choccie flavor but it had melted in the summer heat and it was amazing.
Is the white choccie one vegan?
Ahhh chocolate covered strawberries are TO DIE FOR. There used to be a small choccie strawberry shop in my little town but it has since closed
My stepfather passed away five years ago from a massive heart attack I’m sure was ultimately (unfortunately) inevitable based on his poor health, obesity, and smoking addiction. Ever since then I’ve been really focused on/concerned about/interested in heart health and incorporating healthy, cardiovascular-strengthening habits into my lifestyle. It might be one of my biggest fears now =/ But thanks for the great info and tips!
Summed up everything perfectly! Why is it so hard? That will definitely be a hard concept for me to grasp when i find myself in your situation with a job in a couple of years!
i have tried 2 bites of one think thin. it tasted like dirty old socks. i threw it out. and have never bought another LOL
I see girls “rave” about them and wonder if i am just whack or what? Glad to see another girl with good taste feels they are ummm, a marketing ploy
wow, i can’t believe they belittle your HEALTHY eating. shame on them. i totally agree with you about “practice what you preach.” i dont understand people who do things just do to and not really believe in it. doing something you love is sooo much more enjoyable so it becomes less of a “job” and more of a career. sometimes i see “unfit” personal trainers and the gym and I’m thinking, i would NEVER train with him/or. they must not know what they’re talking about.
I, for one, like the health stuff (along with anything else you want to write)! I’m a veggie, and eat dairy sometimes, and my cholesterol levels are amaazing
Your last few posts are inspiring to me though, I’ve been a little lazy lately and need to get back on the healthy-wagon. <3
I totally agree with you! It’s the same on my nursing course and when I’m on the wards. We’ll have a lecture on lung cancer and it’s unequivocal link to smoking then straight after it fellow students will be outside smoking! It’s crazy.
What’s also difficult is that my nutrition courses don’t educate about vegetarianism and veganism, instead they say how important dairy, some meat and fish are. Shame.
Here’s to health and veganism!
Oh man, yes! I get frustrated by people and my situation isn’t half of yours, I commend you on not going crazy trying to bash some sense into them several times a day!
Ugh, and poopooing the lifestyle of a coworker they are supposed to be promoting to patients. Not cool. 
I have to say that your salads always look so delicious! Do you steam your broccoli and cauliflower before adding ‘em in?
-K
definitely see a lot of nurses who smoke, and a lot of overweight nurses, as well. Sometimes I find it hypocritical as well…
I LOVED this post! I don’t think you’re being preachy at all! You’re being honest.
I always find it humorous (and by humorous I mean infuriating) when someone comments on one’s healthy foods. It’s not like we attack them for eating burgers! Annoying.
Really, I love your health knowledge interspersed with your eats. Smarty pantalones!
Love you!!! xoxo
A to the men! I don’t think you’re being preachy, and if you are, it’s what some people need to hear. I cannot believe that there are health care professionals who do not need their own advice. That is just ridiculous. I also think it’s ridiculous that people think “health” food tastes like cardboard, or that vegan counterparts to popular foods are tasteless. I enjoy non vegan treats, to be sure, but coconut milk ice cream, tofutti, vegannaise…these are all DELICIOUS, and I think that anyone can enjoy these products more often without committing to a vegan lifestyle 100%. Hearing more about life in the hospital would be great for your blog, I think, of all the blogs I follow yours is the only one I read from a nurses’ perspective.
Great post! My dad is a doctor, and I volunteered in his hospital for 6 years, and I was always amazed at the amount of nurses I saw smoking. Not to mention, the sheer amount of junk that was around and constantly being snacked on. I understand that it’s a high stress job with long hours, but I’m also baffled by the fact that they treat patients with heart and lung disease all day long. Glad to know you feel the same way! I really admire nurses- it’s a profession that requires a lot of patience and bravery!
I love the sweet potato + raisin combo…genius!
I totally agree with you! My husband was in the ER last week and I was trying to find some WATER and the lady at the front desk was like, “there’s a McDonalds in the hospital – you could go there…” Isn’t it ridiculous that the only restaurant in a hospital is a McDonalds?!
I agree 100% — I always feel a little, well, disgusted with health care practitioners who don’t practice what they preach.
There is an entire container (minus three dates!) of Medjools in my refrigerator… I have no idea what to do with them! :p
<3 <3
i don’t think you are being preachy at all!! in fact, it really bothers me when I see health professionals smoking. My mom switched doctors when I was younger since we saw him outside lighting up…i just don’t get it.
sorry people are so harsh about your diet..i don’t understand why people get like that.
I had the same reaction to another flavor of those thinkThin bars. Dense & tasteless. Bleah. Haven’t tried the white chocolate.
Your pictures of your packed food always look so great. It almost makes me wish I had somewhere to go where I needed to pack a lunch!
Hi! I really enjoy reading your blog and I wanted to comment on this post because I just finished reading an article about how 400,000 Americans will die of heart disease in 2010 and that many of these deaths could be prevented if people stopped smoking and cleaned up their diets. It is so scary how people are turning a blind eye to the ways in which they can prevent heart disease. I can relate to your frustration and admire you for sticking your guns and educating your patients.
I think it’s great that you practice what you preach! No joke, your healthy lifestyle, attitude and appearance are DEFINITELY good motivators for others.
Also, I, too, love the white chocolate ThinkThin bars, but I try to save them for very rare occasions. I stick with my zbars the rest of the time. I probably should dig up a recipe and make some of my own though!
Um, you of all people has a right to preach like it’s your job, since it is and all.
You SHOULD be indignant at your gnarly coworkers! Smoking and DD? SO GROSS! Since diet is like at least 50% of health (right?) I would hope that more health professionals like you would take it upon themselves to educate their patients such as you do.
I think your soapbox should be permanent. I definitely consider you an example worth following!
I think people have a misconception that healthy = gross. But really, some of the best foods I’ve eaten have been healthy!
I will never understand the smoking thing. While, sure, I’ve had one or two cigs in my lifetime, not only is it a waste of dollars (those packs are like… 2 whole foods salads), there is widespread PROOF that they directly cause disease, and death.
I would have a hard time not being judgmental, too.
Great post! That must be so frustrating. I am not vegan, but probably eat vegan about 80% or more of the time. When I had my cholestorol checked it had jumped up significantly from last year, when I actually ate more meat and cheese. What do you think the culprit could be?
thats very weird. i asked a coworker (nurse practitioner) and he couldnt really come up with anything. im assuming you didnt recently start smoking…
is it high now? or is it still in the normal range but just higher than before?
its hard to imagine such a change in only a year with an improved diet (less dairy and meat). do you use butter now? are there any other changes you have made? shrimp and seafood do have high cholesterol content that people tend to overlook as well as eggs…hmmm…you have me stumped.
Ick, I hate ThinkThin bars! Their packages are so pretty and I always want to give them another try… but no, totally gross.
Also recently rediscovered the Medjool love… so, so good.
Yeah, there is just no replacing the good old Larabar. I was a little hesitant about it when I first tried them a few weeks ago, and now I love them.
I may not be the healthiest of people, but I do know that going Vegetarian has made me feel so much better. I have more energy and feel so much healthier!
i agree completely…i would be really irritated by that!! and i don’t think you are judging them at all- if anything, it seems they are judging you?
xoxo
shelley
http://findinghappinessandhealth.wordpress.com
I love the healthy eating tips!!! Super useful! Did I ever tell you I used to have high cholesterol? I lowered it, but yeah. Love those tips. Does salmon count if it’s a la sushi?
xoxo!
really??? i didnt know that! so i was doing some research on the sushi thing and as far as i can tell, yes, the omega-3 health benefits are obtained from raw salmon as well. i found a few articles, and although they were vague, they said that smoked salmon has less, but otherwise raw and cooked should be fairly similar. of course, with raw fish theres always the risk of parasites and icky contamination…
Sigh…welcome to my world. It is SO frustrating to try to work with and educate people who refuse to make changes and acknowledge that their behavior and choices has direct consequences on their health. It can be like talking to a wall. I feel ya!
WTF is up with your Whole Foods?!? No frozen pineapple and no medjools?!? Blasphemy. TOTALLY time to find a new grocery store to frequent–ASAP.
I am eating a pinata as I write this
Courtney
I love the sweet tats/raisin combo! I would go nuts having to work alongside hypocritical folks the like of which you discuss. It just seems plain bananas doesn’t it?
Well said and I totally agree with ya girl. One thing that really makes me sad is that people continue to do harmful things to their bodies (smoking, drinking…) even though they know its harmful, and then get sick and dont take care of themselves even then they just take pills that mask the problem!! Sheesh… you can see i get a little touchy on this subject
Did you see Oprah today? I DVR it and it was all about diabetes – what a timely post!
i didnt but i heard that michael pollan was on, too – LOVE him. maybe ill try to find it on hulu
i totally agree with you and i’m mad they hate on your veganism. bitches. i hope they trip over their cigarette buds one day.
i heart cedars roasted red pep <3
i dont think you are being preachy AT ALL! there are so many good healthy foods out there. it’s so wild that people who preach a lifestyle dont at least attempt to practice what they preach. its not like you are saying that they should all be vegan at all. but not smoking/not eating D&D daily seems like a no brainer. i love a good donut, dont get me wrong, but i love roasted veggies and eat them way more than donuts. treats versus staples ya know???
right on girl. we’ll just keep ‘teaching by example’ i suppose, and i’m sure some patients take something away with them. though i’m primarily focused on the neck and up, its a challenge to get pts to listen to any sound advice…lifestyle changes they have complete control over. oh well, keep on tryin, eh?
Great points in your post!!
That’s so sad about the chocolate strawberry bar – glad you had that zbar to rescue your tastebuds.
In regards to the hypocrisy, I CAN’T STAND THAT! I work with kids (young to teens) so I always try to lead by example both in and out of my work building. I don’t think you’re being preachy at all. Someone has to say it!
Oh my, how often have I gotten weird looks from coworkers….who could count! I bring homemade food that’s always vegetarian, sometimes vegan. It is astounding the reaction that REAL FOOD gets. Thanks for preaching, even if mostly to choir! We all need the reminder.
I concur! I am not always one to follow your headline, but I do my best. Lead by example, thank you rubia for constantly doing this. Again, such an inspiration and motivation to live, eat, work, and even play better. =) Even at the home of fried deliciousness, I’ve seen some improvements with the incorporation of a few greens here and there. You are my salsa…hehe
I appreciate people like you. My father switched to a vegan diet after his heart attack, but it was by chance that he had a follow-up when he was released with a specific Dr. who follows Esselstyn’s approach for heart patients. Up until that point people had talked about reducing his red meat consumption, and increasing his veggie consumption (his bp was low, it was just cholesterol that was high), but it seemed also fluky that he ended up seeing the one person who suggested a vegan diet. Since then a number of others in his local medical facility have gotten on board with it, although his dietitian said he could “relax” some… and my dad basically told the dietitian that he made changes that were working for him and whether or not the science is there to “prove” that it’s going to add 15 years to his life, it was worth it to him. I think it’s 100% the chance of making that switch if he’s committed to it. So I LOVE the fact that you are sharing this with your patients and with those around you. It’s all about bringing your food with you too – it sounds like you have more options in NY but in smaller towns, not so much.
Anyway, sorry for the bit of a rant, but this so close to my heart (literally… genes do speak in my family history). I love seeing your posts and reminding myself of what types of things I need to be packing for my lunches for work each day.
hearing stories like this truly makes me so so happy. im glad that your dad has had such success, and that others in that facility are following suit…thanks so much for the comment!!
I’m currently in an accelerated nursing program to get my BSN, and I LOVE this post. I’ve found myself trying to transition into a much healthier lifestyle (I’m already a vegetarian and a runner, but I want to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into every meal) because I don’t want to be a hypocrite with my patients. Everything I’ve read in my books so far lists poor diet, inactivity, and smoking as risks factors for most diseases. It would frustrate me so much to see other healthcare professionals not following their advice. Thank you so much for taking care of yourself (and your patients!) because really, how can we tell patients to be healthy when we aren’t ourselves?
Great post! Completely agree. Keep it up
thanks christine