Post by sarahck on Mar 30, 2017 14:21:31 GMT -5
I find this topic a difficult one to address for two reasons:
1. It takes place during session one, and we find that it sometimes takes so long to do a good orientation to Centering and a good get-to-know-you game that we don't have much time or energy for a nutrition activity
2. Our patients have such poor dietary practices that sometimes it's hard to create a positive discussion out of it. The LAST thing I want to do when a patient has gotten up the nerve to try Centering and I want them to come back to the next session is to point out just how crummy their eating habits are (BUT, they ARE!).
One thing our providers like to do is give out paper plates and markers and have everyone DRAW (not WRITE) what they had for dinner last night on it. Then go around the circle and have everyone show their artwork and discuss:
1. What was healthy about that meal?
2. How could you have made that meal healthier?
At some point, the MyPlate comes up, and I point out that here in America, our cultural plate has two things on it: protein and carbs (think about it: steak and baked potato, burger and fries, fried chicken and mashed potatoes, sausage and biscuit, and on and on and on). So, if you want to have a healthier diet and perhaps lose some weight or not gain too much more weight, you have to cut all that in half and replace the other half with fruit and veg, which goes against our cultural practices. Those of us who've dieted know that it's hard to go against the grain (pun intended! ha!).
If we're running short on time, I'll just go around the circle and have everyone say their favorite healthy snack, pointing out that when we're pregnant we just need 300 more calories per day which is about a healthy snack... Again, trying to keep the conversation POSITIVE. When most of us don't have anything positive to say about our weight and exercise TBH.
1. It takes place during session one, and we find that it sometimes takes so long to do a good orientation to Centering and a good get-to-know-you game that we don't have much time or energy for a nutrition activity
2. Our patients have such poor dietary practices that sometimes it's hard to create a positive discussion out of it. The LAST thing I want to do when a patient has gotten up the nerve to try Centering and I want them to come back to the next session is to point out just how crummy their eating habits are (BUT, they ARE!).
One thing our providers like to do is give out paper plates and markers and have everyone DRAW (not WRITE) what they had for dinner last night on it. Then go around the circle and have everyone show their artwork and discuss:
1. What was healthy about that meal?
2. How could you have made that meal healthier?
At some point, the MyPlate comes up, and I point out that here in America, our cultural plate has two things on it: protein and carbs (think about it: steak and baked potato, burger and fries, fried chicken and mashed potatoes, sausage and biscuit, and on and on and on). So, if you want to have a healthier diet and perhaps lose some weight or not gain too much more weight, you have to cut all that in half and replace the other half with fruit and veg, which goes against our cultural practices. Those of us who've dieted know that it's hard to go against the grain (pun intended! ha!).
If we're running short on time, I'll just go around the circle and have everyone say their favorite healthy snack, pointing out that when we're pregnant we just need 300 more calories per day which is about a healthy snack... Again, trying to keep the conversation POSITIVE. When most of us don't have anything positive to say about our weight and exercise TBH.