网曝门事件

Greek philosopher Hippocrates said, 鈥淟et food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food,鈥� but how often do people think about that in a hospital?

When most people come to the hospital, they probably consider different medications they鈥檒l be prescribed and procedures conducted, but few fully appreciate how much diet plays a role in combatting disease.

At 网曝门事件 Health Simi Valley, registered dietitians Maren Stein, MSRD, and Maria Gru Hernandez, RDN, have made that their full-time jobs.

鈥淵our nutrition while hospitalized is so important,鈥� said Maren. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 feel good, you鈥檙e sick for some reason and you have increased needs since your body is under stress 鈥� especially elderly populations whose hunger and thirst cues aren鈥檛 as strong.鈥�

Dietitians play a critical role in the hospital, consulting with physicians and care teams on how diet impacts disease progression and providing patients with medical nutrition therapy to help them recover. Although there are plenty of nutritionists who provide generalized counseling on diet, only registered dietitians hold the specialized training on how diet impacts disease needed to practice in hospitals.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not just telling people to eat their veggies,鈥� Maren said.

In some cases, general nutritionists who provide diet advice to somebody with a chronic condition may be doing more harm than good, Maria said.

鈥淓verybody knows that if you鈥檙e eating more fruits and vegetables, it鈥檚 probably beneficial to you. You don鈥檛 need to be a registered dietitian to know that, but when you get somebody who鈥檚 dealing with chronic renal failure or on dialysis, there are certain fruits and vegetables that are not beneficial,鈥� Maren said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 where registered dietitians come in.鈥�

It鈥檚 a specialized field. Registered dietitians carry bachelor鈥檚 degrees, in some cases master鈥檚 degrees, and are required to complete a 1,200-hour internship before they can practice.

The most satisfying moments, Maria and Maren say, are when they鈥檙e able to educate patients with new diagnoses who have misconceptions about how it will impact their diets. Most patients who are newly diagnosed with diabetes, for example, think they can never touch bread or pasta again.

鈥淲e educate them that their whole life won鈥檛 be turned upside down because of this, but they will have to think more about what they eat,鈥� Maren said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 alleviating that fear 鈥� and it鈥檚 really nice to have somebody say how appreciative they are that I came in and spoke with them.鈥�

It鈥檚 about working with people, meeting them where they鈥檙e at and providing nutritional advice that works for them.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not here to make you suffer. We鈥檙e not the food police,鈥� Maria said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e here to work with you.鈥�