I must confess that when I heard Raven, the pleasant young woman who greeted us, identify herself as a dietitian, I put up my guard. My only experience with "dietitians" has been in a hospital setting ... not exactly a place known for truly healthful eating, at least not in my (and Bettie's) opinion. (The term Jello-dispenser comes to mind.)
It was probably fun for Raven to watch as I morphed from hostile to accepting as she explained her credentials and approach. It turns out she is a graduate of Bastyr University, one of the premier "alternative" medical training schools in the country. (And they are located right here in the Seattle area; Juanita to be precise).
There are a couple of issues for which we needed dietary help:
- Maintaining a consistent level of foods with sufficient Vitamin K content.
This is so that her diet does not end up counteracting the desirable effect of the blood thinner that Bettie must take. - Stopping further weight loss, and beginning to build back some muscle. (At the time of her stroke, Bettie weighed 122 pounds. She is now down to 102.)
Both these issues are important, and both of them have a feedback method that will tell us how we are doing. For the Vitamin K issue, we go in for a weekly blood check to be sure the consistency is where they want it. The weight loss monitoring is more simple: get her on the scale.
So, what does Raven recommend to arrest the weight loss and begin going the other way? A high calorie diet, of course. Lots of olive oil, nuts and nut butters, cheese, fish, (particularly high-fat salmon). For now, eat the high-starch potatoes before the green vegetables. And how about desert? Oh sure, ice cream, cake, anything dense with lots of calories.
Of course I will be hovering over her at meals, making sure that her plate is clean...secretly hoping that she can't quite finish that last bite (or scoop) of Haagen Dazs Coffee Mocha. Ah, the life of a caregiver. Yes, it's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it.
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