Happy Kidney Month!
I worked as a renal dietitian for approximately 6 years. I loved the patients, families, and nephrology team I was able to work with. My team helped me grow from a recent graduate and new RD into an experienced, renal RD. They mentored me and helped me grow professionally. Check out this post for more information about my awesome nephrologist and social worker mentors.
So where does sodium come from?
Most of our dietary sodium comes from table salt, which is sodium chloride. We get sodium in processed foods where it is added to increase shelf-life and enhance food's taste. Foods high in sodium include: cheese, condiments, deli meats, pizza, processed foods, soy sauce, and many more. We also add salt when cooking or eating foods. And, we get sodium from many foods consumed when we eat out. Many restaurants or "fast foods" are high in dietary sodium. The average American usually eats 3,400 milligrams of sodium per day. That's more than double what the AHA recommends! For reference, there are ~2,300 milligrams of sodium in 1 teaspoon of salt.
How much sodium should I consume?
The American Heart Association recommends reducing dietary sodium intake to 1,500 milligrams per day to promote heart health. Patients with high blood pressure or kidney disease usually have a 1,500 - 2,000 mg sodium restriction per day. Some people are 'salt sensitive' and reducing dietary sodium can greatly improve health. Talk with your personal RD or doctor before you start any new diets. Some disease states or medications require a consistent or even high intake of sodium.
How can I reduce my sodium intake?
1) Choose low sodium foods
- Read the Nutrition Facts Labels when grocery shopping. Try to find things < or = 140 milligrams of sodium per serving. This will help keep your dietary sodium intake from processed foods low.
- Look for lower sodium substitutes. Many products offer reduced sodium alternatives. For example, most canned vegetables and soups have a lower sodium alternative.
- Choose food naturally low in sodium. Fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables are naturally low in sodium. Canned fruits and vegetables usually contain sodium. You can drain the liquid and rinse canned foods until not foamy (see picture). This will greatly decrease the sodium.
- Eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are naturally low in sodium, and eating fruits and vegetables has many health benefits. The DASH diet, which is an acronym for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, is low in sodium, high in potassium which is a mineral naturally present in many fruits and vegetables, and has been shown to decrease blood pressure (aka hypertension).
2) Add flavor without adding salt
- A lot of our dietary sodium is added while cooking. So, try reduce the amount of salt you add when cooking.
- You can flavor foods with a salt substitute. Salt substitutes are made from potassium chloride instead of sodium chloride (table salt). Note: Some medications or disease require a low potassium diet, so check with your RD or MD before starting a salt substitute.
- Use herbs and spices while cooking. Salt adds flavor, so if we decrease salt we need to increase flavor with something else. For example, try using garlic powder or fresh garlic instead of garlic salt when cooking. You still get the garlic flavor but without the salt!
- Use aromatic vegetables to add flavor. I'm from Louisiana, and most Cajun or Creole recipes start with adding onion, bell pepper, and celery. Why? Because these three aromatic vegetables add flavor!
I hope these ten tips will help you reduce your salt and dietary sodium intake. Please check with your RD or MD before starting a new diet. Some medications and medical conditions require regulation of dietary sodium intake.
If you have a family history of high blood pressure or kidney disease, check in with your doctor to get a physical. Tell your doctor your family history of kidney disease, your concerns for your health, and ask about what screening you should do. Be #kidneyaware.
Stay tuned this week we will focus on kidney disease and some dietary restrictions that are commonly prescribed. Always talk with your personal dietitian or physician before starting a new diet or exercise program. For more information, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter . You can subscribe to this blog, RDtipoftheday.blogspot.com, through BlogLovin.
Registered Dietitians (RD) or Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN) are the nutrition experts. We go through many years of school, a dietetic internship, and new RDs will be required to have a Master's degree by 2024. This week we are walking through all the steps to become a Registered Dietitian. We discussed ACEND accredited dietetic undergraduate programs, and today we are discussing dietetic internships.
So, you've completed your undergraduate degree, taken the GRE, and applied for the internship. You wait on your "match." And, now you've been accepted into your Dietetic Internship! You are a big step closer to becoming a RD!
Your Dietetic Internship (DI) is a time of observing and hands-on learning in various nutrition fields. It is a time to confirm that you want to be a dietitian and decide what field of nutrition you are truly passionate about. So here are a few of my tips to succeeding in your dietetic internship.
Internship = Job Interview
Make sure you also treat the internship as a job-interview. Remember to show up on time, be prepared, and dress according to the dress code. Even if you do not plan to work at that facility or you are not interested in that particular specialty in nutrition, treat your preceptor with respect; it takes effort to be a preceptor. You are representing your internship and yourself. You never know what job opening will be available at the end of the internship, so treat each rotation like a job interview. You have a great opportunity to network with RDs, learn, and check out perspective places for future employment.
Take Notes
Your DI is a time to learn, so write it down. I learn best through repetition and listening. So, I took notes about things I liked, new information, and I kept a list of acronyms and terms to look up later. I learned a ton by listening, identifying my areas of weakness, and looking up terms. I became more familiar with medical terminology and acronyms, which greatly helped me in my clinical job and helped improve my communicate with doctors.
Review MNT and Take "Cheat Sheets"
In my senior medical nutrition therapy class (MNT), we had to create a pocket book of MNT for each disease. It was a ton of work, but it was so helpful to have in the internship. You can't remember everything, so it's helpful to have resources handy. So, review the MNT and information about your next internship rotation before starting the rotation. Make cheat sheets to take with you to jog your memory.
My internship had homework that coordinated with each rotation. I tried my best to finish the homework before the internship. Then if I had questions, I could ask the preceptor or internship director questions I had about MNT from the homework. This was a great way to prepare. By preparing before the rotation, I could better assess what I did know and what information I did not know or needed to learn more about.
Make a "Cheat Sheet"
My internship had fantastic opportunities to shadow and practice. So, I took notes on what my preceptor was asking the patient. Each preceptor has a different way of assessing a patient, so there are many 'right" ways to assess your client's nutritional needs. Also, each disease process requires different MNT. You learn a ton from school (aka "book smarts"), but I would argue that there is nothing that can compare to hands-on learning from an expert in the field (aka your preceptor).
Did I leave out any of your ideas of how to be a successful intern? If so, leave a comment below and share with your colleagues and future dietetic interns.
Follow me, RDtipoftheday, on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter, for more information about healthy eating, encouragement, recipes, and nutrition facts. You can also subscribe to this blog, RDtipoftheday.blogspot.com, through BlogLovin, so you never miss a post.
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Dietitians do a lot! The specific role of a dietitian is tied to what area that practice in; if you missed yesterday's post, check out where dietitians work.
I work primarily as a clinical dietitian. In other words, my primary work setting is a hospital. I work with the medical team to provide adequate care and appropriate nutrition, which is also called Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT). I am able to work with physicians to write TPN (total parenteral nutrition or IV nutrition) and tube feeds for patients who can not eat by mouth. I help counsel patients with many nutritional needs: malnutrition, failure to thrive, formula mixing, healing wounds, post-surgery nutrition, post-transplant nutrition, dialysis, diabetes education, and much more.
In the outpatient setting, I counsel and educate patients in a clinic similar to your doctor's office. The type of education or MNT is only limited to what type of doctor you work with or what types of patients are seen. In a Nutrition Clinic, dietitians see patients that are referred by doctors. So, the range of nutrition counseling is endless.
Dietitians can teach in schools and colleges. RDs can write menus for schools, restaurants, or large corporations. RDs can be policy-makers. RDs help fuel collegiate and professional athletes to help improve their athletic performance. If it has to do with nutrition, dietitians can be involved because dietitians are nutrition experts. Nutrition is a broad field with varied job opportunities. Did I leave out one of your favorite areas of practice for a RD? If so, leave a comment with more information about what RDs can do.
For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter . You can subscribe to this blog, RDtipoftheday.blogspot.com, through BlogLovin.
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