This week an administrator in one of my buildings asked me to talk to a female resident about her diet. I will call this resident "Ethel". Ethel chronically complains to me and the staff about her food. She said the food from the nursing home kitchen is too "greasy" and "spicy". She also stated she had two strokes and it was because of the nursing home food. What she did not tell me on my prior visits was she had a staff member buying her food. The staff member provided me Ethel's shopping list. The list included Pepper Jack cheese, Vienna sausage and fried pork rinds. When I approached Ethel about her shopping list, Ethel responded, "Pork Rinds are healthy. Besides, I only started eating them with the colored gal here. She's my friend" I shot back with my usual dry humor, "Ethel what color is she"? Ethel yelled, "You know what color she is, she's your color!" I did not want to upset her so I asked if I could also explain the situation to her friend. Ethel told me her friend died six months ago from a stroke. I realized at that point Ethel was not exactly "connecting the dots."

Ethel's lack of understanding is justifiable. She has a diagnosis of schizophrenia and a limited amount of education. Anyone in the 21st century who refers to another grown woman as a "colored gal" is not obviously receptive to change. Furthermore, pork rinds are advertised as low carbohydrate food and we all know low carbohydrate food equals healthy food, right? Now, I would like to discuss some other lies we tell:

1. Size does not matter.

Let me explain my position. You should feel good about yourself no matter how much you weigh. I have no problem if you want to wear a bikini on the beach and weigh 400 pounds. This is not a matter of your self-esteem; it is a matter of your health. If you have a BMI (body mass index) greater than 25, you are at risk of developing type II diabetes. If you already have type II diabetes, losing 5% to 7% of your body weight (10 to 14 pounds if you weigh 200 pounds) can improve your blood sugar. You do not have to look like Kate Moss to control your diabetes.

2. Only people who go to the gym get proper exercise.

The National Weight Control Registry is an organization that monitors individuals who have lost at least 30 pounds and kept the weight off longer than one year. The average weight loss of the participants is 66 pounds and the average time of maintaining their weight is five years. According to the registry, walking is the number one exercise. Most of the participants walk daily. You can start slowly by walking for 10 minutes several times a day. You can also burn calories by cleaning your house, gardening or washing your car. You can even exercise in your chair. Just move!

3. Eating at restaurants is cheaper than cooking.

Eating at McDonald's or the nearest buffet may be more convenient than cooking at home but it is definitely not cheaper. In addition, processed food is not cheaper than whole food. You can make more chips from a bag of potatoes as opposed to buying a bag of potato chips; however I would not recommend it. The old credo "time is money" does not apply either. Think of how much time and money are wasted with extra doctor visits or medications because you did not take control of your health. Plus, think of time lost because you die earlier than you intended.



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