October 12, 2009

Once a year I drag Tom to a health spa in the desert for a week (he calls it the “bunny ranch” because of the predominance of salads, veggies and other healthy “rabbit” food on the menu). The spa I like has a great medical department along with its other amenities (massage, yoga, hiking, etc.). I go to get a medical check-up, nutritional evaluations and a fitness assessment with the goal of reigniting my commitment to wellness.

We try to eat pretty cleanly. Lots of healthy soups and two different versions of a killer roasted chicken (one with butter and garlic and one without) are examples of what we eat at home. I have to eat clean for half of the year because the other half of the year, I’m on the road for business or for pleasure. Out in the wild, just like in the hospital, it’s hard to keep to a healthy diet – especially with so many tasty items on the menu (most of them either fried or served with sour cream). I’ve learned to develop will power but it’s still hard passing up the bad for the good.

Nutritional integrity is like our own integrity. I always tell Certified Legal Nurse Consultants that integrity means always doing the right thing even when nobody is looking. Sure, when Tom isn’t around I could sneak a piece of southern fried chicken, a bowl of Haagen-Daas dulce de leche or some other tasty, but unhealthy treat. (I could probably do it with him because I know he’d gladly share it with me!) But the point is, making a decision to eat healthy means deciding to do so more often than not.

But let’s go back to the bunny ranch for a minute. The spa proclaims to be dedicated to healthy eating. They ban alcohol (even healthy red wine) from the premises, give the protein, carb, calorie and fat content of every item at every meal, but to me, they “cop out” in three areas. First, while they have cold herbal teas available (it’s necessary to stay hydrated in the desert), they also have lots of artificial sweeteners at every drink station. Second, they serve a lot of breads, French toast and pancakes at breakfast, sandwich choices at lunch and rolls at dinner. Third, there are ice cream, chocolate chip cookies and other desserts (all lovingly described down to the last gram of fat) at every meal.

I expect this blog to get a lot of dissenting comments, but to me the bunny ranch is copping out. My personal belief (and research backs me up) is that sugar is bad for us and Americans eat too much of it. Instead of helping to move bunny ranch survivors off of sweet drinks, they’re just shifting them to an alternative form of sweetness. In other words, enabling them (Sure it’s okay to eat Splenda^® – it’s sort of natural.).

I like a good dessert as much as the next person. I also know that there are other choices for dessert than ice cream (even if low calorie) or cookies or low-fat cheese cake. One of the women at the pool told me, “I love the deserts here – they’re so small compared to home and you can try two or three different ones!” When she goes home, her sweets habit has been reinforced – not altered. Why not shift her paradigm to consider fresh fruit as a dessert alternative to something sugary? I’m not anti-dessert but I’d rather spend my calories on something tastier than sugar and train other people to make healthy choices.

Before I come off like a total food-Nazi, this recent experience got me thinking about how easy it is for legal nurse consultants to cop out on your attorney-clients. Do you ever find yourself tempering your opinions of the medical or nursing care because you don’t want to give your attorney-client an opinion he doesn’t want to hear? Are you trying to “go along to get along?” Have you ever agreed with an attorney’s position just because you were afraid to take a stand? Have you said, “I’ll have to research that and get back with you” when you already know they’re wrong?

If you have, you’re not offering the full critical value that the attorney-client is paying you for. As a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant, you bring a wealth of experience and ability to a case and you have to be willing to take a stand and offer your own thoughts – not a reflection of someone else’s thoughts. One of my employees is called “the other voice.” She’s not afraid to take a stand, even when she’s wrong. As big of a pain in the butt as she can be, I know she’s thought through the issues pretty thoroughly and is offering her true opinion. I’d rather have her than any number of “yes-men” or “yes-women” around me.

You may need to be a bit diplomatic but in the long run, you’ll be appreciated for giving your full critical value. The truth may not always set you free and it may not always be appreciated, but you have to be willing to do what’s right – even if someone is looking.

See you at the bunny ranch and until then, stay off the sugar!

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