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Empty Calories for Certified Legal Nurse Consultants Aren’t Just Limited to Your GI Tract

Tom and I travel a lot which means exposure to lots of different types of meals, over which the quality is often out of our control (sort of). No matter how hard we try we can’t control the amounts of sodium and trans-fats or even get real olive oil for a salad. I have my own vices which include movie popcorn, fried chicken and a good bowl of spaghetti and meatballs.

To compensate for our precarious road diets plus our personal vices, we eat organic when we’re home. Healthy and clean – one friend says I’m practically fascist about it. We consume lots of veggies (what Tom lovingly refers to as “weeds”). We try to avoid pastas (heartbreak, cold-turkey withdrawal for an Italian girl) and empty calories. Red wine stays – Tom’s come up with all sorts of medical reasons – improves eyesight, decreases heart disease, muscle relaxant. My favorite sayings of his are “Tastes good to me.” and “Are you going to finish that?”

As RNs, we all know the more empty calories we eat, the more we crave and the unhealthier our bodies become. The fewer empty calories we eat, the less we crave and the easier it is for us to stay healthy.

The empty calories concept can also be applied to what we feed our minds. We’ve become a society that has more free time than ever, but instead of nourishing our minds with a diet full of healthy, nutrient-filled content, we often feed our mind the equivalent of empty calories.

For example, after a hard day at work, we find it easier to reach for the empty calories of YouTube videos, Farmworldland or the 312 channels of HD TV “reality” programs that are anything but. Our thoughts and actions can also be empty or nourishing. On my last flight I witnessed a near fist-fight over luggage space on our crowded airplane. I heard people on the flight complaining over minor discomforts, turning turbulence into icebergs, sinking their day.

Minor annoyances become empty calories if we let them. Instead of focusing on things that don’t matter, we can refocus on the things that do. Toss in some mindfulness, a little bit of gratitude for all we have and top it off with an action step toward your dream and you’ve got a recipe for a nourishing thought. Do activities that nourish your soul – something you need to do for you.

At the end of the day the quantity and quality of the calories you take in, whether physically or mentally, are entirely up to you. What will you feed your mind today?

Success Is Inside!

P.S. Comment and share your your experiences with empty calories both physically and mentally.

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*The opinions and statements made by Vickie Milazzo, the founder of Medical-Legal Consulting Institute, Inc. are based on her experiences and expertise, should not be applied beyond the specific context provided, and do not guaranty or project actual results. Vickie Milazzo is no longer involved in the operations or management of the business, but is involved as an independent education consultant.

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