Savor the Flavor: Why you should Enjoy your Meal Now

Have you ever thought to yourself "what would I do if I could never eat again"? If you are like the majority of people in the United States, this unfortunate situation has probably never crossed your mind; So lets take the time to think about it now. How would you feel if someone told you that you could never enjoy the refreshing taste of a cold glass of water or the sweetness of fresh strawberries (if you don't like healthy foods then you can imagine cold beer or ice cream). This unfortunate situation happens to many patients in the hospital on a daily basis. I recently took care of a gentleman who was unable to swallow after we removed the breathing tube from his lungs. Now this is not an uncommon occurrence in the world of ICU. If you are on a breathing machine this means you are not eating or swallowing. If you do not use your swallowing muscles they tend to get weak just like any other muscle and when you swallow food, liquid or even saliva it tends to go into the lungs instead of the stomach; we call this aspiration. It causes a nasty pneumonia and is often the cause of death for many elderly people. When this gentleman found out he did not pass his swallowing test he was devastated. I think many people associate their last meal with death row or Jesus, not the hospital. Many of his physicians found it odd that he was so devastated by the thought of never eating or drinking again. This made me realize how out of touch we are with the importance of eating. I will not get into  the details of nutrition on this blog, but I do want to discuss the importance of how we eat.
 People eat in a variety of ways: standing up, driving a car, watching television, reading a book, eating at the nurses station (yes JAHCO we eat at the nurses station). What we don't realize is that we absorb not only vitamins and nutrients in our food but also the energy that is happening in the environment around us. If we eat quickly or in an ugly, noisy environment that energy is going to penetrate us. This negative energy can present itself as acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea, constipation and more. It is the nature of our bodies to "rest and digest." Our body likes to be relaxed, inactive and in an peaceful environment when eating. It does not want to be in "fight or flight" mode ( I feel like nurses and patients are in this mode in the hospital). So how can we learn to really experience and enjoy our food on a daily basis?

1.  If you are at work, try to find a quiet place to eat your meal. I prefer to sit outside and play some music on my phone. I find that sitting in the break room at work is the worst place to break. If you are home, turn off the television or computer and really pay attention to how you eat. You will find that you will feel more satisfied with your meal. 
2. Apply a simple ritual to your mealtime like lighting a candle or saying a blessing before eating. 
3. Eat meals with your family. There is a reason for the saying "families that eat together stay together." If everyone is eating different foods at different times, there will most likely be different levels of energy and moods. Experiment with eating a home cooked meal once a week and see what difference it makes. 
4. Focus on Chewing. Chewing prepares your entire gastrointestinal system for the digestive process. It enables you to breakdown your food better and also allows you to taste more of it. Try chewing your food 20 times before swallowing or setting your utensils down before taking the next bite. 
5. Try not to get intubated or have a stroke. I know this sounds far fetched but in some circumstances you do have a choice in the matter. I will get into the details of life support in a later blog but what I can say is that if you are elderly, like over the age of 70, or have some chronic disease like COPD or emphysema from smoking cigarettes please consider all of the risks for having a breathing tube put into your lungs. The likely hood that you will recover 100% is small and often you will be left with a feeding tube of some sort. As far as stroke goes eat healthy, exercise, don't smoke and recognize the symptoms of a stroke and if you have an irregular heart rate, take your blood thinners as ordered. 

Now is the time to really start thinking about what kind of food you are putting into our bodies and how you are doing it. The food you eat is the single most important decision you make on a daily basis. It is more important than the clothes you wear, the car you drive or what the Kardashians are doing. Now is the time to appreciate the fact that you have a choice in the type of food you consume and when you consume it. Appreciate that you do not have a tube down your nose or in your stomach with Jevity tube feeding infusing; if you're lucky you will get a side of 2 scoops of protein powder twice a day. I can tell you it smells horrible and I'm sure it doesn't taste good. If this doesn't sound enjoyable to you, then write it down. Make a living will or five wishes that states that you do not want a feeding tube placed. More importantly, take the time today to make better food and lifestyle choices because you never know when these choices will be taken away.

P.S. I have a five wishes that states that I never want a feeding tube. If it so happens that no one is around and I get one I want you to know that I am really intolerant to soy and if you give me that crappy tube feeding I will probably blow up like a balloon and have really bad diarrhea. I have also stated that I do not want a rectal tube either. Instead I expect top of the line smoothies with veggie protein powder. I will have the recipe written out. Also, I am really bony so make sure you turn me every two hours.

Thanks