We all know that what we eat affects our health – “You are what you eat”. Turns out, how we eat is just as important.

Just last month, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) established a Food, Nutrition and Dining (FND) Advisory Support Unit as part of its aged care reform roadmap.

FND will provide:

• annual spot checks for up to 720 high risk services
• a dedicated hotline for food complaints, staffed by dietician specialists
• clinical expertise to provide dietary advice to older people and providers
• targeted referrals for dietitian-led menu and mealtime assessments, and linking to food and nutrition education programs.

As the people taking care of the people in aged care, it is just as meaningful for us aged care nurses to care about how we ourselves dine to fuel our body and mind.

To do this, I encourage you to always consider the 3 P’s of dining: Preparation, Peace, and People.

Preparation is key in making healthful eating a success. Plan your meals ahead of time and especially NOT when you are hungry! There are many “meal prepping” guides and tutorials available to learn how to prepare healthy meals AND snacks, so that you don’t fall victim to a “snack-cident”!

Peace is not just a luxury, but a necessity for optimal digestion. When we are stressed, we go into “fight or flight” response, which diverts blood away from our digestive system and slows it down. When our GI tract is stressed muscle tension, our gut suffers cramping, bloating, and discomfort. Increased production of stomach acid from the stress response also increases our risk of heartburn and stomach ulcers. Chronic stress, whether from relationship breakdowns, conflict, heavy workloads or anxiety, can lead to digestive disorders like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Before you start eating, take a short walk to get fresh air and check-in with your stress levels. Address your stress and take steps to regain some peace and calm that will prepare your gut to digest the delicious food you’re about to consume.

People, especially people you enjoy, improve your chances of eating well and digesting well. A happy environment makes for happy eating. Not to mention, talking is exercise too, so eating together with others can help with weight management too!

At Nurse Generation, we include travel cutlery in our complimentary welcome packs to all our agency nurses because we value the importance of good tools for good dining. 

Eat Well to Stay Well

To your dining and digestive health,

Qing
Chief Experience Officer

“You are what you eat, so don’t be fast, cheap, easy, or fake." – Unknown