Joyce's KP Adventure mikepasini.com headlines
Crystal the Nutritionist
6 May 2024
Clearing out the house after my mother's death in December has been, as Carol Bailey put it, "overwhelming." According to my calculations, I've spent well over 500 hours at it so far. And I'm about halfway through.
So I was almost thrilled that today Joyce had a conference call with Crystal the Nutritionist. Her blood tests from the visit at the Wound Care Center indicated a deficiency in zinc and Vitamin D.
So Jennifer the Physician's Assistant, who we'll see tomorrow instead of Dr. Tong, set up the call with a nutritionist.
It was a thorough interview.
Joyce described her daily meal routine and what she drinks with the meals. She described her exercise patterns and her weight range.
Crystal asked about dairy products and beans and nuts. She said there was no advantage to consume "light" or "no-fat" versions of dairy products.
Then she dropped the bombshell.
Joyce should be getting 87 to 107 grams of protein a day. She's lucky to be getting 50.
Anything the size of your palm provides about 7g of protein.
I can't give her two steaks and the whole fish for dinner. So what are the options?
Peanut butter and nuts as snacks, she said. I asked about stuff like Boost and Ensure, which I remember from the skilled nursing facility. Yep. But they have high-protein versions to look for. And there's a protein powder you can get online to mix drinks or put in solids.
So after the call, I went to CVS and found the high-protein Boost, which delivers 20g of protein in a small bottle. And I found a protein powder too, which can deliver 22g in a 12-ounce drink.
Joyce tried the powder in nothing more appetizing than a glass of water and liked the taste.
Wish we knew this four years ago.