My friend's story. I'm so proud of her I had to share.

What my friend did is so impressive. I think the HARDEST part of eating right is doing so when the chips are down, when our life gets crazy, when the routine is off, and when we are exposed to lots of bad options and few good ones. Here is how it is done, folks:

I have spent a considerable amount of time in hospitals. I have one daughter with an ongoing kidney condition and another who has dabbled in serious illness a time or two. These hospital stays were always terrible for the children and draining on me. Since few services are provided for the parents of pediatric parents, it was often necessary to forage for meals and fend for my own needs. The easiest thing to do was to eat quick snack foods from vending machines, drink sugared, caffeinated sodas available to parents and constantly sit by the bedside of my sick child to insure not a need went unanswered by the overworked nursing staff. I always felt awful and packed on the pounds when a child was hospitalized, without exception.

This last time, I was determined to break the pattern of weariness and weight gain as my daughter had to be hospitalized for a few days for a surgical infection. I began my “new routine” by declining the soft drinks offered on the floor. At first opportunity, I ran down to the snack bar and bought a variety of flavored waters to keep stashed in the hospital room. Instead of falling to the temptation of a greasy burger from the grill, I opted for a bag of whole grain pretzels to tide me over until the hospital cafeteria opened and I could scout healthier choices there. In the cafeteria I found a wonderful yogurt bar with a variety of berries and granola toppings, so instead of the traditional greasy spoon fare, I bought 2 cups of yogurt and berries and asked for foil to cover them. I ate one for breakfast and asked the nurses to keep the other in the floor refrigerator so I could have it later. I also asked family to bring us fresh fruit, apples and oranges that I kept in the room and could have when I needed a quick snack. When dinnertime rolled around, I requested a double serving of veggies and asked for the entrée to be served without high calorie gravy and sauces.

My food choices weren’t the only change. When things were quiet and my child occupied, I would tell the nurses I was stepping out for a minute and would ask if they would keep an eye on my child when I was gone. They were always happy to oblige. I would go to the stairwell walk down the steps and climb back up to stretch my legs and get my heart pumping. It only took a few minutes and I would feel so much better when I would return to my daughter’s bedside. I also took the steps whenever I needed to go anywhere in the hospital. These little steps added up and I felt a sense of accomplishment that I was finding opportunities to take care of myself while taking care of my sick child.

When my daughter was well enough to go home, I found that my transition into regular life and routine was easier than it had been before. Although I was tired, I was not exhausted and bloated from the experience. I felt pretty great!