The Healthy Cookie

Prior to departing for St. Lucia my friend and fellow nutritionist Cora told to me that no matter what, I must wake up everyday knowing what an amazing opportunity this is and to be grateful for and enjoy each and every moment to its fullest.  For the most part, I have been, but when I woke up Tuesday morning with so many mosquito bites on my face that my left eye was partially swollen shut and due to my clogged bathroom sink, found a drowned mouse there to greet me- try as may, I just couldn’t see the sunshine and rainbows in that- especially since I could only really see out of one eye.

A roller coaster of events followed. A shiny clean place really close to the resort became available. I packed up and moved out of the old place.  I briefly found myself in the main town of Castries, wandering the streets looking for the bank, the only white person in site dressed in my pristine spa whites head to toe. I met up with the chef who was picking up his car from a ‘body shop’ which was really a tarp stretched out between two trees. The agent never showed up with the keys for my new place. I was temporarily homeless. Rich, one of the senior managers at the hotel, scored me a sweet ocean front hotel room to keep me from sleeping in a lounge chair on the beach. The old landlord called a lawyer who threatened to send the police after me. A day late, I at last got keys to my new place, unpacked and settled in. If this experience is meant to challenge me, my sunshine and rainbows outlook, my equanimity and optimism- this past week has been nothing short of a great challenge.

However, after a week of shimmying and shaking and getting my bearings - I know what I have to do.  My nutrition antennae is up, and unlike my Digicel mobile phone, it is getting crystal clear reception.

I have this horrible habit of eavesdropping on other’s conversations. Try as I might, I can never tear myself away from listening in on other people’s conversations and I am not the least bit subtle either and since being here- all I hear people talk about is nutrition.

Last night, sitting at dinner with Rich and two of his friends, I overhear this woman showing pictures on her camera to another couple “And this is our Thanksgiving Turkey in the deep fryer…”. At another table one woman is telling another about the horrible reflux she gets from taking her vitamins.  This afternoon I was in the ladies room up at the spa when two ladies come in talking about their bowel habits. One saying she goes every day and the other lady expressing envy and sharing that she hadn’t gone in three days.

I knew that the guests would be receptive to a nutritionist lurking around. I didn’t realize the locals would also be so full of questions. One trip to the supermarket and it is clear why. Produce costs a fortune and everything else is processed.  Even the rice is parboiled and imported from the US. The spa staff orders Dominos pizza when they aren’t eating the fried foods offered in the staff canteen. There are ads for KFC everywhere and 1 in 3 St. Lucians have type two (adult onset) diabetes.  The health epidemics of North America are spreading as far and wide as Coca-Cola and McDonald’s. Pardon my dramatics but it seems to me that the entire population of the planet is starving- either overfed and undernourished with processed garbage or just plain starving.

What I have realized being here is that people both want and need information.  Truthful information.  They want options. They want to know how to feel better. That is what I am here for.

My role as the nutritionist at the spa seems less to do with actually working as a nutritionist and more to do with being an educator on the subject of nutrition. What is interesting is that this is a health-focused spa, so the majority of guests (or at least one half of each couple) is health conscious. All anyone seems to be talking about is health and wellness, supplements, diets (apparently the Special K diet is all the rage in the UK and might be one of the stupider ones I’ve ever heard of), diabetes and cholesterol. Everyone seems to be sharing the oddest information. Untrue and unfounded information they whole-heartedly believe, without fully understanding, because an ‘expert’ said so.

What has become clear since being here and away from my little world of nutritionists, is how little people know and how quickly they buy in to whatever they’re told. They are hungry (pardon the pun) for answers and for explanations as to why they feel the way they do.

To do the best job possible while I am here and into my practice at home, all I need to do is simply offer the most truthful information I can so that each individual I meet with will be educated enough to make their own decisions and more importantly, understand why.

In the end it all comes down to trust and integrity. When we are seeking information, and when we are looking for answers, what we ultimately want is simply the truth. Whether it pertains to a thieving landlord, a doctor, a spouse, or a nutritionist, we are all just seeking out people we can trust who conduct themselves with honesty and integrity. And like with most qualities we seek in others- we must first embody them ourselves.