with Jill Harris, LPN, CHC
My daily calls with patients focus on devising individual plans to change unhealthy habits. Change is hard for most people because habits have been formed over decades. My job is to listen to each person’s story to understand their lifestyle habits and help them create a plan for success that will suit the individual. With …
I have been helping patients understand how to prevent kidney stones for a long time. It never gets boring because each person comes with their own set of unique lifestyle challenges and changing habits is rarely easy. A concern I often address (several times a day) is the need to give up those favorite foods. …
This is the time of year when people get frustrated with their lifestyle changes and begin to give up and ditch the whole damn thing. My job is to make sure that doesn’t happen. Every January 1st, people make unreasonable promises to themselves. For instance, here’s a list of promises I heard from one patient …
The Kidney Stone Diet is much more than the goals I teach you, and changing lifestyle habits requires more than simply lowering sodium and drinking more water. Before I introduce students and patients to the KSD goals, we have a conversation about WHY they’re choosing to overeat unhealthy foods in the first place. Many of my …
A friend of mine in the Facebook group asked if she was supposed to count all the salt that occurs naturally in foods like fruits and veggies. She also mentioned that she was dealing with a lot of stress and that the thought of counting salt in produce was overwhelming. In response to this common …
“What should I pack for my road trip so that I stay compliant!?” It’s easy to overeat on long road trips, but there are things we can do to keep it healthy. Here are the foods I load up on when embarking on a long car journey. But remember, these short trips (less than a …
I’m often asked what makes my kidney stone students so successful in their lifestyle change and stone prevention journey. There are many reasons, but here are 10 practices I know, for certain, lead to success. Jill,Your friend and advocate
Let’s talk about how to stay compliant with your Kidney Stone Diet goals over the holiday season, because I don’t expect you to forgo your favorite treats. What would the holidays be without your customs and favorite family festivities? I want you to enjoy your favorite foods because the only way to stay compliant with …
If you don’t know, I have a private Facebook group for kidney stone formers, and I want to share a recent post from there. Oftentimes, I’ll write what has become known as a “Jill rant.” These “rants” typically come after having YET ANOTHER person tell me how they’ve wasted hundreds of dollars on the latest …
When people ask me what the kidney stone diet is, I tell them the goals and share my thoughts about diet in general. There is much more to this lifestyle than just paying attention to the goals. Lifestyle change is more about the mind than it is the food. And changing the way we think about healthy …
Let’s talk about the meat protein part of the kidney stone diet—it has always confused people, so let’s see if I can clear this up. The first thing patients usually say to me is, “I don’t eat red meat, Jill!” But, when we ask you to lower your meat protein, we’re also talking about ALL meat and seafood. …
Whether on social media or speaking with private patients and students, I hear these words everyday—“I am overwhelmed and have no idea where to start!” I’ve compiled this list of resources that will make you feel better and provide you with a foundation on which to start your path to prevention. How Your Healthy Diet Caused …
The struggle of having an unsupportive partner is a subject that has come up a lot throughout my career. Once diagnosed with kidney stones, lifestyle changes are necessary, and that’s not always easy for everyone. The patient is overwhelmed with being sick having gone through a complex surgery and recovery process, medical bills are piling …
I asked people on my FB Group what goal they find the hardest to meet from the Kidney Stone Diet. As of now, the most common response seems to be salt. Because of this, I decided to write a few tips and tricks to help you reach your daily goal. Use salt where it matters most to …
This week, my Kidney Stone Prevention Course members and I talked a lot about flexibility. Let me explain. I am someone who craves a regimen. My schedule is packed, and having a regimen grounds me and helps me reach my weekly goals. But to be compliant with my health and wellness goals, I must also make sure …
Today, I want to talk about the diet industry and how they have us believing that lifestyle changes are easy and should come quickly. I say the opposite. Lifestyle changes happen slowly and can be difficult. That being said, let me share this story with you.
This week I have had several patient calls related to overeating at night. Eating too many calories at night is something I repeatedly hear about. Nothing new here, but let me address it. First, when people tell me they overeat at night, I can always tell they feel ashamed. Although they share their secret with …
A common question in my Facebook group is, “What do you guys buy at Trader Joe’s?”
I thought I’d put together some standard goodies to look for next time you find yourself at the nearest TJ’s. I recognize not all of you have a Trader Joe’s, but you might still find some of these KSD-friendly items at your favorite specialty grocery store.