Sunday, September 23, 2012

Hair Raising Experience

I'm disturbed about the price of a haircut.  For my latest haircut, I paid $60 plus a $12 tip.  For $72, I should be happy with the results, but as usual, I'm not.  Allow me to backtrack.

Up until about 3 years ago, I used the same hair stylist at the same salon every month, without fail, with very good results.  It was relatively inexpensive for a trendy salon, about $40 plus tip.  The beautician was a young gal with pinkish hair and we got to know each other very well.  I loved seeing her and hearing about her single-lifestyle and the reflection in the mirror was of 2 rather smiling people.  And then what happens?  I get an email from the salon that Amanda is no longer employed there.  I try connecting with Amanda through phone and facebook, but with no luck.  She and my happy haircuts are no longer.

I've run through a very long string of hairdressers since, some with recommendations, some  just because they're cheap and/or local.  I've paid premium moolah (up to $80, pleased don't tell Broccoli Rob) because the salon was supposedly some feng shui place, but discover that the person cutting my hair is actually just an apprentice who needs experience.  I don't return.  Other places have similar situations, but one thing is for sure, no one ever cut my hair like Amanda.  I have short hair that I like to keep spiky, but don't want to put much bother into styling it in the morning.  I think it should be easy to get the right haircut but it's not.  And to boot, I'm somehow paying for privilege without getting any reward.

Which brings me to the question.  Why are we paying so much money for a haircut?  (I take poetic license with the "we").  To go to beautician school, you don't need a college degree.  Okay, I for one would never wash someone else's hair and I don't trust myself with scissors or razor blades.  But for heaven's sake, how much time does it take to get a beautician's license?  I could look that up, but I'm pretty sure it's 2 years or less.  And then you work at a hair salon, starting with sweeping up the floor and washing hair and move up.  So, to put things into perspective, I am paying about triple my hourly wage to someone with very little education and whose said education cost, I don't know, about 5% about what I just spent on my daughter's college education.  I'm not happy about this and now that I think about it, I'm not a huge fan of giving tips after already paying a significant amount for dinner, haircut, manicure and other stuff.  But I'll keep those thoughts under safe keeping for another chapter.

So I guess it all comes down to value.  I have just an okay haircut, but one that I don't think is worth $72.  I would expect that a more expensive haircut would give me the haircut that I'm pleased with but #1) I don't want to pay more and #2) I've given this a try without success.  My daughter with the expensive education is presently unemployed despite having scholastic achievements.  I have a reasonable education with modest compensation, certainly nowhere near the exalted hairdresser.  All I can say is...Mothers:  let your children grow up to be beauticians.  And Amanda, if you're out there, call me!

Monday, September 3, 2012

That's one small step for dietitians...


     People don’t listen to registered dietitians for good, solid, nutrition advice.  Nope.  They prefer to heed the recommendations from health food store owners, unlicensed nutritionists, gym owners, Dr. Oz, next door neighbors, anybody.   Of course, since I’m a registered dietitian, I believe that RDs are your best source for information regarding what to eat for health or to treat your disease.  I’ve been a RD for 30 years and there has been absolutely no improvement in the dietitian’s status as a healthcare provider or promoter.  

     What threw me over the edge earlier this summer was my spinning instructor’s advice to the group while we were stretching after the workout.  He told us to eat eggs for protein and to have eggs with either spinach or black beans.  And if we choose the black beans, he recommended that we add cheese since the beans are an incomplete protein and the cheese protein will make this meal ‘complete.’  Well, I have some issues with this.  First of all, he’s wrong.  But no one knows that he’s wrong, and spinners are hanging onto his every word.  I checked his background.  Nutrition?  Nope.  He has a college degree in a foreign language and has no advance credits or certification in the field of nutrition.  But dang if he isn't a delightful guy with a great body and a full-time smile to boot. He sounds like he knows what he's talking about.  So people listen.

     I did approach him after class to ask why we need cheese at all with the eggs since the eggs are the best source of protein, and complete at that.  He kinda just reiterated that the cheese has protein to complete the beans.  I double checked with another spinning instructor who happens to be a RD and she agreed with me.  (Dietitians do stick together).  But the point is that the great body guy is giving out nutrition advice willy nilly.  And dietitians are left in the dust.  Here he is promoting saturated fat and sodium in cheese, when, in fact, it's not needed at all.  Heck, just eat the eggs.  Personally, I wouldn't think of adding black beans to eggs but if you want to do it, then fine.  No problem there.  Skip the cheese though.

     The following week the not-nutrition guy told everyone to eat 3.5 ounces of dark chocolate for its antioxidant benefits.  The class was really happy to hear of this tidbit.  Did you know that 3.5 ounces of dark chocolate has about 450 calories?  I can think of better ways to get antioxidants.  But I'm sure lots of people left the spinning class and went to get the Hershey's Special Dark Bar that was suggested.  And to make matters worse, the spinning instructor told the guys in the class not to eat soy because it lowers their sex drive.

     I go back up to him again.  I didn't even bother to speak about the chocolate but I did tell him that I've done research on soy and the rumor that it lessens a man's sex drive is unsubstantiated.  As suspected, he held firm to his recommendations, stating that this information was in "research" that he had reviewed.  When asked about the "research," he cited Gentleman's Quarterly and Prevention Magazine.  Hah!!  Now, did I tell him that I'm a RD?  Nope.  Because he had already said that someone in another class had a comment about one of his suggestions and he lamely mentioned to the class that "she was a registered dietitian."  I didn't wish to be ridiculed.

     BUT, and here's the big but (pun intended)...Who are people listening to?  Not me, that's for sure.  I'm no PhD or researcher, but I've been a clinical practitioner for a long time and read loads of evidence-based articles about food, nutrition and general health.  I don't know everything, (nutrition is an ever-changing science) but I do know what's in the research and I only promote well-studied nutrition information to my patients and co-workers.  But the guy on the lead spin bike is reading lay magazines and then spewing back awful advice that people accept as gospel.  

     For many years there has been a campaign to get NJ dietitians licensed so that we would be the only ones, by law, allowed to dispense nutrition information.  That bill has yet to pass the NJ Assembly.  There has been great opposition, with lobbyers better than the dietitian's groups, allowing anyone (and I do mean anyone) to speak about nutrition and get away with it.  I'm now too old and too unmotivated to continue to fight for my profession.   But RDs are well-educated in their field, have to pass a national exam and maintain continuing education credits.  The guy on the bike--he just has to be super friendly, read a supermarket magazine and spit back the information.  It's frustrating.  And even more frustrating that he puts down a dietitian and I don't have the guts to take him on.  So here it is--I should tell him that I'M the nutritionist and that he's giving inaccurate advice and should stop!!!  Shame on me for not doing this.  THAT'S THE PROBLEM WITH ME AND WITH DIETITIANS IN GENERAL.  We're too meek and non-confrontational.  I pledge to do better next time.

     So go ahead and eat eggs. You can even safely eat an egg every day.  They're not the culprits for raising your blood cholesterol.  They have a wonderful protein content, a bunch of vitamins and minerals and are inexpensive.  Just skip the cheese and butter--that's where the saturated fat is that will affect your blood cholesterol.  Eat soy--it's safe.  Limit dark chocolate to one SMALL square (about a half ounce) daily.  Trust me.