Laufey Gunnarsdóttir, a food and nutritionist, works at a hospital in California where she works closely with doctors. She herself takes Amino Marine Collagen from Feel Iceland and notices a big difference in her skin and joints.
Laufey has lived in California, USA, since 1999. She went to the United States to complete her certified nutritional counseling, which gave her the rights to work in both hospitals and individual counseling.
"Since graduating, I have worked at Kaiser Hospital and at DaVita, a kidney dialysis center. There, I have often had very sad cases that we on the team are convinced could have been avoided if the person had eaten healthy and good food and exercised daily," says Laufey, who says it is common for nutritionists to work with doctors in hospitals in the United States.
"According to US law, these institutions must have registered dietitians. We work very closely with doctors and take care of everything related to nutrition. Doctors rely on us completely when it comes to food choices during a hospital stay, we manage dietary supplements, and we also take care of all nutritional education, which includes how people can best manage their eating habits when they get home. We also take care of intravenous nutrition, and nutrition through a tube. The majority of patients who are admitted to the hospital go on a so-called "therapeutic diet", or medical diet, we take care of this completely, and doctors often come to us for advice on patients that we need to complete within 24 hours. We also often get calls from doctors regarding nutrition advice.
Do you often recommend dietary supplements to your patients?
"Yes, very often! There are a lot of patients who need supplements due to malnutrition or other problems. We use supplements daily, whether it's protein and/or energy drinks or in some other form."
What is it like to work as a nutritionist in California?
"It's really great to be a nutritionist here because there are so many people who need us and so many who want to work with us. In California, most people want to look cool and few are willing to invite old Elli home. I've noticed a huge surge in demand for collagen and other protein powders. Collagen consumption has increased significantly, not only among those who want to maintain the strength of their skin but also among people who feel pain in their joints and also among people on keto and low-carb diets because it's an easy way to increase protein intake."
"We have started using collagen more and more in the hospital, and I have specifically used it for individuals with arthritis or people with joint pain from sports injuries."
Why is collagen so popular?
"Collagen is a very popular dietary supplement because it is one of the main structural proteins in the body and therefore important to maintain it. Collagen is found, for example, in the skin, joints, muscles, hair, connective tissues and bones. As we get older, production decreases and we notice, for example, weakness in the skin and pain in the joints. The skin also thins with age and then wrinkles and orange peel appear, which is of course just gorgeous and important not to forget in all this discussion, but some people disagree and it is good to respect that too. The consumption of collagen has increased greatly today among people who want to maintain the strength of their skin and also among people who feel pain in their joints, which of course has nothing to do with looking good but to be able to feel good in general and to be able to carry out daily routines without pain. Collagen powder is also popular because it is easy to mix it into hot and cold drinks and is odorless and tasteless.”
Do you take dietary supplements?
"I always take fish oil even though I'm not used to the taste. I've been taking fish oil since I was a very young child and never thought of anything else. Today, it's a good habit that I owe to my parents and I can't live without it."
I take Amino Marine Collagen from Feel Iceland daily and I quickly noticed a difference in my skin and joints. I choose this product because I put all my trust in Icelandic fish and our fish products, especially when I see what is often used in other products. The powder is very handy to mix into drinks and it is completely pure collagen. I also take a multivitamin daily to refresh my vitamin profile. Despite eating fruits and vegetables daily, I have to eat less of them some days and therefore feel the need to take a multivitamin.”
Further information about Amino Marine Collagen from Feel Iceland can be found here.
