Page 23 - BUZZ Magazine - Issue #5 Summer 2023 | University of Rochester

DEBUNKED A well-balanced diet provides essential vitamins and nutrients, helping us stay

strong and healthy, preventing diet-related illness, and contributing to our
overall well-being. Knowing what food choices to make can be overwhelming
though, especially with so much information available. To help with this,
Susan Friedman, MD, MPH, the director of Highland Hospital’s Lifestyle
Medicine program, provides valuable guidance on how to distinguish food
myths from facts and offers suggestions to optimize your nutritional intake.

Myth: Eating healthy is expensive.

The staples of a healthy diet—whole grains, beans, and root vegetables—are inexpensive.
Answer: FALSE
To optimize your diet, Friedman suggests purchasing foods without labels, such as fresh
fruits and vegetables. Consider visiting a local farmer’s market for lower-priced and fresher
products than typical grocery stores. Frozen fruit and vegetables are also an inexpensive
option; they are picked at the peak of ripeness, so they are chock-full of vitamins and other
nutrients. You can buy them in larger quantities, too, and not worry they'll go bad before
you eat them. Before shopping, make a list of necessary ingredients for planned meals to
avoid impulsive purchases or extra trips to the store. Additionally, oatmeal bars, fruit
cups packed in water or 100 percent fruit juice, and low-cost snacks with minimal
added sugar, salt, fat, or chemicals can be excellent pantry staples. Look for the
term “whole” on packaging, indicating the use of whole grains that are particularly
beneficial for regulating cholesterol.

Myth: You need milk
for strong bones.

Answer: FALSE Myth: Most of us need
If you don’t eat dairy, there are Association recommends eating 25 to 30 grams
many other options for sources of
absorbable calcium. Friedman recommends
more fiber in our diets.
kale, broccoli, bok choy, soybeans, mustard
Answer: TRUE
greens, turnip greens, collard greens, and
fortified plant milks. She adds, “You need
When in doubt, add fiber to your plate. Fiber is
other nutrients like vitamin C, antioxidants,
key for gut health and cholesterol management,
potassium, magnesium, and vitamin K for
Friedman notes. While the American Heart
bone health. So, eat a variety of fruits and
vegetables to stock up on these components.”
of fiber daily, most people in the United States
don’t consume nearly enough of it. Fiber-rich
foods include beans, nuts, berries, and almost
anything that can be pulled
from the ground. So get your
gardens going—a fiber-rich
diet has been shown to help
prevent chronic illness and
improve longevity.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT
HIGHLAND HOSPITAL’S
LIFESTYLE MEDICINE PROGRAM
uofr.us/lifestylemed

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