Nutrition Myths
June 24, 2021Nutrition Myths
.
Information
Kimberly Culver, Registered Dietitian at Saint Francis Hospital, discusses common nutrition-related myths.
ID6750
To CiteDCA Citation Guide
- 00:00Hi everyone, my name is Kim Culver.
- 00:03I'm registered dietitian and certified
- 00:05specialist in oncology nutrition
- 00:07and I work at the Smilow Cancer
- 00:09Hospital at Saint Francis in Hartford.
- 00:10I'd like to thank you for joining me
- 00:12and my colleagues throughout the state
- 00:15as we honor and celebrate survivors
- 00:17and discuss some of the most common
- 00:19nutrition related myths to help you
- 00:21on your journey.
- 00:22One of the most common statements
- 00:24I hear is sugar feeds cancer.
- 00:26This simple statement can
- 00:28understandably cause a lot of
- 00:30anxiety and even fear of eating.
- 00:32And I am frequently asked if it is true.
- 00:35The answer to this simple statement,
- 00:38however, is not all that simple and short.
- 00:41There's currently no scientific
- 00:43evidence to show that sugar itself
- 00:45directly feeds cancer growth.
- 00:47To understand why this is,
- 00:49it's helpful to know how our
- 00:52bodies use the sugar that we eat.
- 00:56All cells in our body use glucose
- 00:58or a form of sugar for energy
- 01:00and we cannot dictate which
- 01:02cells get the sugar that we eat,
- 01:04whether cancer cell or a healthy cell.
- 01:07If we don't even enough,
- 01:09our bodies will breakdown other stores
- 01:11to make the glucose that it needs,
- 01:13such as muscle.
- 01:14For these reasons,
- 01:15sugar or carbohydrates is an important
- 01:18part of a healthy and well balanced diet.
- 01:21Eliminating all sources of sugar
- 01:23from the diet will not stop your
- 01:26body from producing it and therefore
- 01:29will not affect cancer growth.
- 01:32Sugar is found naturally in carbohydrate.
- 01:35Foods such as fruit, vegetables,
- 01:37dairy products, grains,
- 01:38and beans.
- 01:39It's also added to packaged foods
- 01:42such as flavored yogurts,
- 01:44condiments like ketchup and salad dressings,
- 01:47baked goods and sweets,
- 01:49as well as sweetened beverages.
- 01:52Excessive intake of simple and added
- 01:55sugars can contribute to the development
- 01:57of a variety of diseases such as diabetes,
- 02:01overweight,
- 02:01and obesity,
- 02:02which are links to a higher cancer risk.
- 02:06So what does this mean in
- 02:08terms of food and
- 02:10recommendations, focusing on
- 02:11naturally occurring sugars most
- 02:13often is best, while limiting added
- 02:16sugars and saving small
- 02:17portions for special occasions.
- 02:19Again, natural sugars are found in
- 02:22such foods as fruits, vegetables,
- 02:24whole grains, dairy and beans.
- 02:27Best choices include fresh whole
- 02:29fruit and vegetables when possible.
- 02:31100% whole wheat bread
- 02:33and place of white bread.
- 02:36Brown rice or whole wheat pasta and in
- 02:39place of refined white options. Beans
- 02:42and low fat dairy.
- 02:45More recommendations are to
- 02:47come another mythbusting videos,
- 02:49so please keep watching.