By Alesha Damerville

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS- Physicians often put place dietary restrictions on patients to help facilitate a healthier lifestyle, but suggesting a heart-healthy, low-sodium or pre-diabetic diet often comes across as vague instructions. The staff at UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center offers insight on what these lifestyle changes actually mean, with their Real Food presentations.

“The goal of the Real Food: Incorporating health recommendations into a plant-based diet” is to help people be able to decipher these recommendations and how to achieve these changes in real-world time with a plant-based diet,” says dietician Cara Marrs. “There are so many terrible fad diets out there, and none of them work. There isn’t one pill, prepackaged food plan or miracle fad that works long-term. What works is changing your diet for a lifetime with more whole foods and plants.”

“A plant-based diet does not mean you need to be vegan or even vegetarian. It means the base of your diet is plants. That could be something as simple as instead of eggs, sausage and bacon for breakfast every morning, it’s oatmeal with flax seed, almonds, chia and fruit,” she says. “A plant-based diet is going to deliver a lot of the things that are lacking in the standard American diet, such as fiber-rich foods.”

Lack of fiber from food is probably one of biggest drivers of disease. Fiber is extremely important for regulating heart health and cholesterol, in weight loss, gastro-intestinal and diabetic issues. 

You can join in the conversation on Wednesday, June 13, at noon as UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center presents Real Food: Incorporating health recommendations into a plant-based diet.  

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