NYU Langone doctor takes patients grocery shopping to promote healthy eating

New program shows diabetics how to eat better

March 13, 2018 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Dr. Mary Kristine Ellis (center) turned a grocery store into a doctor’s office one recent afternoon to explain to patients on how to make healthier food choices. Photo courtesy of NYU Langone Hospital – Brooklyn

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A kind doctor is one who is said to have a good bedside manner. But Dr. Mary Kristine Ellis is different. She shows her compassion for her patients by taking them to the grocery store.

Ellis, a family medicine physician at NYU Langone Hospital – Brooklyn, recently led patients on a food shopping excursion to a neighborhood grocery store to show them the best foods to buy if they want to get healthy and stay that way.

Many of the patients who agreed to show Ellis the contents of their grocery carts are diabetics or have been told by their doctors that they have pre-diabetic conditions.

The road to good health often starts in the food aisle, according to NYU Langone officials, who said Ellis is taking part in a new program that was designed and is being led by doctors. NYU Langone Hospital – Brooklyn is located at 150 55th St. in Sunset Park.

During the shopping trip, Ellis showed patients how to read nutrition labels on foods and how to look for trouble signs like high contents of sodium.

“This is all about helping our patients take control of their health in a fun and engaging way. I’m passionate about helping my patients find ways to stay healthy but you can only do so much in the doctor’s office. Sometimes you need to get out into the real world where people live, shop, and eat,” Ellis said in a statement.

The patients seem to enjoy getting medical attention away from a doctor’s office.

A woman named Janice, who said she is trying to lose weight, found the shopping trip highly informative.

“It’s much more interesting than speaking to a nutritionist over the phone or with the doctor in the office. I found what we were learning more applicable to daily living and easier to understand, especially when Dr. Ellis compared our usual purchases to healthier choices. I’m definitely going to pay more attention to labels and introduce new foods like quinoa and chia seeds when I can,” she said.

Ellis gave her patients a special treat before heading out to the grocery store. She made everyone avocado toast. “The avocado toast demonstrates there are many interesting snack alternatives that can be flavorful, healthy and easily incorporated into diets,” she said.

The doctor also asked patients to fill out a questionnaire. “The survey helps me understand their shopping habits, their health literacy, and their relationship to food so I know how I can help them the most. When someone is told they have pre-diabetes, they can be very worried about how they are going to change the way they shop, cook, and eat. It can be a stressful experience,” she said.

Once inside the store, the group members were free to roam the food aisles and select the items they wanted to buy. But Ellis took the time to discuss the food choices with them. She also told the patients about the healthier alternatives they should consider.

For example, Ellis explained the difference between white rice and brown rice, as well as the difference between white bread and whole grain bread. She also talked about how using spices like turmeric in cooking are beneficial because they contain medicinal properties.

A patient named Ramon, who said he wants to keep his diabetes under control, picked out what he though was a healthy yogurt in the dairy aisle. But it was not the best choice, Ellis told him. It turned out that the yogurt he selected had a high content of sugar and sodium. “There are better choices,” she said.

One handy tip from Ellis: Aim for a 2-to-1 ratio when looking at the protein-to-sugar content in food.

Nearly one million New Yorkers are believed to have diabetes, according to information on the website of the city’s Department of Health (DOH).

Of the estimated 987,000 New Yorkers who have diabetes, 19 percent are unaware that they have it, according to DOH.

Diabetes can put patients at risk for cause blindness, kidney disease and can in some cases lead to amputations of lower extremities.

Being overweight increases the risk of developing diabetes.

The DOH Community Health Survey for 2016 lists the estimated number of individuals in each neighborhood who have been told by their doctors at some point in their lives that they have diabetes.

Here are the figures for several Brooklyn neighborhoods: