15 supermarkets that let you meet with a dietitian— for free
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Let’s face it, nutrition is overwhelming. And finding a dietitian in your area that takes your insurance prevents some people from seeking out nutrition education.
But what if there were a dietitian in your community that is readily accessible, knowledgeable and completely free?
It turns out these fully credentialed nutrition experts may be in the aisles of your local supermarket. You don’t even have to set up a time to meet with them or travel to an office. They are ready and willing to provide nutrition education and help you make informed food choices while you shop.
And if you can’t make it into the store, they offer virtual classes to educate people (both near and far) about nutrition. “Overall, the goal of our program is just to provide nutrition education to our customers (and) to help them find their version of healthy,” says Emily McGee, one of the registered dietitians on the Stop & Shop Nutrition Partners team.
As a registered dietitian myself, I spoke with registered dietitians at three different grocery stores to learn more about what they do and their impact on the community.
What nutrition services are available in the supermarket?
Supermarket dietitians, often called retail dietitians, have a variety of offerings for local shoppers, as well as virtual programs that provide nutrition education to people around the world. Below are some of the many services:
In-store and community nutrition assistance
Allison Stowell, a dietitian at Hannaford supermarket, is based in the store. Daily, you can find her in the aisles assisting shoppers with their nutrition questions and food choices. “I know a supermarket can be an overwhelming and stimulating experience, and it’s easy to lose track of your goals; you have about 10 seconds to help someone move one step forward,” says Stowell.
In addition, she works on in-store demonstrations, recipe development for the store, and presentations to communities and nonprofits, like schools and libraries. These services are also offered at other stores, like Big Y, a family-owned grocery store in Connecticut and Massachusetts and some Stop & Shop locations.
Virtual classes
In recent years, many supermarkets have made a large push to offer virtual services. Big Y has an ask-a-dietitian e-mail service, where you can send in questions and one of the two corporate dietitians, Carrie Taylor and Andrea Luttrell, will respond with their answer.
Big Y also offers online classes and support groups, and they’ve had people join from all across the world. “We’ve had people from Mexico and different countries calling in,” says Luttrell.
Stop & Shop has a large library of virtual nutrition and cooking classes. “We partner with our pharmacist to provide more health-specific education ... like eating for heart health and eating for diabetes,” says McGee.
One-on-one counseling
Many stores offer free one-on-one nutrition consultations. Big Y experimented with charging $10- $20 for counseling and then refunding the money in the form of a gift card after the meeting. "We wanted the consumer to see the value in paying for nutrition education and to meeting with a registered dietitian,” says Taylor. Yet, the small fee proved to be a barrier for the customer, so they made their services completely free and had a higher engagement rate.
In a nutrition session, “we may pull up the nutrition facts label or make product suggestions,” says McGee. Stowell adds that she hopes to bridge the gap between the nutrition information that people receive their physician or local dietitian and putting that into practice in their shopping habits.
In-store displays
Even when you don’t have the time to chat with a dietitian in-store or attend a class, you can still learn from them through their nutrition displays in many stores. Stop & Shop has a program called Nutrition Partners that highlights some better-for-you products in stores. “It’s a healthy shopping destination that our dietitians meticulously reviewed and picked those products,” says McGee.
Big Y has a Kids Fruit Club display, where children can pick up a free piece of fruit to enjoy during their family’s shopping experience. “The goal of the Kids Fruit Club is to make shopping with children easier by giving kids a nutritious snack alternative while encouraging a healthful lifestyle,” says Luttrell.
Stores with dietitians
Retail dietitians make a difference in their community, and they may be the place to start if you don’t know where to turn for nutrition information. Here are some of the supermarkets that have a combination of in-store and virtual nutrition services:
Still not sure if you'd benefit from speaking with a dietitian? They can make a big difference helping you navigate simple, everyday food choices.
For example, Luttrell recalls talking to a woman at a health fair who had recently been diagnosed with diabetes. “She told me how much she missed eating bananas, and I told her she could still eat them with some guidance," says Luttrell. “It looked like it was the best news she had heard all her life that she could eat bananas again.”
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
