When Hiller’s Markets does something, there are no half steps. If you read CEO Jim Hiller’s blog, A Message From The Helm, you know he posts regularly, on a universe of topics ranging from local food to the love he has for his aging Scottish Deerhound.

The 7-store chain also boasts that it has the largest selection of gluten-free items in its home state of Michigan, and publishes a gluten-free newsletter. Gluten-free foods are clearly marked on the shelf, where customers will find “Celiac Specialty Foods” as well as additional choices among Hiller’s homemade prepared foods.

The same thorough treatment is given to foods for diabetics, vegans and other diet-related categories. More recently, the grocer started stocking more low-salt and salt-free products, also clearly labeled with easy-to-identify tags.

Now, Hiller’s is embarking on an effort that complements the products in the aisle, the signage and labels and the newsletters. The retailer is launching Hiller’s Health Tours. This series of store tours is described as “a new community outreach program, staffed by nutritionists, doctors, food specialists and other medical experts.” MORE…

It’s likely the heat of summer is starting to play at a location near you! For many it means more outdoor grilling. Yes, it’s hot, but cooking outside keeps the heat out there, the kitchen cool and makes it easier to clean everything up.

There’s still plenty of ways to get your customers eating healthy. Fresh, crisp, cold, and “hot” are the operative words for foods of this season. Fruits and vegetables are at their best; cold soups are a great way to cool with taste. And “hot” — as in peppers, seasoning and spices — are a natural way to flavor chicken and other meats and everything from soup to dessert.

With the growing emphasis on reducing our intake of sodium, introducing foods with some heat is a healthy way to entertain the taste buds. So let’s look at some quick ways to introduce some summer heat to our outdoor sizzle:

• Cold soups are a natural. Gazpacho is a great fit since it can take advantage of summer tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, celery and peppers. Like salsa, make it mild or hot and alter the texture to your liking. Serve it chunky or blended for a smooth soup. Top with a dollop of Greek yogurt, a touch of cilantro or a dusting of cumin. MORE…

Having recently emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Bi-Lo is back in the game and looking to grow. One of the first orders of business is to enhance their health and nutrition profile. To that end, the company just launched Bi-Lo thrive!, a multiplatform program that provides nutrition education and identifies healthful foods in stores. A key part of that program is Monica Amburn, Bi-Lo’s new dietician, who spoke with Refresh this morning.

What are some of the opportunities and challenges for a dietician working in the supermarket industry?

It’s a very different environment for a dietician coming from the healthcare industry, like I have. I’m trying to learn the dynamics of the business, the politics, and how food even gets into grocery stores. It’s really just putting the pieces together, then being able to get your message across to the consumer in a way they understand. Getting a clear message across is the challenge, and I think that’s why retailers are bringing in dieticians these days. We’re really the people best trained to talk about food.

What will your day-to-day job be like within the new thrive! program?

I’m trying to figure out how I can reach as many people in the Bi-Lo market as possible without me being there every single day in person. I go from Chattanooga to Charleston, and that’s a very large radius for one dietician. So I’m working on our new publication and making sure that’s accessible, working with the media, and slowly but surely making it into the market, doing store appearances and seminars.

How will this unfold at the store level?

We have a dedicated endcap display in all the stores that features products I’ve talked about in the thrive! magazine. My picture will be part of that signage. We’ll also add shelf talkers to items that I’ve featured. As my themes change the signage will move to different items around the store.

So what’s the main message you want to get across to shoppers?

It’s not a vegan, tofu plan I’m trying to get across. Let’s take the way people in the South eat, but let’s make it just a bit healthier. I’m all for small changes and substitutions.

Is there a favorite dish or recipe you’re anxious to share?

You know, I went to a store this past weekend and sampled a recent recipe that was great — a Caribbean Summer Salad. It has corn and black beans and peaches in it. We sampled it in the store, and it went over very well.

Even if you’re lucky enough and can grill outdoors all year, the month of May is the kick-off for the rest of us. For the registered dietitian, especially one practicing in a supermarket setting, this is the time of year when we look around for ways to make outdoor cooking more nutritious. We’ll start playing up locally grown produce and some great seasonal foods. Healthy and good eating abounds!

This is also a time when our seafood and produce specialists are willing to team up and host taste tests, recipe demos and special displays that bring healthy eating to the top of the menu. So where do we start?

• Think safe grilling. Customers might be a little rusty from winter, so remind them of the basics. Equip them with meat thermometers. Explain the need to keep fat from dripping onto hot coals. Discuss the merits of grilling and keeping food from burning. There’s a lot of cross merchandising opportunities to promote safety while selling them the food they’ll be cooking.

• Look to produce for some great grilling foods. Right now, there’s fresh asparagus, Vidalia or other sweet onions, and some old favorites like tomatoes, zucchini, and green and red bell peppers. Emphasize organic and locally grown whenever possible. MORE…

Longer days and the additional hours of sunlight are enough to convince even the worst pessimist that spring is finally here! It’s been a tough winter where I work and live in the Northeast, so we’re ready for it. Time to open the windows and shake out the dust of winter. From the food side there are visions of Vidalia onions, truly fresh asparagus and rhubarb, soon to be followed by strawberries.

In many parts of the country, the thought of exchanging heavy, thick woolens for something a bit more shapely and revealing will remind your customers that it’s time to revisit health and wellness goals:

• Emphasize health goals, suggesting a plate should be made up of predominately fruits and vegetables (about half), with the other half split between higher protein foods (meat, fish, chicken, beans, soy) and grains (whole grains!).

• Make spring cleaning matter by putting a focus on green cleansers with earth-friendly ingredients.

• Use herbs and spices to heighten tastes of demo foods, and include some guidelines on the shelf life of these products. Part of renewal is checking out the expiration/best by dates on products in the pantry, on shelves and in the refrigerator.

• Include simple recipes for traditional spring foods, remembering that it may be necessary to demo them. It’s easy to pass on the rhubarb or the spring greens if you haven’t experienced their great taste. And for some, the memories are there but not the skill. Is it time for you to update your spring foods cooking classes?

• April 22 is Earth Day, another reason to tie in the supermarket’s role as a destination for natural and organic foods, as well as sustainable, earth- friendly products. Be sure they’re displayed in full force.

• Schools are embarking on the field trip trail. Plan to introduce visiting kids to spring in your supermarket (start with the seeds and plants in floral, then produce, spring foods, and then green and sustainable products).

Take the initiative. Between the urge to get outdoors again and the desire to clean out winter’s gloom, it’s a great time to promote the idea of spring renewal — outside and inside.

(Photo credit: Chris Bartnik Photography)

National Nutrition Month was developed by the American Dietetic Association and its members as a way of highlighting the benefits of a good diet. It’s good we have an entire moth to host activities, because there’s a lot of new information every year to get out into the hands of consumers.

This year’s theme is “Nutrition from the Ground Up.” You can learn more at eatright.org. I’ve been able to get a sneak peek at things this year and here are some ideas to get you started:

• Coordinate store tours for seniors, persons with diabetes, parents of children, or people just looking to eat healthy. If you don’t have a registered dietitian on staff, check with your local healthcare facility and offer your store.

• Don’t forget local school groups! It’s a great way for kids to see some unusual fruits and veggies, explore some new foods and learn from the experts how food gets from the farm to the table.

• Feature some endcap displays of whole grains, a display of fruits and veggies…in other words, stock the perimeters with healthy options. While you are at it, ask your vendors to support some taste-testings!

• Check out your prepared foods section and add options that feature organically grown or minimally processed foods. MORE…

The fact that February is American Heart Month (thanks American Heart Association) is no coincidence. Of course, it’s linked to Valentine’s Day. These are two events worthy of driving some in-store events with a health theme. Anything promoting Heart Month is a no-brainer and the resources and volunteers from your local AHA affiliate make it easier.

The first Friday in February has been declared Wear Red Day, and it’s a great boost for some in-aisle activities, sampling demos and media events. But putting a healthy spin on Valentine’s Day may take a bit more thinking. So put on your thinking caps and add to this starter list for February is Heart Month!

• Plan some demonstrations and samplings of heart-healthy recipe tweaking. Try adding ground flax seed, oat bran or whole oats to foods; substituting some whole grains; or baking and cooking with heart-healthy fats and oils (in reasonable amounts of course). Substituting applesauce or fruit purees for some of the fat in baking mixes remind people that you can make some small changes that still leave you with flavor.

• Plan some heart-healthy Valentine-worthy meals ideas. A glazed salmon, roasted vegetables and garlic with a spinach, strawberry and walnut salad looks and tastes special but provides your loved ones with the benefits of omega-3s and phytonutrients. MORE…

A report published just this week in the medical journal Pediatrics concludes that special diets are not effective in treating digestive problems in children with autism.

Try telling that to all the parents and caretakers who swear that modifying the diet of an autistic child can reduce or even eliminate behavior outbursts that many believe are caused by painful digestive upsets.

Among the top suspects on the list is gluten. According to Packaged Facts, supermarkets have quickly become one of the biggest channels for moving gluten-free products. Sales are expected to grow by double digits and hit $2.6 billion by 2012. At the trade shows I attend, there’s an ever-expanding list of gluten-free foods ready for market (prompting some to ask whether there’s a gluten-free “bubble” about to burst), and some retailers are highlighting gluten-free foods to differentiate themselves from competitors.

“This is really a growing, large population, and they’re a tight-knit group,” is how one dietitian we spoke with characterized gluten-free shoppers.

According to an Associated Press report, one in 5 autistic kids is currently on a special diet in which gluten and casein (a dairy protein) are eliminated. Another statistic: an estimated one in 110 children in the United States is classified as autistic. MORE…

Some events just happen — whether we’re ready or not — and the arrival of the New Year is one of them. Gift giving is still a very big part of the holiday season, either as host/hostess gifts or for that person that somehow missed your first go-round.

Soul-searching is also there as we ponder the old year and contemplate our goals for the new one. So here are some ideas that might add some strength to our customers making resolutions on the wellness path!

• Think wellness for those last-minute or hostess gifts. There are gift baskets with assortments of natural soaps, lotions and other health and beauty products. Teas, coffees and beverages bundled with some whole grain crackers or granola set the stage for a healthier new year. For the person with a special diet, an assortment of gluten-free pasta and sauce, baking mixes or ready-to-eat goodies are welcomed. Assemble some herb and spice assortments and other lower-sodium flavor-adders with the theme to update your spice rack lower your salt intake! MORE…

It’s a cross between walking a tightrope and throwing caution to the wind when you try to combine savings and celebrations. The supermarket dietitian is one of the many who has to make it work for the benefit of the store and the customer.

The winter holidays are always a good time to bring a health image into play since food tends to be the center of the celebration, whether they take place at home or the office and at school. While the holidays are typically a time when people allow themselves to overindulge, we in the dietitian business have to remember the season is also prime time to help people change eating habits. It’s to our benefit that there is concern for wellness, weight control and food allergies.

Again this year, too, the budget crunch is still a headliner for many, even though the holiday spirit tends to lift the mood a bit. With all of that in mind, here are some approaches that might help you on the tightrope!

• Put the emphasis on quality rather than quantity as you guide customers in celebration menu planning. When budgets are tighter steer customers to showcasing a few excellent items that are holiday favorites rather than the huge buffet that ends up with waste. In the end, the price may be the same but the effect is more dramatic. MORE…