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

Whether it’s the media fanning the flames of fear, or a true epidemic, we are about to go into flu, cough and cold season. Many of our stores are offering flu shots, the hand sanitizer and wipes market is booming and there are some food reminders to put out there. From a dietitian’s standpoint, much of the readiness to survive any illness comes from prevention but the other part — the one most consumers forget — is to is get back to eating real food again.

Here are some tips for helping our customers with both of these challenges.

• Focus on the fact that citrus season is here with oranges, grapefruits, lemons and limes along, with the multitude of juices. The Florida Citrus Commission has some great recipes. Mixing the juice with some seltzer or soda water results in a spritzer that has some nutrition power. The goal ? Vitamin C and a host of protective nutrients that fits most diets.

• Emphasize the message to include probiotics in the diet. Yogurt, yogurt smoothies (both dairy and soy based) may build immunities and are good follow-ups to a bout with the flu, since they replace important gut bacteria that might have been wiped out with antiobiotics.

• Include a prevention corner in the store, with citrus, supplements, probiotics and other protective foods, along with an assortment of hand sanitizers and wipes. The pharmacy probably has some great additions too. more

We’re in the season when consumers see time as even more of a barrier. Fall is beginning of a new round of activities. Groups that suspended meetings over the summer start filling in the calendar with dates. And we are only at the gate for the coming season of holidays!

It’s a good time for the food and nutrition experts in the supermarket to help customers take control. Here are some thoughts to consider:

• It’s a time- and dollar-crunched economy and cooking at home saves money. This theme, and the nutrition control you can put into home-cooked meals, are major messages to convey to consumers. Safe use of a crock pot, grilling indoors (or how to use the broiler) are cooking options that are often overlooked, but they add versatility and variety.

• Comparing the cost of scratch and speed-scratch to the standard restaurant or fast food menu is always good. But factor in the time and gas costs and the nutrition differences. And for small families, buying the amount they need from a salad or prepared food bar at the supermarket may be a bargain compared to restaurant prices.

• Emphasize meal ideas that minimize time and dollars, but meet the “Under 30” minute guideline. Chicken breast halves with an orange juice glaze with instant brown rice, microwaved green beans and a salad go on the table fast.

• Put emphasis on quality, along with the time factor. The return on investment comes from starting with quality ingredients.

• Remember that taste and nutrition are reasons we eat! Organically grown and preservative-free foods are part of that ROI to factor into food decisions.

• Plan for grab-and-go foods. When it comes to good food habits, sitting down to eat meal is an important point. However, there are those times when it’s just not an option. Yet, consumers can keep cost and nutrition under control by planning ahead and crafting their own “takeout.” Wraps, smoothies, soups and travelling salads can be a healthy compromise, and best of all, the variables of time, money and nutrition are controlled as we drive by the drive-thrus!

There is speculation that the economic crunch may be encouraging people to eat healthier. Imagine this:

• Some of our customers are discovering that they can afford fruits and vegetables and organically grown foods if they give up (or eat less of) some of those choices that fall into discretionary foods on the USDA’s My Pyramid healthy food guide.

• The message is out there that scratch or speed-scratch cooking can help save money when compared to eating out and paying for convenience.

• The idea of reasonable portions, especially of more expensive center-plate options, is getting more attention.

Okay, so these are assumptions based on a few studies, some informed speculation and a touch of wishful thinking (that last one comes with being a supermarket-based dietitian). Nonetheless, it can be a rallying cry to take to the supermarket aisles and fan the fires of healthy eating! Here are some starters: more

Helping employees build and maintain healthy lifestyles has become a big focus for supermarkets over the past couple years. And it makes perfect sense, especially since everything you need is already there in the store.

It’s also a great story — and not just for us. Good Morning America did a 5-minute segment this morning on Giant Food Store’s pilot employee wellness program, which enrolled 95 employees who collectively lost more than 1,000 pounds over the course of 12 weeks. It started inauspiciously enough: Mary Ann Moylan, nutritionist at the Willow Grove Giant store in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, began receiving requests from employees to help them eat better. She took the idea for an in-store program to the head honchos in corporate, which led to the pilot program, which in turn is set to become a company-wide initiative.

Employees who enroll will receive an individual eating plan, which should emphasize a variety of foods in smaller portions, consumed more frequently. They will then report in regularly for weigh-ins to track their progress, as well as attend healthy lifestyle seminars. more

Put a group of supermarket-based registered dietitians in a room with professionals from the food industry, communications, market research and healthcare… and there is energy! The recent Dietitian Summit, sponsored by Chicago-based Field Trip Factory, created just that.

Yours truly was among those in attendance, and I thought it might be worthwhile to report on the main ideas that emerged from this one-day think tank.

Presentations and discussions centered on topics ranging from the theme of this year’s event — Healthy Eating in Tough Times — to childhood obesity and the impact of community-based learning. Sprinkled throughout was talk on trends, nutrition rating systems and “healthier for you” foods.

What do those three elements have in common? If there was a single thread running throughout everything, it was the idea of the supermarket as a destination for wellness resources — whether food, information or services. It’s a subject I certainly warmed up to as a corporate nutritionist for Giant Eagle. Here are some of the take-home messages: more