We talked a lot about whole grains at the Shopping for Health conference this year, including ways to encourage shoppers to up their consumption to the recommended 48 grams, or 3 – 4 servings, each day.

SFH sponsor Nabisco gave supermarket RDs lots of ideas for cooking demonstrations and other in-store activities that can educate both adults and kids on the need to consume whole grains.

The goal of “making whole grains half of the daily grain consumption” is one in which most people fall far short.¹ On average, Americans consume less than 16g of whole grains each day. Fewer than 5% of adults consume the recommended amount and less than 30% of adolescents consume more than 8g of whole grains a day.

Here are some ideas from Nabisco for working with your shoppers, using Honey Grahams and Triscuits as the source of whole grains:

• Are you hosting a school group or other group of kids on an in-store tour? Send them on a scavenger hunt in search of whole grains. Challenge them individually or in teams to find whole grain products form the bakery, cookie/cracker and center aisles, all totaling up to at least 48 grams of whole grains. Start by showing the kids how to read the whole grain content on the front of the package or nutrition label.

• Shoppers may be surprised to learn the true size of whole grain servings. Display various 1-serving equivalents of whole grains, such as 1 slice of 100% whole grain bread and ½ cup cooked 100% whole grain pasta. Use common reference items to reinforce portion sizes – 1 slice of bread equals the size of an index card, ½ cup of cooked pasta or rice equals a tennis ball. The takeaway: 1 serving is equal to 16 grams of whole grain, and 48 grams of whole grain is needed each day.

• If space permits, have shoppers prepare their own pairings, creating snack ideas by combining whole grain products like crackers with an assortment of wholesome ingredients (e.g., fruit/vegetables, low-fat dairy, lean meats, spreads made with nuts/beans). Discuss MyPlate and the importance of choosing foods from the five food groups while participants are preparing their recipe.

Finally, hand out a shopping list that customers can use as they are walking through the store, making sure they think about incorporating whole grain products into their meal planning. Here is a sample shopping list from Nabisco – download from the Shopping for Health web site to duplicate.

¹US Grain Consumption Landscape. Lin and Yen. USDA Economic Research Service. November 2007.

Summer is the prime season for dehydration, as hot days mean more sweating.

How much fluid do you need each day to stay well-hydrated? The Institute of Medicine recommends 91 ounces of total fluids each day for adult women, and 125 ounces a day for adult men. Keep in mind – that is total fluids, and foods consumed will provide about 20 percent of that.

Translating for your shoppers, this means that women should try to drink nine eight ounce glasses of liquids each day, while men should strive for twelve to thirteen. Especially hot or humid days may call for even more.

Nestle Waters North America provides this list of common symptoms of moderate dehydration, to be on the lookout for in both children and adults: infrequent need to urinate, darker yellow urine, dry mouth, headache, muscle cramps and dry, cool skin. More severe dehydration can lead to confusion, dizziness and overall listlessness.

From the bottle or tap, sparkling or still, water should be the primary beverage choice. Other beverages recommended in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans include calorie-free
coffee and tea, skim or low-fat milk. And while whole fruit is preferred, it’s okay to get up to half of daily fruit servings from 100 percent fruit juice.

One important fact to keep in mind when choosing which beverages to consume, or to buy for kids to take to sports events: It’s very easy to add unwanted calories and extra added sugar to the diet, through beverages. In fact, the most recent national nutrition data reveal that 47 percent of all added sugars in the U.S. diet come from beverages including soft drinks, fruit drinks and energy drinks.1

Enjoying a glass of water in place of just one twelve ounce sweetened beverage (at 140
calories per serving) each day is one of the easiest diet health swaps you can make. It would cut about 50,000 calories and more than 65 cups of sugar from your diet in a year!

1 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2015 – 2020 Dietary
Guidelines for Americans. 8th Edition. December 2015. Available at
http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/.

Nutrition experts say that adults need to eat 48 grams of whole grains every day. That sounds like a lot, but is it? And as a retail dietitian, how can you help your shoppers translate that recommendation to daily eating and meal planning?

Whole grains are a good food to add to the diet during snacking occasions, because they usually package and transport easily and don’t have to be refrigerated. The trick is to teach shoppers to take advantage of their mid-meal cravings, as an opportunity to add some important whole grains. Options abound and are limited only by creativity or personal preferences! Here’s a chart developed by Nabisco that gives some starter ideas for snack pairings. Download at shoppingforhealth.org and use to help your shoppers consume the needed amount of whole grains every day.

Sometimes the simplest treats are simply the best.  That’s definitely the case when it comes to one of the best summer snack foods: Frozen Grapes!

Now that summer is officially here, make it a point to remind your shoppers how easy it is to prepare and store these mini-sorbet-like treats that also happen to provide nutrition benefits.  Simply rinse, pat dry and place grapes in a re-sealable bag. Place in the freezer. Two hours later – and for up to a couple of weeks, if they last that long — they’re ready to enjoy.

From the California Table Grape Commission, here are other easy, tasty recipe ideas featuring grapes that will make your summer snacking and eating healthier than ever:

• Frosty fresh grape pops are a cool treat for adults and kids alike. Because they are made with fresh fruit, they’re a good-for-you option compared to most desserts on a stick.
• Turn traditional gazpacho recipes upside down with green grape gazpacho. Lettuce, cucumber, grapes and more combine to put a new twist on an old favorite.
• For a refreshing sweet beverage to help beat the heat, whip up a grape agua fresca. Mix freshly made grape juice, a sprinkle of sugar and lime juice to taste, and you have a drink that may just dethrone lemonade as your summertime drink of choice. Add sparkling water for a bubbly spin.
• Make fresh grape salsa by combining fresh grapes, cilantro, and chilies with vinegar, onions and salt and pepper. Serve with chips or toasted crostini for a deceptively simple dish with an unforgettable flavor.

For more cool grape recipes, visit www.GrapesFromCalifornia.com.

Is it time for a morning or afternoon snack? What little nosh would taste good right now, without blowing the day’s allotment for calories?

The Almond Board of California asked shoppers what favorite foods come to mind as a healthy snack; apples topped the list, followed by almonds, carrots, yogurt and granola. These same consumers listed “high in fiber,” “high in protein,” and “natural” as the most important qualities they look for when searching for healthy snacks.

But “taste of the food” is still the single most important consideration, even trumping “health” when making a snack choice. Consumers used words like “crave” (41%) and “exciting flavor” (39%) to describe what they are looking for in mid-meal eating. Thirty-seven percent said it’s most important that their snacks “combine good taste and good health.”

Here are some more interesting stats on snacks from the Almond Board of California consumer survey:

• North Americans snack and average of 2.6 times a day, up from 1.8 times a day in 2008;
• We snack ‘round the clock, but the three most popular times of day to snack are after dinner or late at night (24%), mid-afternoon (21%) and mid-morning (18%);
• Fifty-eight percent of us follow the traditional three-meals-a-day plus two snacks eating pattern, while a full 24 percent say that they substitute at least one meal a day with a snack;
• If we ever saw stigma in snacking, that is rapidly vanishing. Ninety-four percent of these shoppers agree that snacking can be a part of a healthy lifestyle, while only 27 percent say that they try to avoid snacking altogether;
• Seventeen percent of these shoppers say they always plan for their snacking; 11% say they “never” plan snacks and eat throughout the day as the opportunity arises;
• The nut most likely to be associated with snacking? Almonds, by 30% of shoppers. Twenty-four percent responded by saying peanuts, followed by 19% who responded by saying cashews.