Meijer Healthy Living

     On Tuesday, our class had the opportunity to listen to a registered dietitian who works for Meijer's Grocery Stores. It was interesting for me because I do not know much about the scope of the specific jobs that grocery store dietitians are involved with, and I also do not have a Meijers close to me. The woman that came in to talk to us was Janine Faber, MEd, RD, LD and her job title was a "Meijer Healthy Living Advisor". Janine was incredibly enthusiastic and very interesting and fun to listen to because I could tell that she was passionate about her career and really enjoys her job. Her job is funded by marketing promotions and also from sponsorships from varying companies whose products are promoted by Meijer. Some examples of products that may support her job would be companies such as Tropicana and Del Monte, among many others. Many products aspire to be part of the Meijer Healthy Living program, however, Meijer has the final say, and some products are rejected if they do not meet the standards of the program.  
    The goal of the Meijer Healthy Living Program is to increase sales and promote customer loyalty by creating and communicating health solutions and product knowledge to shoppers. It appears that Janine and her team do this in many different ways. Currently they sponsor 90 different community events, over 95 media appearances, and reach over 8,000,000 people! Community events include health fairs and expositions, cooking demonstrations, and other presentations. They also host in-store activities such as meal planning tips and other types of cooking activities. In the media, Meijer talks about how to prepare a $10 meal, and are also active in the Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest social media sites. Their website, mealbox.com gives ideas for weekly healthy menus which features weekly featured products, as well as kid-friendly and allergen friendly options. They also provide diabetes meal planning for their customers which can greatly improve the ease of managing the condition.

     Lastly, I learned more about the NuVal education program. I had heard of NuVal before, however, she  was able to explain it more in depth. This program ranks different products by numbers to let consumers make more nutritious choices and compare products in the store. I would like to see more grocery stores attain this system because I have not seen it in any stores I have been to so far, and I think that it would be very interesting and useful!

Ohio Board of Dietetics

     The Ohio Board of Dietetics is responsible for protection against malpractice and unethical behavior in the field. The Ohio Board of dietetics is number 4759 of the Revised Code for the Practice of Dietetics.The Board of Dietetics sets the standard for nutrition professionals and takes care of the licensure and board exams required to practice. Licensure laws vary depending on the state, however knowing the licensure laws to practice is critical. The board is also responsible for handing complaints relating to the practice of dietetics, providing options and recommendations for continuing education .
    The board meeting are public, and may be an interest to me if there is a dietetic-related issue that will affect public policies. The website for the Ohio Board of Dietetic association provides valuable resources for brushing up on the laws, and knowing what is expected of me in my future career.

One Busy R.D.

     On Tuesday, Francie Astrom, the R.D. from WellWorks came to talk to us about her job responsibilities as a dietitian here at Ohio University. WellWorks is currently located in Grover Center on the first floor, however, it was originally located in Peden Stadium on the first floor, with a great view of the football field and overlooking the bike path!

      I currently volunteer for Francie, however, I never realized how much she actually does. I do not know how one person can juggle so many different responsibilities, and do a great job at all of them! She is definitely a role model, and what I aspire to be one day as my career takes off. Francie's salary and budget is supported primarily from University Wellness funds, and partially by WellWorks member fees. Members can enjoy many different programs and have access to a variety of valuable resources. WellWorks provides massages, nutritional counseling, personal training, and as well as numerous other programs at Ohio University and in the community. Programming involves more than just fitness programs and is wellness focused versus a medical-based model. Wellness-focused programming emphasizes ways to live the healthiest YOU can be, keeping in mind individual characteristics such as age, sex, background, family history, and other current conditions. There is no optimal health standard for everyone, and it must be kept in mind that health and wellness plans must be personalized to each individual person.
     Francie is also part of other WellWorks sponsored programs such as HeartWorks; which focuses on cardiac and pulmonary rehab, Risk Reduction, Worksite Wellness; which takes blood pressures of OU employees around campus, and Food For Life; which aims to educate people on moving towards a plant-based diet. There are many other programs and activities that Francie is a part of such as conducting grocery store tours, nutrition analysis for OU sports teams, and Healthy Ohio.
     The R.D. is an integral part to WellWorks, and it was that way since WellWorks was originally established. The R.D. is responsible for keeping up on current health information and literature and educating the community.


                                                                
    

So Many Programs, So Little Time!

     Thursday I was introduced to a variety of different food programs in the United States, and I honestly never could have imagined how many different programs are out there that I had never even heard of before! There were probably only several out the entire class that talked about programs that I had previous knowledge about. I enjoyed reading everyone's handouts and learned about programs involving school systems, the elderly, and even pottery making in the Empty Bowls Program! It's amazing how billions of dollars goes into funding of these programs every year, and so many people really rely on these programs for a majority of their meals and social support systems. I particularly found the School Nutrition Programs and the Empty Bowls Program interesting because I find it awesome that so many children are able to get full meals once or twice during the day at school when they may not always have good, nutritious meals on their table at home. The Empty Bowls Program is neat because people can come and make their own bowls with the help of potters, and then have a community meal together and keep their handcrafted bowls. I would be very interested in implementing this type of program in Athens, in a community that I may live in the future!

                                                                     

SNAP Program and Food Assistance

   
On Tuesday, Nick Claussen from the department of Jobs and Family Services came to our class to talk to us about food assistance programs, specifically the SNAP program. Claussen holds the title of Community Relations Coordinator as a part of Jobs and Family Services.  I learned a lot about the dimensions of his job, and also how SNAP benefits are distributed. SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and I learned that it is truly intended to be a supplemental assistance program because it is designed in a way that eligible households receive food for about three weeks. These families and households typically turn to food pantries towards the end of the month when their SNAP benefits run out and food is often cut short.  

     The mission of SNAP is to provide food and nutrition education to people who are eligible and facilitate their ability to move towards and healthier and more self-sufficient diet. I find it interesting that this is the "mission" as stated by the USDA newsroom, because according to Nick Claussen, there are really no nutritional guidelines for food, and cheap food is typically not as healthy. This is contradictory in my opinion, and I wonder if the program is really carrying out their intended purpose and mission. The SNAP program is funded and monitored by the state and federal governments and serves about 14,000 people/year. Prospective participants of the program must apply and must have a job in which they work at least 20 hours/week, and have a gross monthly income at or under 130% of the federal poverty guidelines. I did not know that in order to be eligible for food assistance that you have to work a minimum number of hours per week. However, the speaker informed me that if a person that is in need of assistance is not currently employed, Jobs and Family Services will find a project or job for them to do so they can receive the assistance that they need. With the SNAP benefits, there are requirements on what you can and cannot buy. For example, you cannot buy pet food, alcohol, tobacco, or hot food with SNAP benefits. For households with children under five years of age or younger, they can be eligible for cash assistance in order to help may for bills, or other monetary expenses besides food assistance.

     Several roles of an R.D. in this program could be in the nutrition education process as well as the implementation of nutritional guidelines for the program, especially since Claussen stated that there are currently no nutritional guidelines in the SNAP program.
   

Making a Difference

     After watching the video about a Farmer's Market program, I realized how important a farmer's market can be to a community. A farmers market brings people together and supports the local economy. More importantly, this specific farmers market was located near a medical center and made it easy for community members to walk to. It also encouraged people to come to the market after their medical appointments, saving time and decreasing transportation issues for people who may not have a car or other reliable form of transportation.

    What was neat about this farmers market and many others who are now following the trend, is that vouchers were given to low-income community members by their doctors so they could use them at the market to buy fresh fruits and vegetables that they may not have had access to otherwise. I also learned that the Athens Farmers Market has a similar system, where people are able to use their SNAP benefits in the form of a card (Ohio Direction Card) that can be swiped at the market and community members have the capability to earn more money by using their SNAP benefits on fruits and vegetables, encouraging healthy choices.
The link below is an article published by The Post that explains the use of food assistance at the Athens Farmers Market that I found interesting;
Athens farmers accept food assistance | The Post

My tax money goes where?!

    On Tuesday, we discussed laws and policies that affect the health of our citizens, and what our tax dollars are used for. I never thought about how the health status of Americans as a whole were measured before, and I learned that NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) is used to evaluate where we stand on all aspects of health and nutrition levels. After the census is taken, several months later NHANES "trailers" travel around the country and take numerous measurements, blood tests, etc. which is used by researchers to determine trends. 

    I think one of the main points that I took away from Tuesday's lecture was the discussion of the diagram which depicted where all of our tax dollars go. I found this very interesting because many people never actually realize what their tax dollars are paying for. Although I do not directly take care of my taxes currently, I will in the future, and I find it very important to know what my money is paying for. This is important in elections and policy making and the more I am aware, the better decisions I will make in terms of voting and being an active citizen. I never realized that millions of dollars go toward research and development and weaponry for the armed forces! ...Interesting....