My First Week as a Supermarket Dietitian (And Free Materials)

So, this was my first official week as being a Supermarket Dietitian and I loved it! I'm still training and shadowing people; however, the more I learn about the job, the more I am loving it. If you are the type of person who is an independent worker, loves doing different things each day, and is comfortable in the public, then this is a job for you! I am pretty excited that I will have a huge brown desk out on the floor of the store. I'll also have a large storage area for all my nutrition materials. It is nice to finally have my own space at a job.

The in-store events include produce picks (feature a fruit or vegetable, preferably on sale/in season with a recipe for taste testing), product sampling, easy dinner meal ideas (with a recipe sample), kid's days, cooking classes, diabetes classes, weight-loss classes, etc. They also have counseling and individual store tours. They are always open to new ideas for newsletters, recipes, and programs. It is perfect for me since I have experience in running programs and I like trying new ideas out. I'm excited to be able to post "RD selection" stickers around the aisles. These will be products that fit a certain nutritional criteria and are a healthy option for consumers. Since my supermarket has a hot/cold food section to take items to go (or dine in), I will also have stickers there. It is an awesome feeling to know that I will be able to reach out and help people on such a large scale.

Another awesome thing about being in a supermarket is that you have connections with all the other supermarket RDs in your area. It is great to have such a huge network of RDs to be able to bounce ideas off of, swap materials, and support one another in our efforts.

For anyone that knows me personally, you know I love getting free nutrition materials. There are tons of websites that will send you coupons, handouts, and/or lessons for FREE! In my free material search this week, I got Yoplait Greek Yogurt coupons, Diabetes handouts, Weight Control handouts, and Blood Pressure cards. There are also a ton of materials for free download; however, I don't have the ability to print large quantities of handouts. I have the links at the bottom of this blog!

My last exciting nutrition find of the week was my Garden Heroes! I ordered these cute little guys from Learning Zone Express. No, they were not free; however, they were pretty cheap. I teach kids nutrition a lot, so these will come in handy for lessons.

Eddie Eggplant, Buddy Broccoli, Andi Apple, Alonzo Avocado

Stay tuned for my blog on "Top 10 Dietitian Misconceptions"

Resources:
http://www.bellinstitute.com/Coupons.aspx
https://catalog.niddk.nih.gov/index.cfm
http://win.niddk.nih.gov/order/orderpub.htm
http://catalog.nhlbi.nih.gov/catalog/home