2 Amazing Bundles for Schools

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Stephanie Ronco

What is it about poster bundles?

The poster bundles we have in the store are some of our very top sellers, and we’re always getting rave reviews from happy customers (check out the testimonial page for details). Since these bundles are so popular, we’re always looking for ways to combine our posters in order to make the most effective nutrition education materials.

So imagine my happiness when I got a call from a foodservice director who was strategizing poster pairings for two different age groups.

The foodservice director had noticed that her students simply weren’t eating enough fruits and vegetables, no matter what the schools tried. This was a particular issue with kids in elementary school and high school.

So, what the director wanted to do was get a bunch of different posters that promoted healthful habits and put them in the schools. She needed two sets — one that would appeal to elementary school students and another that would appeal to high schoolers.

We brainstormed for a while on the phone, and then my team and I got to work. When we were done, we had created 2 new poster sets — one for each age group.

The Elementary Nutrition Poster Set has 7 posters that communicate key health messages in ways that are both memorable and appealing to kids. The set includes the following posters (and the handouts that accompany them)…

These posters highlight health lessons like eating more vegetables and trying new and healthful foods. They are specially designed with kids in mind, communicating their messages creatively and effectively.

The High School Nutrition 8 Poster Set appeals to older kids. It features 8 different posters that outline and support the most important health lessons for kids in high school. The set includes the following posters and their handouts…

The foodservice director was thrilled with the combinations, which is why we decided to set up these nutrition poster sets in the store. Now you can get them too! Check out the High School Nutrition 8 Poster Set and the Elementary Nutrition Poster Set today! And remember, there’s always more in the store!

By Judy Doherty, PC II and Founder of Food and Health Communications, Inc.

Are you looking for resources to help students? Then check out this free Nutrition Infographic for Kids! It’s packed with great ideas and fun pictures, perfect for any kid who needs to learn the basics of nutrition.

Meeting Friends in California

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Stephanie Ronco

Isn’t it funny, the connections you make?

A few weeks ago, I was in California. My son and I were touring his new college campus (UC Davis, woo!) and I posted about our adventures on Facebook. Imagine my surprise when Communicating Food for Health subscriber and longtime Nutrition Education Store customer Laurie Kamagawachi contacted me and said that she was just around the corner. I just knew we had to meet up.

Laurie is amazing. She is a clinical dietitian that really practices what she preaches. During our visit, I learned that Laurie has completed 41 marathons. Can you believe that?! I was totally wowed.

It’s always great to meet a customer, and Laurie was the epitome of charm and enthusiasm. In addition to using her Communicating Food for Health membership for many years, she’s also downloaded a ton of health and wellness PowerPoint shows. It was such fun to see her get excited about the tools that my team and I have created.

Laurie is retired now, but that isn’t stopping her from going out in the community and making a difference. She teaches wellness classes and she’s studying culinary art. Her explorations of the latter have fanned her enthusiasm for the fun and creative food ideas we feature on Food and Health and in the Nutrition Education Store. She’s been putting those lessons and tips to good use, both in her classes and in her everyday life.

It was such a treat to get to catch up with Laurie. Isn’t it funny, the connections you make?

By Judy Doherty, PC II and Founder of Food and Health Communications, Inc

PS: Like us on Facebook — that’s how Laurie and I connected.

Are you a fan of the nutrition education resources we create? Check out this week’s top sellers!

Communicating Food for Health Resource Membership

Eat to Excel with Phytoman

12 Lessons of Wellness and Weight Loss Program

And don’t forget to visit our amazing clipart database! Download this week’s featured piece of clipart for free today!

2 Weeks to Go!

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Stephanie Ronco

The deadline is fast approaching!

Back in February, the USDA Food and Nutrition Service proposed guidelines for local school wellness policies. Now there are only 2 weeks left to comment on them!

The rules that the Food and Nutrition Service outlined focused on what school wellness policies need to feature, including…

Physical activity goals
Nutrition education goals
Rules for informing parents about wellness policies
Assessing progress
Sharing updates

According to the USDA, “Parents, students, representatives of the school food authority, teachers of physical education, school health professionals, the school board, school administrators, and the general public must be permitted to participate in the wellness policy process as a part of the wellness policy team.”

This rule would also affect the marketing of snacks, drinks, and other foods at the school. Everything would have to align with the Smart Snacks in Schools rules and regulations.

So, what do you think about these proposed guidelines? There are only 2 weeks left to log your comments, so, if you have views, share them today!

For More Information:

Proposed Rule Summary
USDA Food and Nutrition Service’s Local School Wellness Policy Guidelines and Links
Local School Wellness Policy Implementation Guide
Form for Comments

Remember, there are tons of resources for schools! Check out the Nutrition Education Store for amazing handouts, posters, display kits, and more!

School Menu Erasable Poster

7 Elementary School Nutrition Poster Set

MyPlate Stickers

Freedom from Chronic Disease

Posted on April 15, 2014 by Stephanie Ronco

Bonus Alert: This post contains a free handout!

What do healthful eating and the Statue of Liberty have in common? You may be surprised by the answer.

When I went to see the Statue of Liberty, I was struck by her beauty. To my surprise, her natural green patina reminded me of kale. Kale is beautiful too, but I certainly didn’t expect it to pop into my head when I was looking at the Statue of Liberty.

But the more I looked, the more the statue reminded me of the colors and textures of fruits and vegetables.

I pictured the statue dressed in kale, holding a fiery fruit and veggie torch. In that moment, I knew I had to use that imagery in a poster. Both the statue and the vegetables represent freedom to me. In the statue’s case, it is the freedom from tyranny, and, in the food’s case, the fresh fruits and vegetables offer freedom from chronic disease.

Fruit, Vegetables, and Freedom from Chronic Disease

According to MyPlate, the USDA’s guide to healthful and balanced eating, “Eating a diet rich in vegetables and fruits as part of an overall healthy diet may reduce risk for heart disease, including heart attack and stroke. Eating a diet rich in some vegetables and fruits as part of an overall healthy diet may protect against certain types of cancers. Diets rich in foods containing fiber, such as some vegetables and fruits, may reduce the risk of heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.”

As always, a wide variety of fruits and vegetables is best, in order to take advantage of their amazing health benefits. Blueberries, for example, are loaded with anthocyanins, which have been shown to slow and even reverse age-related declines in brain function, as well as cognitive and motor performance. Other compounds in blueberries may delay the effects of vascular dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Dark leafy greens, on the other hand, contain different compounds with other health benefits. They offer excellent supplies of vitamins A, C, and K, for example, and it is these vitamins that protect your bones, decrease inflammation, support cell growth and development, protect vision, support your circulatory system, and improve immune function. The Agricultural Research Service asserts that “Because of their high content of antioxidants, green leafy vegetables may be one of the best cancer-preventing foods. Studies have shown that eating 2 to 3 servings of green leafy vegetables per week may lower the risk of stomach, breast and skin cancer.”

With their disease-fighting compounds and health-boosting effects, fresh fruits and vegetables may offer the very thing that so many people truly want: freedom from chronic disease.

Making the Poster

After I had the idea to make a fruit and vegetable Statue of Liberty, I raced to my artist to see what he could put together. His creative take on the fresh foods that offer freedom from chronic disease completely wowed me, and I immediately put our research team to work. They crafted a fantastic handout that outlines just how vital fruits and vegetables are in the fight against chronic disease. Want to see it for yourself? The handout will be a free accompaniment to the poster.

After that, all I had to do was put the poster in the store.

Once it was up, I was blown away by the customer response! Since so many people asked how I had thought up the idea to combine two ways of looking at freedom, I decided to write this post. I hope you enjoyed it. If you’re looking for more about the Statue of Liberty, check out the amazing torch webcams or read through the fascinating story of the Statue of Liberty’s past.

By Judy Doherty, PC II and Founder of Food and Health Communications

Get your own copy of the Freedom from Chronic Disease poster today! And check out the latest and greatest additions to the Nutrition Education Store…

Freedom from Chronic Disease Poster

Healthful Fast Food Choices Brochure

Healthier Choices 1-2-3 Poster

Looking for that free handout? Look no further! Here’s your guide to the health benefits of fruits and vegetables, which offer freedom from chronic disease. Download your copy today!

I Heart Fruits and Veggies

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Stephanie Ronco

Hooray for fruits and vegetables!

Everyone loves the “I heart” message, and now it’s coming to a wellness poster for you! This eye-catching nutrition poster will help remind your clients to eat more fruits and vegetables each day.

We combine color, a simple visual message, beautiful food photos, a heart icon, and a fresh look at health in this poster. It can serve as a wellness poster, motivational poster, fruit and vegetable promotion poster, school poster, or a food art poster. Which role would you like it to play?

So why use a health poster?

The possibilities are endless! You can pep up any space, communicate key health messages in a fresh new way, and even introduce people to fruits and vegetables that they haven’t tried before.

Check out these rave reviews of the posters we’ve created…

“I think our folks can get and are getting a lot of information from these posters. Thank you!” — Melissa A. Chlupach, MS, RD, LD, ANMC Food and Nutrition Services
“The poster, as is true with many of the posters from Nutrition Education Store are colorful, interesting to the eye, and fun to look at. They are a real draw to a booth!” — Marla Hill, RD, CD
“The materials and poster I ordered were great.” — Michelle McCracken-Brown, PA-C, Physician Assistant, Health Center Manager, Take Care Health Systems, Inc.

So what are you waiting for? Get your copy of the I Heart Fruits and Veggies Poster today! Or preview this free handout that accompanies the poster!

Remember, there’s always more in the Nutrition Education Store! The latest bestsellers include…

6 Grocery Shopping Tour Guide CD

The Way to Eat with Diabetes Color Handout Tearpad

Nutrition Healthy Food Poster

A School Nurse, A Great Idea, and A Banner

Posted on March 13, 2014 by Stephanie Ronco

Cheryl Bachinski was frustrated. As a school nurse, she noticed the same three things happening with her students. They happened over and over again, and she couldn’t seem to help the kids break the cycle. Those three things were…

Choosing screen time over exercise.
Drinking more sodas and energy drinks than water.
Eating tons of packaged, processed snacks.

These three things combined to make the kids feel unhealthy, tired all the time, and unwilling to try new things. It affected their energy levels and general well-being. They were stuck in a rut, with no apparent way out.

Determined to do something to help her students break the cycle, Cheryl gave us a call. In the middle of our talk about ways to promote a healthful lifestyle, she had to drop the phone because one of her patients threw up.

I knew I had to help her with this problem.

To address the trifecta that was leading to cycles of unhealthful habits, my team and I created a basic banner and poster set. The set lays out exactly what was wrong with too much screen time, too many sugary beverages, and tons of packaged snacks. But it doesn’t stop there. It also offers alternatives to each of these problems, inspiring students and adults alike to make a change.

The messages are based on the lessons from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and their basic nature makes them all the more compelling. A copy of the banner is already on its way to Cheryl, and there are tons of other uses for these key health lessons. The banner or poster would be perfect for…

Health fairs
Back-to-school nights
Classroom decorations
Parent teacher conferences
Corporate wellness events
Decorations in an RDN’s office
Cafeteria displays
And much more!

So what problems are you facing? Can we help?

Vegetable Bulletin Board Kit

Weight Management Brochure

Healthy Choices Banner

Make a Great Nutrition Month Display in 3 Stress-Free Steps

Posted on March 5, 2014 by Stephanie Ronco

It’s Nutrition Month, which makes it a perfect time to communicate the key nutrition education messages that you’ve been dying to address. Whether you’re psyched to finally be able to discuss the role of saturated fats in heart health, excited to explain the connection between added sugars and obesity, or anything and everything in between, your time has finally come. But how can you ensure that your audience is engaged in what you’re trying to communicate? Well, that’s where Nutrition Month displays come in. Follow these simple steps and you will have put together a colorful, engaging, and informative display that actually reaches the audience you’re trying to address.

Part One: Location, Location, Location

You want to make sure that your display is in an area that both draws high traffic and promotes lingering. Though the elevator might be full of people at all hours (and they certainly are a captive audience), the time limits imposed by its speed in reaching its destination make it an unappealing place for a display. Plus, it might get a little cramped in there. By the same token, the conference room at the end of an untraveled hallway might have plenty of space but be unlikely to draw a crowd. Look instead for places that can draw a crowd and keep them there for a bit. Think the company lobby, a break room, a lunch area, etc. Of course, if you’re setting up your display at a wellness fair or nutrition show, then you’ve already got a great location and part one will be a breeze.

Part Two: The Visuals

Once you’ve got a great location, the next step is drawing people to your display. Visuals will be your “make or break” here. With a colorful, intriguing display, you can pique people’s interest and bring them over to learn more. Once they’re engaged, you can delve further into the information you’re trying to communicate. So, what kind of visuals can you use? Consider any of the following…

A question on a banner. You want to ask something that your audience wants to know the answer to. Skip a dull title like “saturated fats” and instead ask a question like “What are Saturated Fats Doing to YOUR Heart?” Consider coming at the problem from a unique angle. For example “Is Chocolate a Health Food?” tends to draw a crowd because people genuinely want to know whether the answer is yes. Think about what will prompt your participants to… well… participate.
A poster or two. A pop of color in an unexpected place really draws the eye. Posters offer a great way to communicate the absolute key messages that you want to get across, and do so by addressing several different learning styles. You can browse the amazing selection of posters at the Nutrition Education Store, or craft your own at home. Consider including a chart or graph, a few key points about your topic, and an illustration or two. Craft stores offer scrap booking supplies or you can make and print a poster at a print shop.
A gift or prize. Do you have something that your participants want? Whether their visit to your display enters them into a raffle for an extra vacation day or you just happened to put a bowl of awesome wristbands out in a highly visible area, if you have something they want, your audience will come to you. A selection of tasty samples for a nutritious cooking demo or quick lunch idea has been known to draw a crowd. They may come for the prize, but then they’ll usually stay for your information.

Of course, you aren’t limited to one or two “hooks” to draw your audience. It could be effective to combine a few of the ideas above. After all, you want your display to appeal to a wide range of people so that everyone will stop by at some point.

Here are popular topics right now:

Portion control
Guide to food labels
Diabetes awareness
Gardening vegetables
Supermarket tours
Healthier cooking with colors
Energy drink over-consumption
Healthy 123 – how to make healthier choices for people who are time and budget strapped and making all the wrong choices
Moving more
Fad diet 101

Cheryl Bachinski, a school nurse, is planning a health fair and she needs a banner to help people who are constrained by time and money to make better choices for their families who are struggling with their weight. She says they drink too many sweetened sodas, eat too many cupcakes and chips, and they never exercise. The Healthier Choices 123 Banner was created for her. Check it out and you can buy it on sale or use the display idea for your own.

Part Three: Follow Up

You don’t want to oversimplify and limit yourself to communicating solely through the eye-popping, interest-grabbing visuals. Once people are drawn in by part two, often they will want to know more detail about the subjects you’re addressing. That’s where handouts, recipes, and scientific studies come in. If you’re offering samples of a nutritious dish, for example, it would be wise to have copies of the recipe on hand so that anyone who is interested can make the food themselves. You might also stock a couple handouts about the health benefits of the foods that the recipe features. By the same token, if your visual is a banner asking people whether or not they are eating too much salt, you might want to have some handouts about salt consumption and a few peer-reviewed studies for people to read if they drop by your booth. It’s best if you have lots of copies of whatever you’re disseminating. That way people can review the information multiple times and use your resources as a reference long after the display is dismantled.

There are lots of other things that you can do to make a great Nutrition Month display. You can coordinate activities, bring in a guest speaker, play games, etc. The possibilities really are endless, but the steps above are a good place to start. Of course, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel — there are tons of display kits that are ready-to-go in the Nutrition Education Store. After all, we gathered this knowledge about how to make an engaging display. Why wouldn’t we apply it right away in order to offer you all the tools you need, with none of the effort? There’s no need to burn the midnight oil crafting the perfect poster/handout combination when there are hundreds of options already available in the store. Plus, we happily (and quickly) create custom supplies upon request.

Some of the most popular display kits have been selling like gangbusters in the leadup to Nutrition Month, so if you’re looking for one of these, check out the salt display kit (pictured on the left), the cooking demonstration display kit, or the health fair kit. There are also fantastic a la carte items available, things like a poster easel or a vinyl banner. Remember, if you don’t see something that you want, let us know and we’ll make it for you right away!

So, what displays are you putting together for Nutrition Month? Share your great ideas by tweeting us @foodhealth or writing on our Facebook wall.

Free Handout and a New Food and Health Catalog

Posted on March 3, 2014 by Stephanie Ronco

Have you seen the latest and greatest nutrition education catalog? Because if you haven’t, then it’s high time that you did.

This catalog has it all — posters, handouts, PowerPoints, display kits, brochures, tearpads, bookmarks, recipe cards, cookbooks, DVDs, cooking demo supplies… you name it, we’ve got it (or we’ll make it for you).

We know you’re busy. And we know you want the best materials. And we made all this with you in mind.

The nutrition program catalog has lots of special features and deals that you won’t find anywhere else. Each copy includes a brand-new, never-before-seen free portion control handout, just for you. You can email it to your clients, pass out copies at your next presentation, or make it a part of your Nutrition Month bulletin board. It’s jam-packed with great ideas from Beth Rosen, MS, RDN.

Get it now.

But wait, there’s more! The 2014 Nutrition Education Store Catalog also includes a code for 10% off your next order. And, with that same code, all your shipping is free. There are value offers in this catalog that you simply won’t find anywhere else.

And did we mention the amazing new products? There are over 50 new items for 2014! Whatever you need to put together a compelling and fun nutrition education program, we’ve got in this catalog. So check out these incredible health ed materials, and choose your favorites today!

The Perfect Curriculum for Nutrition Education

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Stephanie Ronco

Give your Nutrition Month curriculum a boost with a guide to nutrition posters and health education taken from our new 12 Nutrition Posters Value Set. Simply follow this curriculum, in this order, for a complete nutrition education poster program — no late nights or program design required.

Start with the ridiculously informative Vitamins and Minerals poster (pictured above). This nutrition poster offers an amazing way for your clients to gain insight into which foods are rich in vitamins and minerals. The poster’s intuitive design makes it easy to see which foods are full of nutrients, while the colorful layout and bright photography ensure that your clients will want to take a closer look.

Once everyone has reviewed the Vitamins and Minerals poster, move on to this MyPlate poster. MyPlate is a guide to healthful and balanced eating. One of the best ways to communicate the messages of MyPlate is through visual aids like this poster. Have your audience take a good look at this plate. How can they model their own meals after MyPlate? For inspiration, have them check out the bottom of the poster, which includes an illustrated list of healthful options from each food group.

The next feature of the Nutrition Month poster curriculum is this guide to reading Nutrition Facts labels in 3 easy steps. The Nutrition Facts poster offers simple strategies for deciphering the messages on the sides of food packages. The Nutrition Facts label can be tricky, but once people know how to find the right information, it can be a crucial tool that they can use in their journey to healthful eating.

Of course, deciphering the Nutrition Facts panel is not always easy. That’s why you need the 5 Mistakes of Label Reading poster as well. Help your participants sidestep these shortfalls before they make the same mistakes! The 5 Mistakes of Label Reading poster covers the following errors: ignoring the Nutrition Facts label, eating a full container instead of a single serving size, choosing foods that are too high in sodium, mistaking the terms “sugar-free” or “fat-free” for “calorie-free,” and believing advertisers’ claims instead of looking at the actual nutrition information on the box.

Now that you’ve established the “big picture” of eating right, it’s time to start looking at the details. We’re talking about the little things that can either make or break a new approach to healthful eating. Let’s start with sugar. While it’s easier to cut down on sugar by eating fewer cookies and other sweets, many people don’t realize how much sugar they are actually drinking. Use the Are You Drinking Candy? poster to help your clients discover and remember the sugar content of seemingly innocuous drinks. Which are healthful? Which are not?

Once your clients have built up their sugar awareness, it’s time to do the same for fat. The How Much Fat Is In That? poster offers a wonderful way to help people learn about fat content through engaging visuals. Your audience may be surprised to learn that while a large double burger has 50 grams of fat, a chicken ranch salad has almost the same amount, weighing in with a whopping 48 grams of fat. Help people build their fat awareness by putting up this fantastic poster.

Let’s take a moment to talk about salt. Lots of Americans eat way more salt than the should. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, most people should “Reduce daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) and further reduce intake to 1,500 mg among persons who are 51 and older and those of any age who are African American or have hypertension, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease.” But how can your clients avoid the sneaky sodium bombs that are so common in canned, frozen, and restaurant food? Why, with the tools that this poster offers, of course. The Low Sodium Choices poster highlights low-sodium foods from each MyPlate food group, ensuring that your audience will be able to list at least a few options that are good for them and low in salt. It’s a win-win!

With portion sizes skyrocketing, this Portion Control poster is the perfect resource to help put these changes in perspective. With strategies for managing large portions, a guide to eyeballing the proper serving sizes, and an order size calorie chart, this poster imparts the keys of portion control in an engaging and informative way, which makes it the perfect next step in a nutrition education curriculum.

When it comes to healthful diets, the DASH diet can’t be beat. After all, it just topped the list in the ranking of popular diet plans by the U.S. News and World Report. You see, in 2014, for the 4th year in a row, the DASH diet earned the title of “best overall diet.” So teach your clients how to incorporate its principles into their own eating plans with this handy DASH Diet poster. It features healthful foods that are key parts of the DASH diet, and it also lists the recommended servings from various food groups for a look at a typical day on the DASH diet plan.

Of course, no approach to healthful eating would be complete without a discussion of fiber. That’s where the High 5 for Fiber poster comes in. It’s creative, bright, and filled with fiber-rich foods. What better way to increase the appeal of fiber than with beautiful pictures of tasty foods that are rich in fiber and good for your health?

Grains are some of the best sources of fiber out there, but too many people choose low-fiber refined grains over fiber-rich whole grains. Put a stop to that mentality with the adorable Go for the Whole Grains poster, which highlights the health benefits of each element of whole grains while listing easy-to-find and delicious whole grain foods.

The last poster in the nutrition education poster curriculum covers physical activity. Physical activity and good health often go hand in hand, and the Be Active Every Day poster serves as the perfect reminder that exercise is a key part of a healthful lifestyle. When combined with a healthful and nutritious diet, regular physical activity has even more amazing health payoffs. End your series on a high note with this colorful, creative, and engaging poster.

What are you waiting for? Save yourself hours of work and use this easy curriculum. You can get a set of these posters now, or order your favorites a la carte!

Buy the Set: Get the 12 Nutrition Posters Value Set and save $140 (versus buying each poster separately). Did we mention the set includes free standard shipping?

Or pick up a few items a la carte:

Author Archives: Stephanie Ronco

2 Amazing Bundles for Schools

Top Nutrition Education Posters

Meeting Friends in California

2 Weeks to Go!

Freedom from Chronic Disease

I Heart Fruits and Veggies

A School Nurse, A Great Idea, and A Banner

Make a Great Nutrition Month Display in 3 Stress-Free Steps

Free Handout and a New Food and Health Catalog

The Perfect Curriculum for Nutrition Education

Cart

Related Posts

Related Posts

Related Posts

Related Posts

Related Posts

Related Posts

Related Posts

Related Posts

Related Posts

Related Posts

Cart