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.

Sodium Samples

Posted on April 22, 2014 by cheryle

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The author Janet Evanovich calls it the “Senior Buffet”. Other folks call them the “sample ladies.” I bet you know what I’m talking about. The folks who offer food samples at the big box stores. Just wander the aisles of the store while shopping and graze along the way.I have noted that most of the time, the foods being sampled are the higher in calories, more processed and easy to prepare items.

It’s easy to eat eight to ten samples during one lap of the store. These sample ladies (and men) are very popular. Samples are gobbled up by almost everyone. Have you ever calculated how much food you’re eating on one of these shopping trips? Or more specifically, have you looked at the sodium counts of the foods?

Since my husband has been on a healthier diet due to his heart disease he has really been watching the nutrition labels more closely. One of the things he’s specifically checking out is the sodium content of the food. I was proud of him last week when I heard him say “no, thank you” to several of the sample ladies. The discussion in the car on the way home was interesting. He asked me “did you know how much sodium was that French onion soup they were sampling”. SMILE

Yes, I did notice. One cup of soup had about 800 milligrams of sodium. They were offering generous samples, I’m guessing they were ¼ cup each. If you’re counting that’s 200 milligrams. Add to that:

178 mg in a barbecued chicken wing
172 mg from a 1-ounce sample of frozen pizza
58 mg in an 1-ounce serving of prepared chicken Alfredo
75 mg in a ¼ ounce sample of Romano cheese on a whole grain cracker

I admit those little bits don’t really seem like much. But if you add them up the total was 683 milligrams of sodium. And that’s just a few of the items they were sampling that day. If I asked someone what they had to eat throughout the day, they would probably not mention the “senior buffet.” This is sometimes called distracted eating—people eat because it’s there and then don’t even realize they’ve done it.

If you finished off your visit to the store in the food court with one of their inexpensive hot dogs (1750 mg) and a fountain diet soda (76 mg in 16 ounces) your whole shopping trip could have you consuming a whopping 2509 mg of sodium.

How much sodium should a person have in a day? The 2010 Dietary Guidelines say that younger, healthy people without high risk for hypertension should reduce sodium to less than 2300 mg. It is recommended that some folks keep the sodium to less than 1500 mg/day. This is a fairly large group of people (including my husband and my self). You fit into this lower group if:

you are over 51 years old, or
you have high blood pressure or hypertension, or
you have diabetes, or who have ever been told you are diabetic, or
you have chronic kidney disease, or
if you are African American.

Just a few samples and a hot dog and you’re well over the 2300 recommendation and way over the 1500 mg recommeded for this special group.

How can you thwart this sodium overload?

Avoid shopping during sample hours—it’s usually mid-day (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
Avoid shopping when you’re really hungry.
Read the nutrition label before you bite or buy.
Set a limit for yourself in numbers of samples you’ll eat before you enter the store.
Avoid purchasing prepared and processed foods.

What do we do? Now, I’m not saying we’re perfect on this, it’s hard. These foods are tempting, most of the time they taste great and make food preparation easy. It’s just another hurdle we’re trying to jump over. But I think we’re getting there, one shopping trip at a time.

By Cheryle Jones Syracuse, MS
Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University

Check out the sodium education supplies in the Nutrition Education Store! They include include sodium education posters, sodium PowerPoint shows, sodium education displays, sodium brochures, and sodium handouts.

But wait, there’s more! Because we love you, we’ve set up a free sodium infographic for you to download. Get 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

Healthful Eating. Healthy Lifestyle

Posted on March 26, 2014 by cheryle

Wow! Those are two concepts that are difficult to grasp. If you’ve been following my recent posts you know I’ve been teaching a weight loss and healthy eating class. It started last September and ended in February. The class was timed to help get them through the most difficult eating time of the year…from Halloween to Super Bowl. We had 20 people start the class and 10 have finished. I feel good about this completion rate. For those that have taught classes like this you know it’s hard to keep people coming back and “staying on track” especially over such a long and hectic time span.

Listening to the discussion in class, I know that a couple of the folks had that “aha moment” when they switched from being “on a diet” to the healthy lifestyle. It’s hard. If I had the prescription for making that happen or the motivational trick that would work for everyone I could be rich. But I don’t.

One of the ladies in the class had asked earlier about a weight loss supplement she had heard about on one of those television doctor shows. After looking at some of the research she decided that it wasn’t worth it. She said to me as we were walking out, “I think I’ll keep going like I am, steady but sure. I get it.” SMILE.

Since the class ended just before the Super Bowl… one of the biggest junk food days of the year… I asked the group to answer a question about going to a party or being a guest in someone’s home… what would you take? I was pleased with their answers, comments and the thinking process that they went through to get to these responses.

Hummus with wheat thins—“get some fiber in those snacks”
Homemade cereal snack mix-“if you make it yourself you know what’s in it”
Steamed Shrimp—“low fat, healthy and always a treat”
Smoked salmon –“put the on whole-wheat crackers”
Spritzer—“to add to the wine to make it go further”
Air-popped (or skinny microwave) popcorn—“don’t need to add the butter…but maybe a little grated cheese”
Baby carrots— “I can eat lots of them and it makes me feel like I’m eating junk food.”
Cut-up fruit—“cutting the apple in 16 pieces vs. 12 makes me think I’m getting more”

They know that there will be temptations at parties and social events (and life). There will be lots of foods that are high in fats and sugars and low in nutrients. But they know that there are other options. They don’t need to completely avoid everything. But they also know that they can also be the person who brings something healthier for themselves and others.

They get it.

Cheryle Jones Syracuse, MS
Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University

Here is a fun 12 lesson plan that is ready now:

Or download one of our weight control PowerPoint shows – preview all for free now:

Use the weight loss topic at your next health fair:

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.

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:

Announcement: Rewards for Links

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Stephanie Ronco

For Immediate Release: February 10, 2014
Media and Consumer Inquiries: 800-462-2352

Louisville, CO — Food and Health Communications, Inc is now offering rewards for online referrals from health and nutrition professionals. The program offers a choice of free downloadable materials, including an ebook, handout, or PowerPoint show. People who can claim these rewards include dietitians, family and consumer science teachers, school nurses, WIC staff, school foodservice directors, extension agents, teachers, personal trainers, etc. In order to be eligible, participants must post a link to the Nutrition Education Store (http://nutritioneducationstore.com) or Food and Health Communications (http://foodandhealth.com) on their websites. Judy Doherty, PC II and founder of Food and Health Communications, Inc, emphasizes, “We reward online referrals.”

In order to claim a reward, the health and nutrition professionals can visit http://nutritioneducationstore.com/pages/contact_us.html and provide a link that Food and Health Communications, Inc can use to verify the referral. That form can also include their prize product request.

For more information, call 800-462-2352.

Announcement: Nutrition Month Materials

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Stephanie Ronco

For Immediate Release: January 29, 2014
Media and Consumer Inquiries: 800-462-2352

Louisville, CO — Food and Health Communications, Inc has compiled an impressive array of materials that will help educators communicate the key messages of Nutrition Month this March.

Judy Doherty, PC II and founder of Food and Health Communications, Inc, has stated that her goal in releasing these materials is to make the lives of health professionals easier. “Why have people stay up late and wrack their brains for effective ways to communicate their messages when the materials to do that already exist?” Doherty asks. “This way, nutrition educators can put their focus on other matters, knowing that with these products they will get scientifically-accurate and engaging materials without the struggle and fuss. Why reinvent the wheel?”

The theme for 2014’s Nutrition Month this March is “Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right.” The materials in the Nutrition Month Resource Center include aprons and cooking supplies, guides for cooking demonstrations, tabletop and wellness fair display kits, games, handouts, posters, banners, PowerPoint shows, and prizes. Custom materials are available upon request, and every item comes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

For more information, visit http://nutritioneducationstore.com. People can access the Nutrition Month Resource Center at http://nutritioneducationstore.com/catalog/Nutrition_Month-56-1.html.

Celebrate Family Fit Lifestyle Month with a Free Handout

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Stephanie Ronco

January is Family Fit Lifestyle Month and we’re celebrating with a free handout. Join the celebration and download this free exercise guide today. It’s full of strategies to get active and stay active. What better resource for Family Fit Lifestyle Month?

This handout is featured in the 12 Lessons of Wellness and Weight Control program, which has been a huge hit among school faculty and company departments. Check out this amazing resource, or pick up some nutrition posters to go with your brand-new handout. All that (and more!) is available in the Nutrition Education Store, and some of our favorite brand-new products are below…

Heart Health Brochure Set

Dance with your veggies -- they're great at the salsa!

Salsa Wellness Fair Kit

Rise Up to Health Poster

Tag Archives: practitioner resources

2 Amazing Bundles for Schools

Sodium Samples

Top Nutrition Education Posters

I Heart Fruits and Veggies

Healthful Eating. Healthy Lifestyle

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

The Perfect Curriculum for Nutrition Education

Announcement: Rewards for Links

Announcement: Nutrition Month Materials

Celebrate Family Fit Lifestyle Month with a Free Handout

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