The Interview: Grocery store dietitian Danielle Sanislow hits the aisles to help you eat right
WHEN THE Fox Street ShopRite opened in North Philadelphia in 2013, it helped eliminate a stubborn food dessert there. Now, along with fresh veggies, fiber-rich whole grains, and lean meat and dairy, there's a full-time, in-store, registered dietitian to help customers put it all together in healthful family meals.
WHEN THE Fox Street ShopRite opened in North Philadelphia in 2013, it helped eliminate a stubborn food desert there. Now, along with fresh veggies, fiber-rich whole grains, and lean meat and dairy, there's a full-time, in-store, registered dietitian to help customers put it all together in healthful family meals.
Dietitian Danielle Sanislow arrived at Fox Street in May. She's the third dietitian to join urban grocery innovator Jeff Brown's local chain of ShopRite stores and one of 130 in-store dietitians serving 140 locations in the Northeastern U.S. for ShopRite, which this month celebrated the 10th anniversary of its in-store dietitian campaign.
Sanislow offers free one-on-one consultations and group weight-management classes. She helps arrange free diabetes classes taught by an outside group. And she occasionally hosts cooking demonstrations - with free samples.
Reporter Valerie Russ spoke with Sanislow recently at her office in the Fox Street store. It's a small private space next to the grocer's in-store health clinic. There's a sign on the door that says: "Professional in session."
How do customers learn about you?
When I first started, they had a big flier outside and a sign near my office that said, "Meet the dietitian." There is still a large sign just outside the office, near the pharmacy. Some people think there's a cost. But we tell them the services are free.
What makes a customer decide to come in?
We've had a few referrals from doctors when insurance won't cover patients' meeting with a dietitian. And some people come in saying they know they have high blood pressure, or diabetes, and they want suggestions on how to eat better.
What kind of services do you offer?
People can set up a one-on-one consultation, which takes about an hour. I use the products in my office to explain nutrition labels and how to understand what a serving size is, or how much sugar there may be in a yogurt.
Sometimes, it can be more informal, where a person may simply ask me to help find a heart-healthy grain or more nutritious cereal, and I will go out to the aisles.
What happens during a consultation?
I take their blood pressure and check their weight. I ask if they exercise regularly or smoke or drink. I ask if they do the cooking at home.
I get a general sense of what they're eating by asking what is the first thing they eat when they get up in the morning, then go through everything they consume in a typical day.
But how do you persuade people to actually start eating better?
We try and start small. We may set a minor goal, whether it's giving up soda or adding more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. We start with baby steps and work up.
We never set weight-loss goals. We always set nutrition goals.
Eagles season is underway. Do you have suggestions for a game-day dip or a snack?
The other day, as part of our 10th-anniversary events, I had a cooking demonstration where I made vegetarian chilli. It's healthier because it has a lot of vegetables and beans for protein and fiber. There is less saturated fat, because it doesn't have meat.
It can be used as a dip or as a cup of chilli.
A cup? Not a bowl?
A cup size is the recommended portion size for soups or chilli.
How did you make it?
I used green peppers, onions, sweet potatoes, black beans, kidney beans, and tomatoes. We have all the ingredients in the store.
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In addition to the ShopRite at Fox Street, Brown's Cheltenham and Brooklawn, N.J., stores have dietitians. Brown said he expected to add a dietitian and an in-store clinic at the Parkside ShopRite in 2018.