Somers Family Learns Healthy Shopping Equals Healthy Eating
Have you ever been really schooled on how to go food shopping or were you just thrown into it? Allison Stowell, MS, RD, CDN, the nutrition coordinator at Hannaford Supermarket in Carmel, is helping families, one-shopping-trip-at-a-time learn how easy it is to shop healthy so you eat healthy.
Stowell met with one of her adopted families, the Wiegelmans of Somers, on Saturday to help them meet their nutritional needs.
The Wiegelmans are the traditional family. Bill, the patriarch, is a 43-year-old New York City Fireman who has diabetes. His wife Amy is a 42-year-old, on-the-go mom who just went back to work as a proofreader. Will, their 12-year-old son, is a hockey player who needs more protein in his diet as he prepares to bulk up his body so he can play modified hockey next year. Then there is Nancy, a 9-year-old who is a fourth grader in the North Salem School District, who wants more variety in her lunch box.
For the Wiegelmans it is not about losing weight, the entire family is of average weight and they are all very active. For this family it is about eating right so they have they energy to do everything they need to and to keep Bill’s diabetes in check.
Monday night is pasta night in the Wiegelman household; typically it is pasta and sauce.
“We like to give Will carbs before he goes to hockey practice,” Bill Wiegelman said. But for the elder Wiegelman a meal of only carbohydrates can raise his sugar count.
Stowell suggested adding a protein to the meal, such as some chicken strips. “By adding protein to the pasta it will take the body more time to break it down and Bill’s blood sugar won’t skyrocket through the roof.”
As the group walked around the supermarket, Stowell gave tips as advice on easy and in expensive ways to have a healthy diet.
Amy Wiegelman was concerned about adding more vegetables into her family’s diet. “Fruits are easy because they are easy to pick up and go, but vegetables tend to be too much work,” Amy Wiegelman said. “They are not just a grab-and-go.”
Stowell suggests buying peppers, baby carrots and celery. Then she wants them to take time once a week as a family to chop up vegetables and putting them into baggies or containers.
“This turns the vegetables in a great to- go option,” Stowell said. It also becomes a great snack option for Nancy Wiegelman who wants different snacks for school.
Stowell teaches all of her shopping clients about the Guiding Stars program at Hannafords.
“When you are showing around the store you will see that some labels with have one to three stars on them,” said Stowell. “Those with one star are good for you, those with two are even better for you and those with three stars are the best for you.”
“Are there negative stars?” Bill Wiegelman asked.
“No, the Guiding Stars program is not about policing people,” said Stowell, who is a consulting dietitian on behalf of the Guiding Stars Licensing Company, which created the program. “It is about helping people identify more nutritious choices.
According to the Guiding Stars website, www.guidingstars.com, “Guiding Stars is not intended to tell you what to buy, but rather point you toward foods that have more vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, whole grains –and less fats, cholesterol, sugar and sodium.”
Although there are 1,600 retailers who participate in the Guiding Stars program, Hannaford is the only retailer that uses a nutrition guidance program.
Stowell, who also does independent nutritional counseling, out of her offices in Mahopac, Bedford and Danbury, Conn., is looking to adopt other individuals or families who are interested in learning how to shop healthy.
Interested parties can call Hannaford Supermarket at 845-225-4151 or email Allison@beyond-health.com.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.