March is National Nutrition Month, an annual celebration of healthy eating created by the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Their slogan for 2016 is “Savor the Flavor,” emphasizing that nutritious foods can taste great, too. Combine this monthly celebration with the new nutrition guidelines recently released by the federal government and it’s the perfect time for Sales Advisors to focus on helping shoppers choose foods that fit into a healthy diet.
Both National Nutrition Month and the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans focus on choosing “nutrient-dense” foods as part of a healthy diet. Sales Advisors can show shoppers how a product they are sampling is nutrient-dense by pointing out how it’s high in fiber, vitamins and/or minerals and low in saturated fat, added sugar and sodium. It can also be helpful to point out products that are high in protein or whole grains, as well as those that are made without high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners. These are among the top ingredients that shoppers are concerned about, according to the Food Marketing Institute.
To overcome the common concern that eating healthy is too expensive, Sales Advisors can highlight promotions and coupons that may be available for the products they are sampling. For products that are still more expensive than less healthy alternatives, Sales Advisors can offer suggestions for using smaller amounts of the healthier product in recipes to help it last longer. For example, when swapping out quinoa for white rice in a stir-fry, Sales Advisors can suggest shoppers add more frozen (and inexpensive) vegetables to stretch the dish further.
A similar approach can be used when sampling more indulgent items. In this case, Sales Advisors can give shoppers ideas for using small amounts of rich products, such as red meat, flavored oils or specialty cheeses, to enhance the taste of otherwise healthy dishes. This underscores the message that healthy eating patterns can be tasty—and allow for occasional treats.