PulseConnect September Member Spotlight: Amy Kubal

This month, we spoke with Amy Kubal, a Registered Dietitian who has been a member of our network for more than 9 years. Amy advises both serious and recreational athletes, as well as individuals who are looking to improve their overall health through diet and lifestyle. In addition, Amy teaches classes in her community and regularly attends health fairs. 

Q: Is there any advice that you give to all of your patients?

A: One of the biggest things that I talk to my patients about is reading both the nutritional facts and the ingredient list. I tell them to read the entire label. Left to their own devices, people will only look at one part of the nutrition label and will assume a product is healthy. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. 

Q: What kind of things are your clients asking you about? What are topics that you discuss on a daily basis?

A: My clients are constantly asking about how to avoid added sugar. I get a lot of questions about sugar substitutes, and if natural sugar is healthy—it’s not.

I advise a lot of busy moms, and other people who are on-the-go all the time, who are looking for healthy options for snacks. I also get a lot of questions about pasta, probiotics, jerky, and cricket protein. You’d be surprised about the number of people asking about cricket protein. 

Q: How do you use materials that you receive from PulseConnect?

A: I use the materials in a one-on-one setting with clients, where they apply. I also like to share the educational information and samples at events in the community that I attend—for example, at health fairs. 

I see a lot of parents, so it is great to have information and samples for both them and their children to try. Another group of people who tend to like the programs are the athletes I counsel—they loved the bar samples that were shared through PulseConnect. 

Q: Does pointing to a specific brand help with the recommendations that you’re making?

A: I always recommend brands by name. If I can give my clients an incentive—like a coupon or sample—they are much more likely to try it. I always check in with them after we meet to see if they tried the product, and what they thought. If I don’t give them an incentive, I hear objections like “I didn’t know how it was going to taste” or “it’s expensive.” It’s harder to get them to try something without giving them a sample. That’s why the Clif Bar program was so successful with my clients. They were able to walk away with a sample, try the product, and see that it is worth buying more of.

Being able to give clients a sample or a great coupon to encourage them to try a product is huge. People don’t want to pay a lot of money to try a new product. If companies want people to try their products, they have to give consumers an incentive to try it. 

Q: What do you like best about PulseConnect?

A: I absolutely love it. When I get something and I can share it with my clients, I think it is a huge factor to getting them to buy in. It helps to expose them to new things that are out there. I love that it’s not just a sample—every program comes with educational information that explains why each product is healthy. The tear pads are awesome because I can give people information to go home with. 

PulseConnect June Member Spotlight: Gina Crome

Earlier this month, we spoke with PulseConnect member Gina Crome, the founder of Lifestyle Management Solutions in Glendora, California.  As an RD, ACE Certified Personal Trainer, and health coach, Gina regularly counsels patients on health and wellness issues including weight management, diabetes education, heart disease risk factors, and a variety of other general health and wellness concerns. 

We asked Gina a few questions to learn more about how PulseConnect adds value to her interactions with those whom she counsels.

Q: How do you use materials that you receive from PulseConnect?

A: Since I do a lot of public speaking, the materials we get from PulseConnect have been a great resource to hand out at my talks. I also attend a lot of health fairs and community health events, so having materials ready at all times to distribute at our booth has been extremely helpful. And of course, it’s been great to get the materials for free, especially because a lot of my work in the community is pro bono. Whatever I don’t use in a classroom or at an event gets put to good use at my office. 

Q: Could you please describe a recent program that you found valuable and why?

A: We recently took the box of Clif Bars that we received to an event and it was a huge hit! A lot of people we counsel have children, so having the Clif Kids samples to give out along with educational information was perfect!

I also received a Smart Balance kit, which was very well received by my clients. I’ve found that clients really like it when they are given information with a meal plan or a recipe and then also have a coupon for the product. 

Q: What kind of things are your clients asking you about? What are topics that you discuss on a daily basis?

A: We do a lot with weight management, so clients often ask us for foods that are portion controlled, fat reduced, and lower in sugar. Recently, a lot of people have been asking us specifically for diet beverages that don’t use certain chemicals. 

We also do a lot of diabetes education, so we get a lot of diabetics looking for products low in sugar and high in fiber. Fiber is another big thing that a lot of clients are looking for to maximize their fullness. However, with the recent changes to the nutrition label, I think we’re going to see a lot more people concerned about added sugar.

Q: What do you like best about PulseConnect?

A: Through the network, I’ve discovered new products, and it’s nice to have that first hand knowledge and be able to try the product. For me, that’s the part I like most about the network itself because I find it really hard to make a recommendation if I don’t know anything about the product or haven’t tried it myself.