Advice From the Front Lines

One of things we constantly talk about here at Pulse is the power of the personal relationship between health influencer and patient. My friend Rebecca Tobin is a family practice physician with a family, a full patient load and a common-sense approach to helping her patients be healthy and well. On a recent walk through the neighborhood, Becky shared her prescription for becoming—and staying—healthy. I asked her if I could share it here because in the day-to-day bustle of marketing healthy foods—and amid the clutter of conflicting health & wellness messages bombarding consumers daily—it’s important to keep our eyes on the target—straightforward advice from a trusted source that can help the average American consumer live a healthier life.  

 Dr. Tobin’s Prescription for Staying Healthy

Staying healthy is simple. But simple does not always mean easy. Every day   patients come to me for advice and guidance on how to “get healthy.” People want to lose weight, start an exercise program, or break bad habits.  Some do not know what questions to ask.  Others bring me spreadsheets of data, bottles of supplements, and a list of all the diets they have tried.  

Staying healthy requires 5 important considerations:  good nutrition, plenty of exercise, plenty of sleep, good mental health, and avoidance of toxins. 

1. Good nutrition.  Keep it lean and green. Eat plenty of lean meats/proteins and lots of green vegetables. The less-processed the foods you eat, the better they will be for your body. Keep a serving to about the size of your closed fist. No measuring cups needed. And remember—no one is perfect, if you have a bad day and eat lots of cake then make up for it the next day with extra greens. Don’t let the unhealthy pattern become the norm. 

2. Plenty of exercise. No gym membership required. Just move! The classic 10,000 steps per day rule is a great guide. If you are unfortunate enough to have a desk job, get up frequently or do it standing, walking, or pedaling. Most work places are accepting of these accommodations. 

3. Plenty of sleep. Your goal should be 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Few people get this on a regular basis. Bodies and minds need time to rest and repair. You should wake up refreshed and have energy to start the day. If not, you aren’t getting enough sleep—or enough good quality sleep—and the problem should be addressed. 

4. Good mental health. Yes, being happy is very important! Take 10 minutes outside in the sun every day. The sunlight will increase the serotonin in your brain and keep your vitamin D levels up. Find time to think, relax, and enjoy life.  Positive thought has been proven to help healing and to help you stay healthy.

5. Avoidance of toxins. Tobacco, alcohol and harmful fumes to name a few. Obvious but hard to do!

To be healthy it is important to find a routine that is sustainable. Keep it simple. But remember, it will not necessarily be easy. 

Dr. Tobin’s advice is simple, but as she says, not easy. There’s clearly no one thing that’s going to jettison a person to optimal health. Moreover, no patient is going to undertake even one of these recommendations if there is no foundation of trust with the health influencer. Trust and credibility. It doesn’t get any simpler than that. But it’s not easy.

Dr. Rebecca Tobin

Dr. Tobin graduated from UNC Medical School in 1993. She went on to serve as chief resident of UNC Family Medicine.

Rebecca founded Comprehensive Family Medicine in 2005. Lives with her three children in Hillsborough, North Carolina. 

PulseConnect Member In Action: Rachel Chambers, RDN/LD

We’re very excited to share this video about one of our PulseConnect members. Rachel Chambers and Compass One Healthcare have allowed us to share this video that focuses on the great work Rachel does on a daily basis. Rachel is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist in Venice, Florida.

Rachel Chambers Spotlight from Compass One - Healthcare on Vimeo.

PulseConnect October Member Spotlight: Stacey Green

This month, we spoke with Stacey Green, a Yoga teacher and coach based in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Stacey teaches individuals in group yoga and mindfulness classes.

Q:  How did you hear about PulseConnect and why did you join?  

A: I heard about PulseConnect from a colleague who uses the materials she receives to help move her clients towards mindful eating and a healthier lifestyle. I work on a very personal level with students, which gives me personal insight to what may or may not be useful to them.  

PulseConnect is aware of my practice and audience, which means I only receive materials that add value to the services I offer. 

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

A: Yes! If I am aspiring to be an example to my students, pointing to a particular brand I actually believe in and/or use is very helpful.   

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

A: Clients ask how they can develop regular practices into their life that incorporate wellness on a physical and nutritional level. In my mind, they are connected.    

You don’t have to be fit to start being physical. Whether yoga is for you or it’s something else, I try to encourage people to start. Knowing and doing are not always in sync, which is why it’s helpful to have products and information to share that back up this way of thinking.

Q: What do you like best about PulseConnect?  

A: In a world where everyone is trying to “declutter” their closet, their minds and their refrigerators, I like to try something myself to see who it might help in some way before giving out random stuff in my classes. I’m able to get information and products from PulseConnect and then determine what’s going to be right for a specific clientele. That way my students know  I’ve put some real thought into their well being on a personal level.

Nutrition Marketing: A Brand Perspective

Samantha Cassetty, M.S., R.D.
VP, Nutrition, Luvo

Healthcare professionals agree that eating healthfully and deliciously can and do go hand-in-hand. And certainly there are social media enthusiasts who post beautiful images of kale salads and whole grain quinoa all over their feeds.

Yet marketing nutrition to a broad consumer base, who may view healthy eating as sentence to starvation or deprivation or bland food, is much more challenging.The complex regulatory environment makes it even harder. Words that evoke great nutrition—including the very word nutrition itself—are off limits.

That goes for healthy, and many claims about sodium, sugar, and so on. Claims that can be made are often clunky and clinical—feeding into the general perception about nutrition.

The regulatory environment is likely to change in the near future, but in the meantime, there are some key ways to market healthy eating. And in fact, many healthcare professionals have already discovered them and are using them on their personal platforms.

Building a content strategy that supports a healthy lifestyle is one way to tap into consumers who are looking for easy ways to eat better. People are always searching for recipe inspiration, healthy eating tips, entertaining advice, and so on, and content is a great way for brands to connect with an audience in an authentic way. Great content supports the brand mission and tells the brand story without being so brand-centric.

Developing an influencer platform is another way to reach consumers on a healthy eating journey. People looking for healthy eating advice trust credentialed professionals. Sharing through these advocates represents an opportunity to connect with an audience of people who are looking for great-tasting ways that make it easy to eat well. 

Finally, you can’t overlook great photography when it comes to marketing around healthy eating. Taking a cue from social media, beautiful imagery and hero shots of food and fresh ingredients can go a long way toward amplifying a nutrition message while also conveying freshness and flavor. 

Dietitians and other healthcare professionals have always been in the business of marketing nutrition. It’s no surprise that brands are now using similar strategies reach their consumers.

Samantha Cassetty, M.S., R.D.

Samantha is Vice President of Nutrition at Luvo, a forward-thinking food company creating the next generation of frozen food with a focus on great taste, convenience and most importantly, nutrition. At Luvo, she develops nutrition standards, spearheads nutrition communications and strategy, and acts as a brand ambassador and expert voice, both internally and in the media.

Samantha formerly served as Nutrition Director at Good Housekeeping where she reached millions of people with her healthy eating advice. An author of The Girlfriends Diet and contributor to the New York Times bestseller 7 Years Younger and 7 Years Younger: The Anti-Aging Breakthrough Diet, Samantha’s approachable style has helped empower people with food and lifestyle solutions that make it easier to eat well.

Samantha has appeared as an expert on television and radio shows, including The Today Show, Dr. Oz, and CBS Sunday Morning. She can also been seen on The Cooking Channel’s “Drop 5 Lbs. with Good Housekeeping,” where she served as the Nutrition Correspondent.

Samantha received a Bachelor of Science from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Science from Boston University. She completed her dietetic internship at Boston Medical Center. Samantha resides in New York City with her 13-year-old son.

Recap: FNCE

The Pulse team traveled to Boston for one of our favorite conferences, the AND’s annual Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE). We loved catching up with friends and clients, as well as learning about new brands at the show. We noticed that, unlike years past, there was no one trend that dominated the expo. That said, here are some clear areas of focus for many healthy food brands:

Sustainability: We noticed more of a sustainability push among exhibitors this year. Consumers are increasingly conscious of their impact on the environment. Many brands are seeking to align their values with those of their consumers, sharing how their product is made and how they are working to produce sustainable packaged foods. 

Food Sensitivities: Great news for those with food sensitivities—the market is growing, and the options keep getting better! Many brands at FNCE were boasting not about what was in their food, but what was not. Consumers will continue to see more products and labeling that make eating a free-from diet easier and more delicious.

Education: It’s no secret that we believe it’s important to educate influencers and consumers about healthy—it’s what we’ve been doing for the last 17 years. We loved seeing brands taking the opportunity to educate registered dietitians at FNCE. Companies were sampling and providing educational information for RDs—delivering a personal experience with the brand. 

Solutions-Based Messaging: More than ever, healthy food brands are demonstrating how their products fit into a balanced, nutritious diet. Instead of focusing on their product alone, many brands  took the opportunity to demonstrate how their healthy food pairs well with other foods to meet the needs of consumers. Whether that’s  adding fruits and vegetables or incorporating foods into recipes, there was a clear, solutions-based focus that RDs can share with their patients and clients.

We really enjoyed our time in Boston, and can’t wait for Chicago next year! 

What's the Deal With Fat?

Fat is all over the news recently, which leads us to ask: What’s the deal with fat?

In part, this is because of the revelations about how the sugar industry shifted the blame towards fat decades ago. Some doctors are critical of low-fat diets, partially blaming them for America’s dramatic rise in obesity rates. On top of this, we’re hearing more and more about high-fat diets. Specifically, the ketogenic diet (high fat, low carb) has become a hot topic. This sounds counterintuitive, but has strong science behind it. Its claim? Eat more fat, and you will lose weight (at least initially). T.J Murphy of Outside Magazine explains the ketogenic diet as:

“Followers scarf eggs, cheese, and olive oil in hunger-killing quantities, turning their backs on just about every carb other than vegetables. They don’t use half-and-half in their coffee—they use heavy cream. Still, they’re likely to look a little lean, since the ketogenic diet turns them into 24/7 fat burners.”

This is interesting, because it shows a shift in the understanding of fats. It also excites us to be in an industry where we are constantly learning and understanding more about our dietary needs. 

How are you advising your patients on fat? Have your recommendations changed based on these recent findings? 

HERE’S A SHORT HISTORY OF FATS ENDING TWO YEARS AGO. IN JUST TWO YEARS, SO MUCH MORE COULD BE ADDED TO THIS INFOGRAPHIC.

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. 

Eating Healthy is... Rebellious?

Getting kids to eat healthfully has always been a challenge for parents—apparently to the point of “trying anything.” In a new report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team from the University of Chicago has analyzed how harnessing teenage rebellion can be used to motivate healthier eating.

According to Food & Wine  the research team educated a a group of eighth graders on strategies that Big Food employs to manipulate consumers into making bad food choices. Namely through the use of addictive seasonings and targeted marketing to young children and people with low-incomes.  

“We framed healthy eating as a way to ‘stick it to the man’—we cast the executives behind food marketing as controlling adult authority figures and framed the avoidance of junk food as a way to rebel against their control.”

— Researcher Christopher J. Bryan of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Adolescent rebellion is by definition, temporary. It lasts through - well - adolescence.  What happens once the teen rebellion ends?  Do young adults return to their old eating habits as their anger at “the man” subsides? Do we honestly believe that demonizing food companies will result in sustainable behavior change?  

We can't help but wonder about the effects that basic nutrition education would have on the same group.  Imagine providing middle schoolers with nutrition education that demonstrates the effects that good food choices can have on quality of life and long term health.  That's so much more than rebellion.  That's revolution. 

Recap: Expo East

On Thursday, we attended Expo East in Baltimore. Expo East is often overshadowed by New Hope’s much larger conference, Expo West. Expo East still attracts a lot of people (in the ballpark of 28,000 people), but it’s hard to compare to the 77,000 attendees that were present at Expo West this year.  

The buzz at these expos is infectious. There is so much excitement, from startups to industry giants. On one end of the spectrum, you have extremely successful natural products that have been pioneers in the field for 20+ years. On the other, you have companies that are 3 weeks old. In between, there are more than 1,000 exhibitors trying to get the word out about their products.

When walking the floor, speaking to exhibitors, we noticed certain trends that we think are noteworthy:

Free From—There were a growing number of companies present in the “free-from”   category. Consequently, many companies had vegan products for the first time. 

Less Emphasis on Gluten Free—There were a lot of gluten-free products, which goes hand-in-hand with the number of free-from products. However, many companies were not touting their gluten free attributes. 

Jerky—We’ve known that this category is booming, but seeing all these emerging jerky brands was shocking. Boring beef jerky has been spiced up with exciting flavors. Turkey, and other forms of jerky, also had a substantial presence.

Superfoods—Wow, were there a lot of superfood companies. Nutrient rich foods had a huge presence at Expo East. 

Peas—Peas are in. Not in the form that you grew up eating—we’re talking about pea protein. Many post-workout focused protein powders were made up of pea protein. Surprising, since whey has dominated this category for years.

The New Hope Network put on a great show. We really enjoyed seeing our industry friends, and hearing about new companies and trends. We can’t wait to see everyone again in March at Expo West! 

THANKS TO OUR NEW FRIENDS AT MAMMA CHIA FOR THE LAUGHS. WE LOVED THE MASCOT!

Don't Take Nutritional Advice From Headlines

A recent Washington Post article highlights some of the confusion surrounding health & wellness. Often times, “myths” surrounding health & wellness are caused by misinterpretations of science. This leads consumers to ask: is sea salt better than table salt? Can a grain be a great source of protein? Does processed meat cause cancer? It can feel like journalists are using the “jump to conclusions” mat from the movie Office Space.

David Katz once explained this problem by saying:  

"It’s not what we don’t know about diet that most threatens our health; it’s the constant misinterpretations of what we know." 

That’s why we work with influencers—to get the right messages to consumers. Those who are counseling patients everyday have the ability to break through the clutter. They can address the myths, and provide better interpretations of science.