Visit an Andersons store Tuesday, May 21, and you could walk away with more than groceries.
Dietitians from The University of Toledo Medical Center will make an appearance from 7 to 8 p.m. at The Andersons stores on Illinois Avenue in Maumee and on Talmadge Road in Toledo to provide nutritional information to shoppers.
This event is part of the Eat Healthy, Be Healthy campaign created through a partnership with UTMC and The Andersons. Every third Tuesday of the month, UTMC dietitians visit area Andersons stores to provide free samples of healthy foods, including yogurt, hummus and guacamole, and explain how these foods are good for the body.
This Tuesday the topic will be healthy fats versus unhealthy fats. Dietitians John Pantel and Kate Ormiston will talk to guests about how to determine what fats are healthy and necessary in their diets.
“For a long time some thought that low-fat diets might be a way to prevent heart disease, but most of the research actually shows that it’s not the fat that’s unhealthy, it’s the type of fat,” Pantel said.
The dietitians also take 20 minutes at the end of the hourlong session to give a tour of the store to show customers where to find nutritional foods, which is made easier by labels in the aisles marked with Eat Healthy, Be Healthy signs that point shoppers toward the healthiest options.
“It’s a great resource for the supermarkets and for the public to learn how to eat healthier and to shop more efficiently,” Pantel said.
The dietitians also teach guests how to properly read nutrition labels and compare foods.
“The importance is that people understand that it doesn’t cost a lot of money or time to eat healthy,” said Michelle Peterson, the wellness coordinator at UT Medical Center who also attends the events with the dietitians to answer questions.
In the future, UTMC physicians may attend sessions at the stores to teach customers about diseases like diabetes and obesity, which can be caused or exacerbated by eating unhealthy foods.
For more information, visit utmc.utoledo.edu/rocketwellness.
