Since March is National Nutrition Month, a health and wellness focus couldn’t be more timely. Check out the American Dietetic Association website for more information and ideas.
The fact that Spring is just around the corner makes it even easier to feature messages that target both activity and food choices. People are ready to get outdoors and get active again, whether it’s in the garden or the golf course. Here are some starters to help them get moving:
• Store tours should be on your regular radar but target choices to build a lifestyle for wellness. You might want to loan those who are on the tour a pedometer to make the point that all activity counts toward a 10,000-steps-a-day goal. And of course, could they be available for sale at the end?
• Feature fresh foods, like local produce just coming to market, that have a USDA-certified organic seal, or that fit a Spring-like profile.
• The National Nutrition Month theme features colors, and linking colors to phytonutrients and health can be part of a store tour, food demonstrations, or even mini-presentations in the aisles.
• Go Green! St. Patrick’s Day makes it even easier to feature greens. Tie in color and nutrition and even put in how “green” your stores are. Tie-in messages might include the way your store recycles and incorporates the green; sustainability messages can touch on many departments.
• Another spin on the color theme for National Nutrition Month is the importance of variety, and the best way to show that is with a plate or a meal with many colors. You can entice customers by demonstrating ways they can add color to a meal, or making presentations on the importance of variety in serving balanced food choices.
And of course mini health screenings involving pharmacy as well as registered dietitians and other health professionals can make National Nutrition Month more than a banner in the store. We all know that nothing beats delivering the health message in person.