Clinton Township Newsletter

2 2 a p r i l 2 0 2 4 W W W . C L I N T O N T W P N E W S L E T T E R . C O M C3Q: Maybe you've heard her voice as you've strolled through the aisles at Clinton Shop Rite, offering health tips or talking about nutrition. This April, C3Q is chatting with registered dietician Claudia Shore! Claudia, how long have you been working at our local Shop Rite, and what do you do? CS: I've lived in Clinton Township for over twenty years, and raised my family here. I've been a registered dietician for thirty years, and I've had many different roles, working as a clinical dietician for hospitals, long term care, and an array of different areas. It's wonderful because I was a shopper first at ShopRite, and then worked here! I'm a registered dietician that people can meet and consult with, one-on- one. As a registered dietician, I see people of all ages, pediatrics to seniors, and work to assess someone's nutritional status and help meet their needs, based on whether they are managing a condition or focusing on wellness. It's so varied! I've worked with people to use nutrition to control their blood pressure, manage prediabetes, reduce cholesterol, and manage weight, and it's often very fun stuff like helping with cooking and recipe inspiration, or meal planning for someone who is looking to fuel their exercise routine. Nutrition has a huge role in maintaining wellness, but it's also preventative and can help manage diseases. Often I have young mothers come to see me, with children who might be hesitant to try new foods. We work on how to introduce foods to children. I also help people with food intolerances and allergies, coming up with a plan to find foods that they will tolerate and provide alternatives. Children come to see me with their parents, as well as people in their twenties, and women after childbirth or menopause, looking to lose weight. I see a fair amount of seniors who might have difficulty cooking, or are dealing with making meals for one. It is different every day. People have all sorts of different dietary needs; nutrition is so unique to everyone... there are different cultural backgrounds, different budgets, different health needs and choices, it all comes into play to develop a healthy plan. C3Q: Wow! Wait, this is... free? CS: It's offered as a free service for Shop Rite customers. (Some ShopRite stores have this service and some don't, it's up to the owner. Our Shop Rite is owned by the Colalillo family, and wellness is a high priority for them. ShopRite does so much for our community in terms of sponsoring different events and other activities. I do one-on-one consultations, and follow-up meetings as well. I also do Associate Wellness for our associates at ShopRite, as well as wellness challenges and events in the break room. I've worked in many different places in the past, but I actually think that ShopRite is the best place for a dietician to be. People will just stop in my office and let me know how they are doing, or ask me a question, and I run into people in the aisles all the time; I've gotten to know so many customers. Every day is very different at ShopRite, because not only do I offer personal consultations, I offer free resources for the community, and go into schools, health fairs, and wellness events. I've given store tours, helped people find lower sodium options or gluten free products. Some days I've demonstrated a recipe in the store or highlighted a product. I've taken Scouts on behind-the-scenes tours at ShopRite; the kids love to put the milk in the fridge in the back and see where it comes from. Some days I do lots of consultations, and some days I'm out in the community; it's a very creative job. It's fun to come up with ideas to make nutrition joyful and to help people make better food choices. I'm always learning new things; every week I take a cooking class from a dietician with a different cultural background, and learn about different traditional foods and cooking techniques. When you meet someone from a different culture, you don't want to switch their foods, you want to offer healthful things from their culture. You can email: info@ culinarynutritioncollaborative.com for more info on these classes. C3Q: What are your top tips to improve people's health this month? CS: For springtime, slow d o w n a t y o u r m e a l s t h i s spring, and savor each bite. Meals should be enjoyable. Healthful foods can be delicious. Try to enjoy your meals together and have more meals as a family or with friends; mealtime should be an enjoyable experience. Shop what's in season, and eat the rainbow! Get as many different colors of fruits and veggies as possible; all different colors provide different nutrients. Eating that rainbow gives your body variety and helps to meet your nutritional needs. Choose the most nutrient- dense foods for meals and snacks that you can; choose lean proteins, whole grains, low fat dairy, and healthy fats, and load up on fruits and veggies! For this April, don't let the fad diets "fool" you! It's more about making small gradual changes so that it can be sustainable; you don't want to avoid or knock out food groups, you want balance and variety and moderation! A lot of fad diets tell you that you can't have certain types of foods, and carbs get a bad rap...carbs are a preferred fuel source for our brains, and choosing the right kind of carbs with fiber and no added sugars can provide fuels and help maintain steady blood sugars. Also, find movement that you enjoy; nutrition is only one piece of wellness. Socialize with people, reduce stress and try to find ways to manage stress and develop good sleep habits...all these things come into play and contribute to wellness. C3Q: What are you making for dinner, and, a selfish question: do you have advice for busy parents who have kids in spring sports and are always on the go? CS: I just made something quite tasty; I made bok choi and rice noodles with sauteed cabbage and mushrooms and carrots, and I had it with some chicken. Last night, I had fajitas with red peppers and onions, (along with some ShopRite store-made guac) and it was delish. It was quick and easy, and I made extra peppers and onions and set them aside so that I could put them in an omelet in the morning. When you make something, make some extra and use it in different ways to stretch your meal. As for meals on the go, I recommend smart snacking. Provide snacks that have some protein and can sustain someone until they can get to a meal; for growing kids, snacks are a great opportunity to get more nutrition in and fuel them. Meals don't have to be fancy; you can grab a rotisserie chicken and make a healthful chicken caesar wrap to eat in the car or, if everyone isn't eating at the same time, set up something like a taco bar, so that they can build their own healthy meal. Kids love desserts; desserts can be more healthy like low-fat greek yogurt parfait or having fresh fruit. For more information, there is a monthly health newsletter that customers can sign up for. I work with a team of five ShopRite dieticians, and we put out a health newsletter and quarterly recipe book and offer classes. You can sign up for the newsletter by scanning the QR code below, or contacting us at ShopRite. We offer classes; I can do a class for a women's or book club group or seniors, or can do workplace wellness. If you are interested in meeting, you can call Shop Rite to schedule an appointment; my office is next to Customer Service at Shop Rite, or you can listen and hear me on the store announcements. C3Q: Thank you, Claudia! Wishing you and your clients a healthy spring! n Rachel Sprague, a resident of Clinton Township, has a degree in journalism from Rutgers. With her husband Russell, Rachel is raising two young children in the Clinton Township School District. She thinks that Clinton Township is a delightful place to live. Welcome to with Rachel Sprague * C linton ree Questions *

• Cover