Starbucks Cleans Up Ingredients, Adds to Healthy Menu Options

Think your ideas don’t matter to a big company like Starbucks? Think again… This week Starbucks is launching a whole line of new foods all inspired by customer ideas submitted at My Starbucks Idea.

The bottom line. Starbucks customers want good nutrition – as evidenced by the fact their number one selling food is their oatmeal. Starbucks has taken their healthy approach to food to a whole new level!

Starbucks asked me to help spread the word about these changes. After talking with them about what they were up to and why, how could I not participate? (Starbucks paid me for my time to speak with their lead dietitian, Katie Thompson and research so I could write this blog post, but they had zero input into the content.)

Here’s the skinny on the changes:

• No more high fructose corn syrup – this was the #1 change customers requested on My Startbucks Idea
• No more artificial colors or flavors
• New menu item selections, such as Vivanno smoothies, salads, and a gluten free orange valencia cake
• Improvements to ingredients in some of their “favorites” like egg whites in their spinach feta wrap and reduced fat turkey bacon egg sandwich (real eggs, peeps – no substitutes here! I know, it seems odd to tout real eggs in an egg wrap, but it’s true lots of places use egg products)
• All natural turkey in their sandwiches

I picked out a few of my faves, with an explanation of why I like them.

Vivanno strawberry banana smoothie - simple ingredients: fresh banana, strawberry fruit puree with no added sugar, 2% or skim milk, and Starbucks’ own whey protein powder (they didn’t go with a “vitamin tasting” supplement product, they made their own)!

Vivanno chocolate banana smoothie – again, simple ingredients: this one has fresh bananas, bittersweet cocoa, 2% or skim milk, and Starbucks protein and fiber powder.

Why I like them: They’re delicious! These drinks are great breakfast choices, especially on hot summer days. D.C. can get to be 80-100 degrees and humid. It’s hard to feel hungry in the morning when it is that hot out. Most people skip breakfast and that’s a missed opportunity to nourish yourself and it could leave you Jonesing for junk food from the vending machine. These smoothies contain the same ingredients and the right portion (16 ounces – grande) I would recommend to my clients if they were going to make it on their own at home and now there’s an option for a healthy smoothie with nothing artificial for busy, on-the-go people. Grab your iced coffee and a smoothie and you’re on your way to being well-hydrated on these brutally hot days. Nutritionally, they have about 300 calories, healthy carbohydrates for quick energy and protein for sustained energy. They’ll also help you get fiber, vitamins and minerals. If you want all the details, I provided the nutrition info below. For the active athletes out there, especially endurance marathons, triathlons, and the like… these smoothies are ideal recovery drinks post-workout with the target combo of about 4:1 carbs to protein ratio.

Classic salad – chef salad with egg, cucumbers, and a little monteray jack cheese, on romaine with a healthy balsamic viniagrette dressing for 250 calories with dressing!

Why I like it: Everyone is “going green” these days, but that doesn’t always include getting enough veggies. This salad is a great way to meet your veggie quota, especially if you ran out of veggies or just didn’t have time to put together a salad. Make it a meal by wrapping up half the salad in a whole wheat tortilla (from the grocery store) and eat the rest of the greens as a side salad. You can also add a fat free Greek yogurt or cottage cheese on the side to round out your healthy and cool summer lunch.

As a dietitian, I have to say that I’m impressed with these changes. They really bumped up the nutrition quality. I was impressed with the flavors and product quality of their improved baked items. The cranberry orange muffin and banana bread (with 30% fresh banana) were my faves. I don’t always go for the baked goods, but as a sometimes food these offerings pass the test. They have good nutrition for the calories. I appreciate Starbucks commitment to nutrition by working on the ingredients and keeping the portion sizes realistic. Most of their menu items are 500 calories or less.

When doing some research for this, I stumbled upon some interesting tid-bits from the Starbucks press release that shows how their changes have impacted the health of their customers, including:

• Saving customers 7 billion calories per year, equaling nearly 5 million pounds of fat by using 2% over whole milk as the standard in all beverages and setting nutrition “guardrails” for new products to be less than 500 calories
• Removing artificial trans fat in all food and beverages in North America
• Expanding the food and beverage portfolio to include a variety of options, including Fruit Cups, Yogurt Parfaits, Skinny Lattes, Vivanno™ Smoothies and Starbucks^® Perfect Oatmeal

Read the Starbucks press release about these changes for more information.

Nutrition facts for Vivianno smoothies

On a Mission to Understand Local Foods Movement, An Interview with Chris Wharton

A couple weekends ago, I attended the ADA leadership institute in Dallas, TX. Despite heavy rains, I arrived on time for two of the three days of the event. I was so surprised (and happy) to run into a former fellow student of nutrition. We both served on the ADA Student Council Advisory Committee (as chair and vice-chair). We lost touch and all I can say is he’s been up to a lot, including getting a PhD, a Yale Post-Doc (Rudd Obesity Center) and now a researcher trying to understand more about the local foods movement. Of course, I’m interested… I love finding out what influences behavior. So enjoy this guest post/interview with Chris. Check him out. Leave a comment. As someone who grew up in the midwest of a low SES and very limited exposure to fruits and vegetables, I’m so curious to learn more about what Chris is researching and learning. Feast on this food knowledge nugget (no fillers).

Chris Wharton, PhD

I’m studying a few areas all related to local foods. First off, I’m interested in how and why people get involved in local foods programs (in particular, CSAs), who they are, and how they are affected by their involvement. People make the assumption that those getting involved in local foods programs are of a particular SES. But, it’s not necessarily true that only higher income, more highly educated individuals get involved. It’s also not true that those who buy into CSAs only shop at Whole Foods and similar stores. There’s a stereotype being floated out there, and it’s likely just that, a stereotype that does not capture the local foods audience correctly. This might be the most commonly misunderstood aspect of the local foods movement, that the population buying into it comprises foodies, rich people, and granola-types. More likely, these are people interested in maximizing nutrition or food safety (whether or not they are correct that local foods are healthier or safer), they might be interested in becoming involved with local food as a political act (against the consumer culture), or they might be coming at it from an environmental or community-support perspective. But, from our focus group work, they might still shop at Sam’s, Walmart, or Costco, they might still be of lower income, and they aren’t all MS or PhD-level educated. We’re working on a statewide survey to check some of this out.

I care also about how their involvement affects other food-related habits. Do they cook more? Do they eat out less? Do they garden more or incorporate local foods into diet regimens? (I ask these particular questions for specific reasons, which I can go into later.)

My second area of research relates to farmers’ markets (FMs). I am working on creating a farmers’ market association for the state of Arizona with a grant from the USDA. This is a huge project, but it’s meant to improve the marketing for FMs all over the state, to develop coordination and communication among them, and to improve the infrastructure for local foods in AZ.

These things are important (and hopefully can impact society) because local foods represents an alternative to an industrialized food system. This food system isn’t necessarily wrong, but it in and of itself is unsustainable as it’s currently structured. For a variety of reasons I can talk about later, local and regional food systems offer some solutions (but they have significant barriers to overcome in their infancy).

So far, the greatest challenge in my area of work is the conflation of philosophy, passion, and science. It seems that some who are passionate about local foods define themselves by its philosophy, and because science does not yet fully support the local foods movement (not to say that it eventually won’t), some allow their philosophies to trump scientific data. That’s a problem for the advancement of the movement. Ideals are nice, but you must temper your ideals with science and follow the most realistic path. More on that later, too.

For those looking for balance (not significantly altering their diet, but still trying to incorporate some local foods), it makes sense to incorporate local foods where it’s easiest to do so. Simpler, more common produce will be easier to incorporate into easier dinners than less identifiable goods. So, buy local corn (from a small- to medium-sized grower), tomatoes, potatoes, greens, apples, berries, etc., and don’t delve too much into produce you’ve never seen before. It’ll be a lot more fun to simply shuck an ear or two of corn with your kids and boil them for 10 minutes before serving rather than trying to figure out what to do with your Sputnik-looking kohlrabi.

Chris’ Links

http://www.polycsa.org/ Poly-Harvest CSA

http://www.public.asu.edu/~cwharton Personal page

http://nursing.asu.edu/facultystaff/biopages/wharton.htm Bio page

Nutrition By the Numbers – NuVal Grades Popular Yogurts

Like yogurt? I do. I personally love the fat-free greek yogurts – Fage and Oikos. They are high in protein and have no added sugars. I add my own fresh fruits. Check out my video and  recipe for the banana split smoothie. Here’s a list of yogurts that were scored recently by Nu-Val – the company responsible for the Overall Nutrient Quality Index. I think  this rating system can be useful with yogurts because there are so many varieties and it can be hard to tell if your yogurt is more like a dessert or a health food. Fage and Oikos (the popular greek yogurt brands) were not rated, but your favorit yogurt might be rated. Don’t get hung up on the numbers. There’s not that much difference between a yogurt that gets and 85 or a 95, but a yogurt that gets a 25 or less deserves a second look… are you getting what you are paying for?

Breyers Light Yogurt, Boost Immunity Light Black Cherry Jubilee 99
Lightfull Smoothie, Mango Oasis 91
Dannon Activia Light Fat Free Blueberry 89
Weight Watchers Yogurt, White Chocolate Raspberry 87
Dannon Light ‘n Fit Rasberry Yogurt 81
Brown Cow Fat Free Plain Yogurt 81
Yoplait Yogurt Light Fat Free Boston Cream Pie 66
Stonyfield Farm Organic Fat Free Black Cherry Fruit on the Bottom 64
Yoplait Light Fat Free Strawberry 60
Yoplait Light Thick & Creamy Peaches ‘N Cream 59
Stonyfield Farm O’Soy Strawberry/peach 48
Yoplait Yo-Plus Strawberry Yogurt 40
Yoplait Go-Gurt, Burstin’ Melon Berry 39
O Soy Blueberry Yogurt 35
Activia Plain Yogurt 34
Stonyfield Yo Squeeze Strawberry 33
Yoplait Trix, Burstin Berry 32
YoCrunch Yogurt, Cookies N Cream Oreo 29
Yoplait Yogurt, Whips Mouse Chocoate 25
YoCrunch Mild Lowfat Vanilla Yogurt with Chocolate Crunch 25
Dannon Yogurt, Low Fat, Fruit on the Botton, Cherry 24
Dannon laCreme Yogurt, Vanilla 23
Dannon Yogurt, Activia Low Fat Mixed Berry 23
Brown Cow Cherry Vanilla Whole Milk Yogurt 23
Dannon Dan Active Probiotic Dairy Drink Immunity Blueberry 22

When “Reality” Hits – Advice from Biggest Loser Mom, Mandi Kramer

Mandi Kramer

I am thrilled to bring you this interview with “mom” (and former Biggest Loser contestant) Mandi Kramer. Ever feel like you are superwoman? Trying to juggle the needs of your kids, spouse, friends, and other family members? It’s a wonder you get ANY work done. Exercise and eating healthy seem more like a pipe dream. Of course you “want” to do it, but who has the time? You put yourself last over and again and sooner or later your behaviors catch up with you… and you’re frustrated, scared, or worried that things have spun out of control and you’re not sure how to get your life back.

Chances are, if this is not you, it is someone you know. So make sure they get to read this interview with Mandi Kramer. You may remember from the finale that Mandi and her sister Aubrey both struggled with weight loss on the ranch and when they got back home. The truth is… there experiences were likely to be THE MOST REAL compared to other contestants. I hope this interview inspires you. She has some amazing insights… and you can tell they are practical and EASY! Thank you Mandi for helping to change people’s lives – especially moms.

1. Why was it a good time for you to take the huge step to apply for The Biggest Loser as opposed to a previous year?

You have to want it so badly that you can’t even imagine not doing it — you have to wait for that moment when the switch goes off and you want it more than anything!  Before this year I was happy living my life the way I was and then something just clicked to make this the year for me!

2. What three things did you learn on the ranch that most affected you and continues to influence you?

1. You have to eat to lose weight

2. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day

3. Don’t sit down — ever.

3. What do you think are the top barriers that get in mom’s way of eating healthy and exercising?

I think the top barriers are having easy foods for your kids to eat when they’re hungry and having no set schedule so you grab whatever is fast. When you grab what’s handy it’s usually unhealthy food. As far as being active goes, kids are really good at entertaining themselves so unless you force yourself to be active with them days will go by when you haven’t moved.

4. I’m sure now people come to you for diet and exercise advice – what are your top tips for struggling moms?

Always keep healthy snacks in your car like almonds, dried fruit, air popped popcorn in the bag, water bottles and chewing gum. Also — the “Sneaky Chef” book shows you how to make kid’s food healthy — go through cook books and make a list of what you need to buy to make specific recipes and stick to the list.

For exercising, I just had this same question from someone on my website, so I will borrow from my answer on my blog (www.mandiandaubrey.com):

Incorporate your kids with your exercise – take them to the park or the walking path or green belt – it’s fun for the whole family – helps you all get closer together – and everybody gets exercise.

Be really active with your kids – don’t just sit on the couch but get up and go play with them. You will burn more calories than you think if you are active with the kids.

I used to sit on the couch and say to the kids, “Go get this for me, run to the kitchen and get that for me.” Just making the conscious decision to get up and get stuff for yourself will make a big difference.

Mandi at BL Finale - Healthy and Fit

5. Describe a healthy lifestyle teachable moment you had with your kids.

I was afraid to have my sons try asparagus and I made it for dinner one night — and they loved it!  If I just introduce a new food to them, they usually like it!

6. What day to day challenges do you face and how do you attempt to overcome them?

If I don’t get up and exercise first thing in the morning it is really hard for me to make the time later in the day.  It’s easier for me if I get it out of the way first thing each day. Every meal that I eat I consciously have to be aware of what I am eating — it’s so easy to fall back into my old habits.

7. What would you say to a friend who has kids and is “in denial” about developing a healthy lifestyle?

People with younger kids — think about your kids — you want to be healthy for them. Even if you think “Oh, I’m not that bad …” if you are lying around and eating unhealthy food then that is what you are teaching them.  If you have older kids, whether they say it or not, they are thinking it…a lot of kids don’t know how to say it to you without hurting your feelings. They know what’s going on — they are not dumb.

8. What would you say to a friend who has kids and finds it too difficult to change?

Think of your kids.  Be a role model — you are not taking time away from them you are adding quality of life to them.

Links for Mandi:

Biggest Loser page – http://www.nbc.com/The_Biggest_Loser/contestants/current_cast/mandi/

Blog – http://www.mandiandaubrey.com/

Twitter - http://twitter.com/Mandikramer

Mandi’s ad:

Mandi is currently living in Boise, ID and as a part of her new healthy lifestyle she now includes in her health regimen a daily ounce of super anti-oxidant “Jus.” Mandi has noticed her sweet cravings are reduced, her hair is thicker and her skin has cleared up! Mandi is so excited about the health benefits she has experienced, in fact, that she has started representing Jus. For more information www.MandiKramerNow.com

Healthy Recipes Blog from Culinary Dietitians at Food Network

Love, love, love the Healthy Eats blog! The blog features the latest healthy tips, nutrition news, low-calorie recipes and easy ideas for adding fresher, more wholesome foods to your life. Lead by a dedicated team of culinary and nutrition professionals, Healthy Eats is about more than just food — they help you make the wisest, healthiest choices.

Here are the guidelines all Healthy Eats-approved recipe must meet:

1) Entrée: Maximum of 400 calories, 15 grams of fat and 5 grams of saturated fat
2) Appetizers / Sides / Snacks: Maximum of 250 calories, 10 grams of fat and 5 grams of saturated fat
3) Soups / Side Salads: Maximum of 250 calories, 10 grams of fat and 5 grams of saturated fat
4) Beverages: Maximum of 200 calories, 5 grams of fat and 2 grams of saturated fat
5) Desserts: Maximum of 250 calories, 10 grams of fat and 5 grams of saturated fat
6) Muffins / Breads: Maximum of 250 calories, 10 grams of fat and 5 grams of saturated fat

Check out some of my favorite summer recipes! Take one to your next BBQ!

Lemon Angel Food Cake

Healthy Pasta Salad

Burgers Lightened Up

5 Easy Ways to Trim Down This Summer

A fellow dietitian, Wendy Jo Peterson, writes a blog called Edible Nutrition. I liked her recent post on trimming your waist. Here’s a brief excerpt. Be sure to visit her blog to read the entire post. I added some comments of my own in italics.

Here are 5 of my favorite tips to trim your waist

Keep a journal. In your journal write down what you ate, time, location, with whom, and how you felt while eating (sad, happy, rushed, stressed, guilty, etc.) rebecca: I like online journals you can access from your mobile phone. calorie king and spark people have programs.

Eliminate liquid calories. Liquids go down easily, and so can hundreds of calories with them. Cut out or cut back on sodas, juices, and even the waters that only have 10-25 calories per serving. rebecca: I don’t like to say “eliminate” with anything, even liquid calories. What about lowfat chocolate milk or soymilk? What about someone who cuts from three sodas a day down to one.

Be aware! Look at labels, read the calories and look at the portion sizes. You might be surprised! Don’t assume all products are the same or are the same serving size. You must be your own advocate, and if you have challenges with accountability seek out a dietitian for assistance.

Write down realistic goals. Make your goals quantitative. This means put numbers to them. For example, At least 5 days per week I will eat 4 cups of colorful vegetables. If your goals are flimsy and broad you won’t have anything concrete to focus on.

Increase your vegetable intake. Generally, Americans eat very little vegetables (1-2 servings per day). A serving is 1 cup raw and 1/2 cup cooked, and your goal should be closer to 5 servings per day. Vegetables add fiber, nutrients, and are low in calories (unless they are adulterated!)

Food Inside The Obama White House

I was watching NBC’s Special Inside the Obama White House. I have to take pride in that my husband was on the production team making it happen.

Of course, the food expert in me has to find my personal interest hook – the food! So here’s a play-by-play of what was covered.

Apples by the basketfull! Obama wants to encourage healthy snacking by making apples available on hand in nearly every room. Apples have natural sugars – carbohydrates for quick energy, fiber for fullness, and even some vitamin C to keep the immune system supported. All this for under 100 calories!

M&M’s – Is it any surprise that there would be candy too? M&M’s are the perfect tiny piece of chocolate Americana you’d expect to see on hand for staffers to nosh on.

Also a favorite of staffers is nuts! There was a huge container of Planters mixed nuts on one of the office tables. With enough protein and fat to crush any hunger pains, one handful of these suckers can easily tide staffers over until the lunch meal.

Speaking of lunch, how does a greasy burger and fries sound? Obama made an unannounced trip to Five Guys and picked up lunch for the whole crew. What’s a cheeseburger and 1/2 order of fries going to set you back? How’s about 900 calories and 50 grams of fat sound?!

Lest you think the Obama’s are headed for obesity, don’t forget it was a special occassion with 27 NBC crews visiting. Most other meals of the week start with a walk through the Obama White House garden and of course an endless supply of nature’s bounty whipped into delicious meals by the expert chefs.

What do you think about the food highlights in the first NBC segment?

Attitudinal and Behavioral Approaches to Preventing Obesity and Disordered Eating

If you think disordered eating is just about anorexia or bulimia, you are wrong. In fact, many people with obesity have disordered eating behaviors that could have developed at any point in their lives. It may seem “rational” to judge them for being “lazy”, but once you learn about the myriad of factors that influence obesity you realize that there is much more than just calorie balance going on.

So, it begs the question – what can be done to prevent disordered eating?

Here’s an evidenced based article, by an authority on adolescents, Diane Neumark-Sztainer,
Preventing obesity and eating disorders in adolescents: what can health care providers do?
J Adolesc Health, 2009, Mar;44(3):206-13.

This article describes five research-based recommendations for health care providers to help prevent both obesity and eating disorders among adolescents that they see within clinical, school, or other settings. The recommendations are based primarily upon findings from Project EAT, a large, population-based study of eating and weight-related issues in adolescents.

Recommendations include the following:

1) discourage unhealthy dieting; instead encourage and support the use of eating and physical activity behaviors that can be maintained on an ongoing basis;

2) promote a positive body image;

3) encourage more frequent, and more enjoyable, family meals;

4) Encourage families to talk less about weight and do more at home to facilitate healthy eating and physical activity; and

5) assume that overweight teens have experienced weight mistreatment and address this issue with teens and their families. These recommendations stress the importance of helping adolescents and their families focus less on weight and more on
sustained behavioral change.

I think #4 is the key recommendation, here, although all are good. Focusing on the number on a scale is stressful and takes away from the real health goals – healthy eating and physical activity behaviors for a lifetime. It also turns the negative into a positive. When has negative thinking and reinforcement ever worked? I struggle with convincing clients that the number on the scale is not the most important measure of health.

Consumers Still Don’t Understand Calories?

It’s on the label for every food we eat – so why do we still have a hard time with calories when it comes to weight management? Since 2006, International Food Information Council (IFIC) has been trending out consumer attitudes toward numerous health and nutrition topics. Steadily, when consumers are asked about weight managemen, calories still confuse. Hmmm…. that’s not good, considering America’s obesity and overweight status (2/3 of population) and the need for a negative energy balance (calories in < calories out) to lose weight.

According to IFIC’s survey, 55% are trying to lose weight, but very few are actually counting calories (17%)Even worse 63% of people inaccurately estimate the number of calories they take in, with 47% overestimating calorie intake and the remainder underestimating calories “in”. Just 15 percent of Americans are able to provide an accurate estimate of the number of calories they should be consuming.

Eeek… I mean, don’t get me wrong, nobody wants to count calories over the long term. But… hello…. if you want something to change YOU have to do something different. How can you know where to begin if you don’t know where you are at? I’ve personally seen in my practice that tracking food intake initially helps to raise awareness of the real barriers in one’s life (you might be surprise that it is not what you think). Sometimes, they are cutting too low and they have low energy, can’t complete their workouts and feel constantly tired. Other times, they cut out entire food groups without a medical reason and that throws off their nutrition balance. And still other times, they are just getting in too many calories, with % calories from fats reaching about 50%. The good news is many people are relieved to see that they can make SIMPLE changes to bring things into balance, such as cutting salad dressing from 3 tbsp to 1 tbsp and improving their “dining out” behaviors by choosing grilled/baked/broiled foods, sharing entrees and taking some food home.

I’m just wondering… do you think it is useless to continue to talk about calories if consumers have a hard time defining them and estimating their intake or do you think there is still benefit to the knowledge and accountability that comes with calorie counting if even for a short time?

Other things that work with my clients are:

• portion control – teaching how to estimate portion sizes and the plate method
• mindful eating – helping them get over the “grazing” or emotional eating that cause calorie intake to creep up (and frankly, annoys them because they recognize the non-hunger snacking is a barrier)

For those out there who are trying to eat healthy…. what works for you?

About IFIC’s Food and Health Survey

The 2009 Food & Health Survey: Consumer Attitudes toward Food, Nutrition, and Health, conducted by the International Food Information Council Foundation, is the fourth annual, nationally representative, quantitative study designed to gain insights from consumers on various food safety, nutrition, and health-related topics. The research provides the opportunity to understand how consumers perceive their own diets, their efforts to improve them, their understanding of the food components in their diets, and safe food preparation.

This survey also covers consumer attitudes toward meal occasions, dietary fats, carbohydrates and sugars, foods and beverages with added health and wellness benefits, low-calorie sweeteners, caffeine, food additives and colors, awareness and use of government-sponsored programs such as MyPyramid, and use of the Nutrition Facts panel and other forms of food and beverage labeling

For a copy of the full report or charts, please contact Eric Mittenthal (mittenthal@ific.org).

If YOU would like to blog about this, check out the blogger resources:

Social Media Insights for Dietitians

Hi, I’m Rebecca Scritchfield and I’m a dietitian. I’m also a reformed IT professional. Couple that with a master’s degree in communications from Johns Hopkins University and it starts to make sense why I’m writing this post on opportunities for dietitians in social medial.                                                                                 

I recently presented at the Delaware Dietetic Association meeting on social media in Wilmington, Delaware. My task? Educate dietitians on the opportunities with social media and inspire them to take action – in one hour!

 

It was a crash course in simplification! Lucky for me, I recently read Nancy Duarte’s book Slideology, which offered great tips on getting your point across with few words and pictures.

 

So I went with it and used mostly images to describe social networking and the logos from the popular social media tools to help guide my presentation. I decided that the best way I can “explain” the benefits of social media is by providing live demos of the tools in action – a very important piece because everyone had a chance to learn by “doing” and could discover themselves that there’s nothing too scary about social media.

 

After laying the groundwork on social media characteristics, I made my case that the ultimate benefit of social media is “POWER”. I took them on a journey starting with conversations and relationships and how this ultimately leads to influence and power. (Props to my Hopkins Prof. Nicco Mele and all the wonderful texts he made me read.)

 

After looking at it from a 30,000 foot view, I thought it would be fun to include an interactive game. I couldn’t think of a catchy name so I just called it “WIIFD” – what’s in it for dietitians. I randomly asked audience members to describe a job task and I would try to brainstorm an example of how they can use social media to their advantage. It’s always a risk to do something like this… could they stump me?

 

Some of the ideas I gave them for using social media include:

Network – make new (virtual) connections

Grow a business (consulting, counseling…)

Sell more products

Land interviews

Save time

Collaborate

Discover… and be discovered!

 

I then went through the following social media tools by discussing the “lingo”, the benefits, live demo, and tips for getting started. For example, “blogging may be for you if…” Here’s what we covered:

• Blogs
  • WordPress, Blogger, and TypePad
• Microblogs
  • Twitter (the almighty, these days)
• Social Networks
  • Facebook
  • Linked In
  • MeetUp
• Social Media Tools
  • Podcasts
  • Vlogs/video
  • RSS
  • Flickr
  • You Tube

I could not talk about social networking without talking about socialNOTworking… so I discussed how dietitians can make it work for them… bottom line… integration!

 I reviewed how they can use WordPress and Woo to make their own website with a blog. They can link their tweets to their facebook status or use Tweet Deck as a way to keep up with their social circles.

 I spent some time discussing some “hot” opportunities that they missed out on such as the RD Blogfest and recent online newspaper coverage.