Today, the Hershey Center for Health and Nutrition® (HCHN) joined with the American Dietetic Association (ADA) to unveil Moderation Nation™, a new national program which kicks off by providing complimentary visits with ADA member registered dietitians to consumers, age 18 or over. Moderation Nation seeks to educate people on how to achieve balance in their lives through moderation, both in nutrition and physical activity.
“ADA's public opinion survey, Nutrition and You: Trends 2008, indicates that more than half of Americans claim they need more practical information in order to eat right, and 41 percent don't know or understand diet and nutrition guidelines”
The program features online and face-to-face engagement tools, such as Moderation Menus and a new iPhone mobile application, to help people understand what moderation means for them and their families and how to apply it to their everyday lives. While the concept of moderation has been espoused for decades, this campaign represents one of the first concerted efforts to turn the theory of moderation into practice on such a widespread scale.
Moderation Nation reflects an emerging national movement toward improving consumers' access to the nation's food and nutrition experts: registered dietitians. In fact, according to ADA's public opinion survey, Nutrition and You: Trends 2008, 61 percent of consumers reported interest in a diet and nutritional consultation if the cost were covered by the person's health insurance; other studies have shown that people who receive regular nutritional counseling successfully avoid unwanted pounds and have better eating habits.
As part of a three-year collaboration with ADA, announced in mid-July, HCHN will initially commit a half million dollars to the program to cover the costs of consumer visits with ADA-member registered dietitians through one-on-one counseling. To participate in this first-of-its-kind program, consumers can visit www.TheModerationNation.com to download a visit certificate and to arrange a consultation with any of the thousands of ADA-member registered dietitians through ADA's Find a Registered Dietitian resource. Consumers will be reimbursed for their visits by The Hershey Company through mail-in rebate.
"ADA's public opinion survey, Nutrition and You: Trends 2008, indicates that more than half of Americans claim they need more practical information in order to eat right, and 41 percent don't know or understand diet and nutrition guidelines," said Debra Miller, Ph.D., Director, Hershey Center for Health & Nutrition. "This program helps people easily access registered dietitians to help them make a major impact on people's attitudes and behaviors toward food, and support balanced eating habits and better overall health."
"The evidence clearly points to the need to emphasize the concepts of a total diet approach," said registered dietitian and ADA President Judith Rodriguez. "Americans can greatly benefit from the individual counseling provided by registered dietitians, who play a critical role in translating science and helping the public adopt eating patterns consistent with the total diet approach. We need to continue to explore new and innovative strategies that bring people together with RDs."
Moderation Nation will include a number of unique engagement programs to empower people with new approaches to understand how to achieve a balanced diet and lifestyle, including:
The Balance Board: Moderation Nation's advisory board featuring nationally recognized registered dietitians, including Cheryl Forberg, registered dietitian for NBC's "The Biggest Loser"; Keri Glassman, author of the O2 Diet; Regina Ragone, Food Director for Family Circle magazine and author of Stop Dieting and Lose Weight: The Easiest Way to a Slimmer You; and Elizabeth Ward, author of Expect The Best: Your Complete Guide to Healthy Eating Before, During, and After Pregnancy.
www.TheModerationNation.com: A robust online resource with new, unique tools and resources to show people how all their favorite foods, including chocolate, can be responsibly incorporated into their lives. ADA's survey shows that 73 percent of people say not wanting to give up their favorite foods is a significant reason for not doing more to eat healthier; and a national survey by HCHN of registered dietitians found 95 percent believe chocolate can fit into a balanced diet if consumed in moderation.
Moderation Nation Menus: Easy-to-follow, realistic, weekly menus developed by registered dietitians that enable consumers to map out balanced meal menus based upon lifestyle and course-correct throughout the day and week to maintain balance.
Moderation Nation Meal Balancer: An interactive tool through which visitors can enter a main dish for a meal they are preparing, along with its preparation method and receive suggestions for side dishes that complement - and balance - the entrée.
Moderation Nation iPhone App: A new, free app that will encourage users to take short 10-minute activity breaks to achieve the recommended 150 minutes of moderate activity per week. The app enables users to set reminders to take a brief activity break during their day and enables them to track the number of minutes of activity they achieve each week, even for activities they may not consider "exercise," such as walking the dog or playing outside with their children.
Moderation Nation Facebook Page: A forum where experts and consumers can interact, share insights and learn specific tips and information on maintaining a balanced diet and lifestyle.
Retail Pilot Program: Through collaborations between HCHN and retail chains, the development of a pilot program to bring Moderation Nation RD consultations to the local level through in-store education programs in two retail stores in the first phase of the program.
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