In addition to these colorful vegetables, which everyone knows are good for you, the Giant supermarket in Flourtown offers free counseling from a registered dietitian and licensed nutritionist.

by Stacia Friedman

If you are like me, the last time you consulted with a nutritionist was when you asked your college roommate which is less fattening, glazed donuts or Bavarian cream? But the results of my recent annual checkup told me that I would need a higher authority if I wanted to stick around.

My cholesterol was up. Again. My bone density was down. Again. An all-too common condition in women my age. Statins and calcium supplements alone wouldn’t do. I knew I had to make major changes in my eating habits. (Note: Taking statins without significantly altering your diet is like expecting hair spray to work in a wind tunnel.)

My physician informed me that my insurance will not cover the cost of a nutritionist unless I have diabetes. That’s when I stumbled upon a little known fact. Giant supermarket in Flourtown offers nutritional counseling. I made an appointment, having no idea what to expect.

Upon my arrival at Giant, I went to Customer Service and was directed to the Nutrition Office next to the pharmacy. I must have passed it dozens of time before and never noticed it, probably because it’s right next to Baked Goods. I was greeted by Rabiya Bower, a registered dietitian and licensed nutritionist. She started off by asking about my health concerns and current medications. Then she jumped to the chase.

“What do you eat for breakfast?” she asked. Until my doctor recently read me the Riot Act, that would’ve been Danish pastry and coffee.

“Bran flakes, fresh fruit, Almond Breeze milk, orange juice and coffee,” I said, feeling sure there could be no improvement.

“Do you use sweetened or unsweetened almond milk?” said Rabiya.

I had no idea. As Rabiya later showed me on a tour through the store, I had been unintentionally buying a sweetened almond milk. It wasn’t labeled “Sweetened” on the label. It said “Original.” Why is this important?  Because, as Rabiya explained, products with added sugars can increase cholesterol. Who knew? Not me!

She recorded the foods I had been eating, then explained which ones were helping me and which were hurting, with several surprises along the way. Although my weight is fine, I had assumed that all “low fat” or “not fat” products were beneficial to lowering my cholesterol.

“When they remove the fat from a product, they have to replace it with something,” said Rabiya. “In many cases, they replace fat with sugar, which is just as bad.” There goes my low-fat ice cream!

She then escorted me to the deli counter, where I tried several brands of low-fat, low-sodium turkey. Why low sodium? Because too much salt can rob the body of the calcium needed for stronger bones. I love salty foods — olives, feta cheese, deli meats, soft pretzels, etc. — so I paid attention. There was no pressure to buy. The consultation service is about educating customers, not filling up their carts.

“You don’t have to stop eating olives and feta, just rinse them to remove the extra salt,” Rabiya explained. She showed me that I had the choice of rinsing canned products that contain salt, such as beans, or buying no-salt brands. The same goes for tuna, she said. As long as it’s packed in water and I rinse it, there’s no need to worry about sodium. Because my blood pressure tends to be low, she didn’t want me to eliminate salt completely. But potato chips, tortilla chips, pretzels and salted bagels? Nevermore!

To boost my calcium, Rabiya suggested I eat non-fat dairy products three times a day as opposed to my habit of just having a half-cup of Almond Milk with my cereal. “Try adding ricotta cheese or low-fat cottage cheese to your lunch and a small yogurt for a snack in the afternoon,” she said.

Among the many helpful tips, Rabiya explained why green peppers are better for me than the red and yellow ones I had been buying. “They are all the same pepper in different stages of ripening. But green pepper contains more fiber,” she said.

The biggest surprise was her suggestion that I add dark chocolate back to my daily routine. I had given it up a month ago and found myself staring longingly at chocolate displays.

“As long as it’s 75% cocoa and you just have one ounce after dinner, it’s good for you,” she said. That was my confetti-in-the-air moment!

So what was the price for all this personalized nutritional counseling? I paid Rabiya $20 for her services, and in return, she gave me a $20 Giant gift card. In other words, the consultation was on the house. (Besides personal consultations, Giant also offers free nutrition classes for people living with diabetes and children’s cooking classes.)

I already had a lot of reasons to make the Flourtown Giant “my” supermarket. They have a great beer selection, one of my favorite food groups. Unlike the supermarket that’s closer to me, they always have the products (and prices) I want. Now I have one more reason. They just put chocolate back in my hands!

Stacia Friedman is a freelance writer who regularly contributes to the Local and Newsworks.org.