Learn how you can be a food sleuth at the grocery store

Do you ever walk the aisles of a grocery store and feel overwhelmed by all the food options you have? Or, have you ever thought, why is eating so confusing?

If so, Campbell County Health has a Nutrition 101 Session designed perfectly for you, How to be a Food Sleuth with Registered Dietitian Jamie Marchetti, MS, RDN, LD.

According to Jamie, many food decisions are made for us before we even arrive at the store. This happens in the ways foods are positioned and marketed in the consumer environment.

“I believe that if people are aware of the ways in which their choices are influenced, they can take back control of the decision-making process and be more deliberate in choosing foods that will best serve their health and lifestyle needs,” says Jamie. “I want attendees to feel empowered and equipped when they step into the store so that they can identify which information available to them will be helpful in making good food choices, and which information to disregard or further question.”

This two-hour session will help attendees understand how food manufacturers and grocery stores influence your food choices. Attendees will get an inside look at food marketing tactics on the scale of the food purchasing environment all the way down the individual food item. Learn a three-pronged approach to understanding food packaging by investigating:

· front-of-package claims

· nutrition facts labels, and

· ingredient lists.

How to be a Food Sleuth takes place Tuesday, September 20 from 6-8 pm at the Gillette College Health Science Center Auditorium, 3801 College Drive. The program is offered for free, but registration is required. Register at: www.cchwyo.org/foodie.