Would you like a free consult with a registered dietitian? You may have missed the chance already. The Hershey Company (as in chocolate) teamed up with the American Dietetic Association to arrange free consultations. The only catch: the offer is limited to the first 1994 people who get online and sign up by December 31st. No surprise, anything as controversial as a food company offering free nutrition counseling based on the highly controversial idea of moderation, with actual nutrition experts, is going to generate criticism from the usual suspects.
The concept behind Moderation Nation is this: moderation, portion control and a balanced lifestyle are the keys to health. This is clearly a radical idea, counter to the idea that the way to lose weight is by a temporary fad diet*, with weird food restrictions, weird eating schedules and magical fat burning ingredients. Hersheys created the Moderation Nation program in collaboration with the ADA to help consumers who want to work with RDs to improve their diets. For free! What’s not to like? Well, obviously (to some) this is an evil corporate conspiracy, designed to lure consumers into the sinister world of ….. moderation. Food Police, suspicious consumers and even some nutrition professionals see this as a marketing ploy by the Hershey Company (to do what? promote chocolate?). Their belief is that the ADA shouldn’t be working with any food companies on anything. Period. It corrupts professional purity. ADA’s stance is this: the organization advocates for registered dietitians. When collaboration with a food company advances that mission in an appropriate manner, it will be approved.
Many RDs are excited about the publicity and the opportunity to work with clients who otherwise might not be able to afford nutrition counseling. Medical insurance typically does not cover nutrition consultations for healthy lifestyle, and one RD hoped this program would show the benefit of counseling to insurance companies. Licensed dietitian Rosanne Rust, MS RD, notes:
It’s important to understand how to balance healthier choices with less healthy ones. It’s our job to help consumers understand how to make choices so they can manage healthy weights and their health at the same time.
Registered Dietitian Mary Lee Chin sees the alliance with Hersheys as a double-edged sword:
You’re damned if you do, and damned if you don’t. But lots of people can use counseling. This is s small step in the right direction. The program insures people get good credible information.
Nour El-Zibdeh, RD had this to say:
We live in a business, marketing, PR world. This coalition is just a beginning. Consumers have a choice and have a responsibility. Red Robin offers bottomless fries or bottomless salad with a burger for the same price. How many people choose the fries? If people continue to completely blame external factors for their weight and health issues, they will never change.
The Moderation Nation program works like this:
- register at the website
- choose a local Registered Dietitian to work with
- download and print the certificate for a free consultation
- make an appointment within the time frame allowed
- go to your appointment and, depending on the RD’s policy, either sign the certificate over to the RD, who is reimbursed, or pay the RD and submit the certificate for your reimbursement
At the moment, almost half the certificates for a free consultation have been claimed. When 1994 are taken, the program ends. And in case you were worried about being forced to eat chocolate, Chin adds: “Nowhere does it say you must tell them to eat chocolate.” Whether you like your Moderation with or without chocolate, who can argue with a free consult?
*If fad diets work, why are we in the midst of an obesity epidemic? Ask yourself this: where are the thin people?
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