Wegmans promotes healthy living on its Web site

ROCHESTER, N.Y. Wegmans on Tuesday highlighted its “Eat Well. Live Well.” program, a series of video vignettes hosted on the company’s site, wegmans.com, that are designed to help “customers overcome the ‘disconnect’ between wanting to be healthy and making everyday choices that support better health consumers,” the grocer stated.

First introduced in the fall of 2008, new videos are added each season, and the latest batch has just appeared online. They take on five topics — vitamin D, whole grains, high blood pressure, kids and fruit juice and beets. Each offers information that’s useful when making menus or shopping lists.

“The mission of Wegmans’ nutrition team is to simplify nutrition in the aisle and on the plate,” stated Jennifer Felice, Wegmans corporate nutritionist, who stars in the videos. “Videos are a great way to give customers practical advice about what really matters, so they can buy the best health bargains while choosing foods their families enjoy.”

The vitamin D video, for example, explains why vitamin D has been in the news — recent studies indicate that it may enhance the immune system and reduce the risk of several diseases, including cancer and diabetes. In the video, Felice pulls out of her shopping bag examples of foods rich in vitamin D, including heart-healthy fatty fish such as mackerel, salmon or sardines, and such foods fortified with vitamin D, as milk, yogurt and breakfast cereals. Vitamin D is called the “sunshine vitamin,” she explains, because our skin makes it when exposed to sunlight – just 15 minutes a day boosts Vitamin D levels. For those living in areas with less year-round sun, a supplement might make sense, she said.

“We’ll be adding to the video library as we go, taking up topics that we know many customers may be struggling with,” Felice said. “They’re an effective way, we think, to help customers make informed decisions that can keep their families healthier.”

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