Willow Grove Giant Super Food Store hosts Childhood Obesity Conference

When the opened its doors in 2008 in the renovated Home Depot, 315 York Road, shoppers noticed immediately it was not your ordinary supermarket.  

Special features include a roomy coffeeshop with fireplace on the ground floor, classrooms on the second floor where area groups hold meetings, a cooking school with seating for 28, and an in-store nutritionist who helps clients design meal plans to control their weight.

Headquartered in Carlisle, PA, Giant Food Stores and its creative team came up with the idea for their Willow Grove store to host a Childhood Obesity Summit, said Christopher Brand, community and public relations manager.

On May 17, shoppers were greeted by the panel discussio,n which was set up in the Produce Department. A cavalcade of leaders in the field discussed what they were doing to combat the growing epidemic of childhood obesity.

“We’re all working together as a team,” said Mary Ann Moylan, in-store nutritionist.

Moylan recounted the alarming statistics of childhood obesity. Childhood obesity affects approximately 12.5 million children ages 2 to 19, or 17 percent of the population, according to the Centers for Disease Control.  

“No child should experience ailments that could be prevented by appropriate care,” said panel member Susan Kassutto, M.D., a pediatrician with Abington Memorial Hospital.

Moylan, the in-store nutritionist, informed the audience of 40 about Giant’s endeavors to help combat childhood obesity.  

“We offer a variety of nutrition classes, including our ‘Passport to Nutrition’ program, the first among grocery chains,” she said.

Five families participated in the pilot program.

“We’re always looking for more families,” she said.

Topics include portion control, and incorporating more fruits and vegetables, whole grains and healthy snacks.

Panel member David Piccoli, MD, chief of the division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), does cutting-edge research on childhood obesity at the hospital.

“Healthy lifestyles begin at home,” said Piccoli. “Children very often follow the patterns set by their parents.”  

Although children eat most of their meals at home, they also eat in their school cafeterias. Panel member Cynthia Dawso-VanDruff, director of food service in the Upper Moreland School District, is charged with making sure their meals are healthy.

They are!

“We encourage healthy eating habits ... by following the MyPyramid guidelines incorporating dairy, meat, grain, fruits and vegetables, the six food groups, into every meal we serve,” she said in a Giant press release.

“The school district has also begun limiting sugar-sweetened beverages and other high fat and high sugar snacks ... while increasing the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables available," said VanDruff.

Moylan was impressed, especially when VanDruff told the audience that the Upper Moreland School District has its own garden of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Looking toward the wider community in Philadelphia, the Summit hosted Courtney Grove of the Health Promotion Council of Southeastern Pennsylvania (HPC).

Her group promotes healthy lifestyles and disease prevention especially among vulnerable populations such as low income families, the elderly, and the infirm.

Grove spoke about HPC's accomplishments. The nonprofit offers low-income families throughout Philadelphia increased access to fresh produce, plus nutrition classes. The goal is to encourage kids and their families to enjoy more fresh fruits and vegetables.

Moylan called the Summit “a great success.” She’s been at the store since its inception, driving in every day from the Allentown area. It’s not unusual to see nutrition interns working with her. She’s a born teacher.

“I take clients around and shop with them, going aisle to aisle,” she said. (See photos.)

As a registered dietician, she is licensed under the American Dietetic Association. The association follows guidelines from the US Department of Agriculture, which are updated every five years.

New guidelines came out in January of this year, but are known as the 2010 USDA guidelines. Many changes were incorporated into the American diet, she said.

Notable among them:

• Decrease sodium, saturated fats, trans fats, limit cholesterol, reduce intake of calories from solid fats and added sugars, and decrease amount of refined grains, such as white bread.
• Increase high fiber and whole grains (Half our grains should be whole grains.), increase intake of fruits and vegetables, increase low-fat dairy products, eat seafood twice a week.
• Eat a variety of protein, not just meat. Protein foods include poultry, fish, nuts and seeds, and beans. Some healthy beans, Moylan said, are black beans, garbanzos, cannelloni and pinto beans.

Giant's “Passport for Nutrition Program” stresses not only healthy eating—such as drinking four glasses of water per day—but also healthy living.

"Screen time," noted Moylan, "should be limited to two hours a day. That includes TV and video games."

And how about good old physical activity? The prescription calls for at least an hour a day, she said.

Moylan herself is a walker. After a busy day at work, she and her husband will walk around their neighborhood in the Lehigh Valley.

Moylan is available for individual consultations to help customers eat well-balanced meals. She is a certified diabetes specialist and weight-management specialist. Her clients come in for refresher courses and stay in close touch with her.

The price is easy on the pocketbook: $20 per session, which includes a shopping tour. When you pay, you receive a Giant gift card for $20.

Numerous classes are offered in the Events Calendar, available when you enter the store. Simply call Moylan at 215-784-1960.