Answering Your Dietary Supplement Questions
added 04/04/11
by Mary Saucier Choate, M.S., R.D., L.D.
Dietitian and Co-op Food and Nutrition Educator
At the Co-op, we advocate a balanced approach to health and wellness through healthy lifestyle choices: a well-rounded diet, adequate exercise, and being an informed healthcare consumer. In addition to quality products, we seek to provide the tools our customers need to make sound health-related product choices.
According to the The Natural Products Association there are more than 10,000 retail, manufacturing, wholesale, and distribution locations of natural products, including foods, dietary supplements, and health/beauty aids are doing business in the United States today. With so many items on the market and large amounts of resources spent to advertise them, consumers need reliable, independent information to make the best product choices.
Our Goal: Well-Informed Co-op Customers
One of the goals expressed in our Co-op mission statement is to serve our community “as a trustworthy resource on nutrition.” To fulfill its mission, the Co-op not only provides an in-store registered dietitian, but also invests in high-quality informational resources for its customers.
The Co-op licenses the use of science-based, self-serve Healthnotes computers. These touch-screen computers, found in the Health and Beauty Aids (HABA) Departments in each store, provide credible, referenced information on the safe and effective use of herbs and dietary supplements. Our staff is trained in the use of Healthnotes to help customers find reliable answers to their questions. Staff also has access to trustworthy reference books for customer information research assistance.
Just Tell Me Which One to Take! The Co-op Difference in Action
Customers who may be in the habit of receiving on-the-spot diagnoses of health problems and treatment recommendations in retail settings may be pleasantly surprised by the quality of the service provided by the Co-op’s staff.
In keeping with our Co-op mission statement and federal dietary supplement regulations, our HABA staff recognizes that they are not trained healthcare professionals and that it would be inappropriate for them to diagnose symptoms or suggest specific products to treat a disease. Instead, they focus on providing high-quality dietary supplement information and professional sales assistance in finding appropriate products.
For customers who already know the broad product category they need– for example, a multivitamin or a B-complex supplement—HABA staff can help by pointing out the brands we carry and how they may differ or be the same. Our staff is skilled at label reading and can help you to determine the “serving size” or number of tablets required to get the dosage you are searching for.
For customers who need more in-depth assistance, the staff utilize our information resources, including the Healthnotes computers. Using the science-based information on Healthnotes, customers can learn about a supplement’s safe use, dosages, best form to take, effectiveness, and any warnings that may apply, such as interactions with prescription or over-the-counter meds.
Co-op customers also have access to the Co-op’s full-time dietitian, who researches questions and regularly writes articles and brochures on supplements, health, and wellness.
The Co-op Difference
As a consumer-focused, rather than manufacturer-oriented organization, the Co-op is proud to be an oasis from the sales pitches, anecdotes, and inflated claims of the average supplement marketplace. Our competent staff is here to provide the tools you need to make sound health-related product choices based on reliable, appropriate information.
As always, we encourage our shoppers to be sure to inform their healthcare providers when taking dietary supplements of any kind.
