March is National Nutrition Month! There are several reasons you, as an agent, should be endorsing nutrition initiatives. Your clients associate their insurance with their health, clients who receive helpful resources through their client are more likely to stay, and it’s something everyone can benefit from! We know. You’re busy and you’d like to promote nutrition, but you haven’t got the time to hunt down handouts and videos. That’s where we step in. Senior Marketing Specialists already compiled the resources for you! All you have to do is share them. We’ll even give you ideas about how to do so.

How to Promote National Nutrition Month to Your Clients

1. Know Your Stuff

About National Nutrition Month

National Nutrition Month® is a nutrition education and information campaign created annually in March by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
The theme for 2017 is “Put Your Best Fork Forward.”
Initiated in March 1973 as a week-long event, “National Nutrition Week” became a month-long observance in 1980 in response to growing public interest in nutrition.
The official hashtag is #NationalNutritionMonth

These points are courtesy of eatright.org.

Stats and Facts

We’re not suggesting you spend hours researching. We only ask you read the bullet points below. Brushing up on a handful of statistics will help you better deliver nutrition information to your clients.

Typical American diets exceed the recommended intake levels or limits in four categories: calories from solid fats and added sugars; refined grains; sodium; and saturated fat.²
About 90% of Americans eat more sodium than is recommended for a healthy diet.⁸
Reducing the sodium Americans eat by 1,200mg per day on could save up to $20 billion a year in medical costs.⁸
More than 23 million Americans, including 6.5 million children, live in food deserts – areas that are more than a mile away from a supermarket.⁹
Overweight adolescents have a 70% chance of becoming overweight or obese adults.¹³ ¹⁴

These facts and statistics are courtesy of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition.

2. Spread the Word

Resources to Share

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has more than enough tools and information to last you the entire month of March. Here are a few of our favorites.

For Seniors Page: Eatright.org has an entire section dedicated to healthy living for older adults. The articles and tips found here can be used all year long!
Event Ideas: This page includes 36 ways to get involved with National Nutrition Month. Most of these “events” are small and many of them are designed specifically for the workplace.
Eat Right Nutrition Facebook Page: Here the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics shares relevant and interesting articles related to healthy living.
Social Media Toolkit: This is the place to get any and all social media resources for promoting National Nutrition Month. There are GIFs, memes, Twibbons, message ideas, and photos. All you have to do is upload them to your accounts!

Letting Peeps Know

Need some ideas about how to spread the word about National Nutrition Month? Here you go!

Online

One of the easiest ways to share resources is online! Use these methods to share information about nutrition all month long.

Facebook Business Page: Several times a week, share a link on your business page. This way, followers can like and share your post so others can see it too! You can also easily share links on Twitter.
LinkedIn Profile: Sharing articles, especially those that relate to your industry helps you stay more active and educates your connections on LinkedIn!
Your Website: Use a website banner or create a blog post on your company website to let clients know.
E-Newsletter: Perhaps you have a weekly or quarterly newsletter. Have a section that addresses National Nutrition Month and other health information.

In Your Office

Printed Newsletter: If you don’t email your newsletter, and even if you do, print them out and have them available in your waiting area.
Brochure: Create or print pre-made nutrition brochures.
Fact Sheets: Download fact sheets on various subjects. Give each topic it’s own fact sheet and display them or hand them out by request.
Information Packets: Create resource packets for clients and caregivers alike!