Nutrition Nudges

The facts:
​

• More than 1 million people living in Indiana struggle with food insecurity. This means that at some point during the year, they must choose between paying for food and paying for other basic needs, such as medical expenses, housing, or transportation.
• About 1.5 million Hoosiers (23%) live in food deserts, meaning they lack access to affordable, nutritious foods.
• 67% of adults in Indiana are overweight or obese.
• Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Indiana.
• Food insecurity is connected with even higher rates of obesity and lifestyle-related chronic disease, such as diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

Food pantries serve populations with high rates of chronic disease. Providing and promoting a variety of healthy foods to clients can help prevent and manage chronic diseases to reduce this added burden on our communities.

Image from https://hungerandhealth.feedingamerica.org/

What are nutrition nudges?

​Nutrition nudges are subtle environmental cues that change consumer behaviors. The purpose of nudges is to encourage consumers to choose healthy, nutritious items by making the healthy choice the easiest choice. They are effective, low-cost ways to promote nutrition in pantries by providing nutrition education and increasing the distribution of healthy foods.

Key nudge strategies include:

• Signage & printed materials
• Strategic food placement
• Pantry Layout
• Creative food pairing and displays
• Nutrition education

For example, highlighting “Heart Healthy” and “Diabetes Friendly” foods with shelf tags, adding color to walls and shelves, and providing recipe cards and educational handouts are all great ways to nudge clients. 

2019 IUPUI Dietetic Intern Angel Gomez stands near a display of bags of dried lentils. The shelf tag above the product reads:
​"Lentils are a delicious way to boost protein and fiber in your meals."

​Which foods should be nudged in pantries?

Foods low in added sugar, sodium, and saturated fat should be encouraged for optimal health. These include:

• Fresh, frozen, or canned fruits and vegetables with no added salt or sugar
• 100% fruit juice
• 100% whole grains such as brown rice and quinoa
• Bread and pasta with “whole wheat” or “whole grain” as the first ingredient
• Low-fat dairy with no added sugar
• Meat with less than 2 grams of saturated fat and  less than 480 milligrams of sodium per serving
• Fish canned in water
• Dry beans and legumes
• Low or no salt added canned beans
• Fresh eggs

Eating a variety of foods from all the food groups of MyPlate supports a healthy, well-balanced diet and can decrease the risk of developing chronic diseases.

How do I get started with nudges?

1. Assess the need for nudges in your pantry.
2. Consider these pantry readiness factors.
3. Educate staff and volunteers to become aligned with nudges.
4. Make small, simple changes.

Consider starting with a simple change to the layout of your pantry. Place healthy foods first in the shopping line or in easy-to-access areas at eye level. Place foods to limit at the end of the shopping line or in harder-to-reach places on shelves.

Interested in learning more?

Click here for recipes, nutrition education handouts and more.
Click here for more information on nudges, training resources, and sample nudge materials. 

​Sources used:

• https://www.purdue.edu/dffs/localfood/data/indiana/
• https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living
• https://www.lowcountryfoodbank.org/member-nutrition-center/
• https://hungerandhealth.feedingamerica.org/

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This blog post was written by Morgan Belt, IUPUI Dietetic Intern, as part of her internship capstone project. Other activities that Morgan assisted with during her month-long capstone project included:

• Visiting and volunteering at two partner pantries
• Conducting needs assessments for nutrition nudges at these pantries
• Creating nutritious recipes using TEFAP foods
• Creating educational handouts on food pairing and displays
• Creating a sample pantry shopping list that includes nutrition nudges
• Creating an educational presentation on nutrition nudges and implementation strategies to share with agency partners
• Collaborating on additional content to share under the Healthy Pantry tab on the Gleaners Nutrition Hub website

​We are so grateful for all of Morgan’s hard work and contributions, and we wish her the very best in her future as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)!

IUPUI Dietetic Interns Taylor Wilson (left) and Morgan Belt (right) presented a recipe demo for
​chickpea tacos at the Gleaners Community Cupboard food pantry in January 2020