Nutrition & Foodservice Edge Magazine - September/October 2022 - 6

SOURCING AND CREATING
EFFECTIVE NUTRITION EDUCATION MATERIALS
an individual computer. Have an organized electronic file
system that everyone who may use them can access. If you
were given access to a webpage with a password, keep the
webpage on " favorites " or the home screen for easy retrieval.
You should also have access to them from all computers in
the facility to minimize trips to your office.
To prepare for those " oh no! The printer is out of ink " days,
print 5-10 of the handouts and put one original in a sheet
protector in the lateral file. Train your colleagues and staff
to make more copies before they grab the last one, or at
minimum, make a note that they took the last copy. If you
purchase physical handouts or materials, have an organized
storage or display system and remind employees that these
are costly (sometimes up to $10 per booklet!) and they only
are to be used when a client is being
educated on the topic. I make it a
practice not to mail materials to
people unless I am going to educate
them, even if it is just on the phone.
IT IS CRITICAL WE HONOR
COPYRIGHT LAWS
TIPS FOR SEARCHING FOR
FREE MATERIALS ONLINE
If you plan on downloading free
materials online, approach this in
a systematic manner. Work with
your RDN to make a list of each topic
you are going to search. A quick
web browser search might look
like: " Mediterranean diet PDF. " By
including PDF in the search bar, your
top hits/links should come up as
printable handouts. Remember, they might not be evidencebased,
but you can review the criteria above to make your
selections. Do not type " Mediterranean diet handout FREE, " as
many hits will take you down a rabbit hole of potential scams
or viruses.
After you have done the initial searches for your topics,
present the options to your education committee and make
final selections. It is not a good practice to " search and
print " as you go, because most likely you will be rushed and
might not find one appropriate for the situation.
Finally, it is critical that we honor copyright laws and give
credit to those who write the materials. Often, an author
will add a line that it is permissible to reprint for educational
purposes on their copyright. This means that even if a
handout is free and printable, we should always keep the
author name and logo on the materials when we reproduce
them.
and give credit to those who
write the materials. Often, an
author will add a line that it
is permissible to reprint for
educational purposes...
CREATING YOUR OWN EDUCATIONAL
MATERIALS
If you are creative, computer savvy, and have a lot of time
(sarcasm), it is possible to develop educational materials
for use within your facility. All materials should still be
reviewed with your RDN, DON, or Medical Director. You will
also want to partner with your marketing department to
make sure you use the logos and color palette according to
their printed material policy and company marketing plan.
Now that you have your educational materials, how can you
use them effectively to create an educational, motivating
experience for your clients?
* Go through each piece of info on the handout. Circle or
highlight pertinent info as you review it.
* If you are sitting opposite of the
person or standing up, make sure
the material is facing the correct
way so the client can see it
properly and write on it.
* Avoid giving the handout to the
client if you do not have time to
review it with them. If you do
leave it with them, make sure you
follow-up to ask what questions
they have.
* There can be too much of a good
thing. Limit overwhelming them
with a lot of paper.
* If budgets allow, purchase folders
with a space for business cards. It is always nice for people
to have a folder for their materials.
WHAT IS THE " IDEAL " HANDOUT?
Think of materials that you have learned from, as well as
implemented behavior change or been motivated by. Our
ultimate goal is for the client to learn (the " KNOW " ) and
to implement behavior and lifestyle change for improved
quality of life, disease prevention, reduction of symptoms
or complications from a disease (the " GO " ). The material
should allow individualization and customization as
appropriate and be attractive and not overwhelm the person.
In the QR code for this article we have included a link to a
Know and Go worksheet that will go along nicely with your
handouts during an education session. We hope you find it
useful!
6 NUTRITION & F OOD SER VICE EDGE | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2022
Nutrition & Foodservice Edge Magazine - September/October 2022

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