Articles by Karen Giles-Smith MS, RD

Then it’s time to kick into another gear. Diet can help prevent disease, and dairy foods are ideal for delivering vital vitamins and minerals. In some cases, dietary supplements may be warranted.

Keep it simple sweetheart and provide helpful information. Dairy foods start with a clean ingredient: milk. The challenge is to explain the source and function of other ingredients without cluttering the label.

Boomers and their children (the Millennials) are careful about what they eat. Protein and probiotic claims appeal to the younger generation. Boomers respond to heart-health claims.

Pomegranates, once considered exotic, are considered mainstream, like blueberries and strawberries. Growing in popularity are passion fruit, guava, mango and papaya.

Omega-3s, derived from fish and non-fish sources are essential polyunsaturated fats that aid visual and neurological development and are beneficial for heart and brain health.

Food and beverage makers can differentiate their products by fortifying with appropriate dairy and plant-based proteins. But not all proteins are alike, so you will also have to educate consumers.

Many factors — dietary and otherwise — affect body weight. How does functional fiber fit in?

Fortification of foods with vitamins and minerals has reduced the percentage of children with inadequate intakes of many micronutrients. Yet there is a fear that children are getting excessive amounts of certain nutrients.

Now that protein has piqued consumers’ interest, effective promotion of protein-fortified products is an excellent investment.

A common sentiment among food industry experts is that consumers aren’t yet ready to hear about prebiotics. I respectfully disagree. As a nutrition therapist, I’ve noticed an increased interest in probiotics among my clients, which is the perfect opportunity to explain that certain fibers, called prebiotics, are needed for probiotics to survive and thrive.