Podcast Episode 123: Have A Plant™ – The Roots of Healthy Eating – Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak

Have A Plant™ – For Happier and Healthier Lives

Fruits and vegetables are the ‘original’ plants and need to play a starring role in the plant-forward movement. Let’s give fruits and veggies their rightful place on the plate, as well as in the broader food dialogue.”

Despite hearing about the health and wellness benefits of fruits and vegetables for decades, nearly nine in 10 Americans still don’t eat enough each day. And, science continues to show that boosting consumption of these plant powerhouses can promote healthier, happier lives.

The Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) embarked on a year-long journey to better understand and overcome what’s holding Americans back from eating fruits and vegetables. Subsequently, PBH launched their new Have A Plant™ consumer movement, which replaces the Fruits & Veggies-More Matters™ public education program, as a transformational approach to shifting fruit and vegetable behaviors. Rooted in behavioral science and extensive consumer research, Have A Plant™ was created to answer consumers’ call for a simple, straightforward dialogue that speaks to their emotional food drivers and gets to the root of what all fruits and vegetables are – plants.

There needs to be less finger-wagging in food and more communicating in a way that speaks to consumers’ emotional food drivers. People are craving a less-prescriptive approach to eating more healthfully, and preaching solely on the health benefits of produce is just so old school at this point. In order to change behaviors, we need to evolve with the ever-evolving consumer, and that’s where PBH’s new ‘Have A Plant’ movement comes in.”

Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN

Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak is the President & CEO of the Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH). PBH is a nonprofit 501(c)(3), and is the only national organization dedicated to helping consumers live happier, healthy lives by eating more fruits and vegetables, including fresh, frozen, canned, dried and 100% juice, every single day.

As president and CEO of PBH, Wendy guides the Foundation’s efforts to work with more than 300 industry and government partners to advance the overall effort of increasing fruit and vegetable consumption for happier, healthier lives.

Prior to joining PBH, Wendy was the Global Lead for Food, Nutrition and Health Partnerships at the Monsanto Company. While at Monsanto, her efforts focused on bridging the food, nutrition, culinary and agriculture communities for greater collaboration.

Prior to Monsanto, Wendy served as Senior Director of Health and Wellness at the International Food Information Council (IFIC) and IFIC Foundation in Washington, DC. While at IFIC, she directed communication strategies, including consumer research, opinion leader and media outreach, as well as publications and partnerships, for multiple food safety and nutrition-related issues.

Wendy earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Nutrition and Exercise Science from the University of Missouri, Columbia and James Madison University, respectively. She completed her dietetic internship at Yale-New Haven Hospital — an affiliate of the Yale University School of Medicine.

Resources:

Fruits & Veggies – Have A Plant Website | Recipes | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | LinkedIn

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Related Episodes:

Critical Thinking & Behavior Change – Sound Bites Podcast #108 with Dr. Jason Riis

Snacking: Trends, Threats & Opportunities – Sound Bites Podcast #117 with Dr. Shelley Balanko

New Partnership!

Sound Bites is partnering with the American Association of Diabetes Educators! Stay tuned for updates on the podcast, blog and newsletter!

• AADE19 is August 9-12 in Houston, Texas – register here!
• Diabetes in Pediatric Populations: AADE has developed practice guidance and resources for diabetes educators at DiabetesEducator.org/pediatrics. Resources for families with children who have diabetes can be found at DiabetesEducator.org/ChildrenWithDiabetes. 
• AADE partnered with the National Center for Farmworker Health to create tips for Hispanic families on how to shop for healthy foods. This resource is available in English or Spanish at DiabetesEducator.org/prediabetes
• AADE’s blood glucose monitoring handouts are now available in Spanish! To download, visit DiabetesEducator.org/BloodGlucoseMonitoring. For additional educator guidance on glucose monitoring, visit DiabetesEducator.org/SMBG.

Music by Dave Birk

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