June 23, 2017
PROVIDED/SHOPRITE
Free food and diet consulting is available at ShopRites. Matthew Whipple recently joined the Whitman Plaza location.
Crazy for kale? Craving a caveman diet?
Sweet on sourdough? Gaga for gluten-free?
Hoping to eat healthier? Looking to lose a few pounds?
If you answered yes to any of the questions above, maybe it's time to make an appointment with an expert.
That sounds expensive, but the services of a registered dietitian at ShopRite grocery stores have been offered free of charge since the Jersey-based chain began its program a decade ago.
Matthew Whipple was recently hired as the registered dietitian at the chain's Whitman Plaza location in South Philadelphia. He teaches classes, holds demonstrations and makes food plans for shoppers.
Raised and schooled in Louisiana and Mississippi, where he worked in the culinary industry, Whipple came to the Philly region to work at a farm dedicated to community-supported agriculture in Media, Delaware County. He recently came to ShopRite after a stint with a non-profit.
Whipple, whose schedule can be found via this link, said he spends about 25 percent of his time out in the community, working with schools and various social centers.
Every location has a different mix of customers and the dietitians try to have advice for their particular marketplace. In Whitman Park, it is a mix aging Italian-Americans who have lived there for years, with Asians and millennials moving in.
Whipple spoke about what he's learned since his arrival in South Philadelphia.
“People are confused by labeling and marketing," he said. "There are constantly new products, and new claims. They come to me to ask questions, talk about weight and health, snack ideas and for one-on-one discussions of their medical conditions and the decisions they make.
"I also spend time convincing them what I do is free – absolutely free."
Check here for dietitians at ShopRites in your community.
