Health professionals continue to be an influential audience who can help Midwest Dairy promote and share dairy’s unique wellness benefits, nutritional value, and sustainability story with consumers. Health professionals like dietitians and pediatricians can utilize Midwest Dairy’s research and information to recommend dairy to their patients and refer to it when finding creative ways to support the industry further. By encouraging new ways to include dairy in everyday life, we are essentially confirming its versatility in nutrition.
Recently, registered dietitian and board-certified specialist in sports dietetics Angie Asche took to her social media platforms to share how dairy should be included on the plate to improve sports performance. Asche shared that her take on dairy has evolved over the years. As she learned the truth about sustainable dairy practices and animal care, she understood better how dairy is a critical environmental solution. As a dietitian, she has had a firm grasp of dairy’s nutritional powerhouse but now can feel confident supporting dairy with her newfound understanding of the environmental side. Midwest Dairy partnered with her company Eleat Nutrition to bring this sustainable nutrition messaging to her followers. Angie shared with her 75,000 dedicated followers how to build a recovery smoothie to maximize protein intake and recover and rebuild fatigued muscles. With kids getting back to sports this fall and schedules picking up, this messaging hit her audience at a critical time.
Another registered dietitian and trust source amongst consumers, Amber Pankonin, is also a valuable dairy champion throughout Lincoln, Nebraska, and online. To highlight the importance dairy plays in fueling play this school year, Pankonin developed a quick and easy pizza bowl recipe utilizing provolone and mozzarella cheese. She joined Pure Nebraska to amplify this content to their 45,750 viewers and Facebook followers to educate parents on how dairy makes recipes quick, easy, and balanced. Amber shared dairy’s positive impact on digestion and energy through her social media platforms, reaching over 6,285 consumers. With a following primarily composed of parents of Gen Z, she spoke directly to those responsible for making purchasing decisions.
Lastly, to elevate our work within Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) clinics, Midwest Dairy hosted a November webinar titled “Dairy Diversified: Enhancing Nutrition by Providing Culturally Relevant Education” for WIC practitioners. WIC staff from the 10-state region were invited to participate in the sponsored webinar. Presenter registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator Marina Chaparro identified meaningful ways to provide culturally relevant education for WIC clients to utilize the dairy components fully. In addition, Chaparro discussed strategies for helping with lactose intolerance and reviewed best practices for working with diverse populations to help foster more meaningful interactions. Over 200 individuals registered for the webinar, with nearly 100 participating live. Those who were not able to participate live received the webinar recording. Midwest Dairy wellness resources were also highlighted and shared electronically with all participants.