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Gigi Acker Eating Smart At Work Case Study

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In the wired world, Gigi the personal snack consultant is a wanted woman. Snacks That 'Amp-Up' Energy A Peek Into the Corporate Pantry Eating Smart at Work Gigi Acker, R.D., is the nutritionist to the stars of Silicon Valley. She meets one-on-one with employees at major West Coast tech companies to teach them how to identify cravings, find healthy snacks that actually taste good and learn to time their eating to continuously energize the body and brain. She works with personalities ranging from high-flying execs to grass-roots Web monkeys. When Gigi meets them, they're getting tired and cranky during the workday and they don't know why. But they do know what they want: maximum energy and smarts for the whole 12-hour (or more) day. Everyone …show more content…

In the first session, I ask questions about lifestyle and eating history. I ask a lot, and that is why everything is confidential. I have to know them. They can tell me anything: What are your obstacles? We can look at them and expect them. What will be helpful? What are your comfort foods, your favorite foods? FOXNews.com: What is it about today's workday or corporate culture that has driven the need for a person like you? Snacks high in sugar or fat will leave you tired and cranky before long I was invited to a health fair and I wanted to find out: Would [employees] like seminars? Would they like a nutritionist? And 70 to 80 percent wanted an on-site nutritionist and they'd be willing to pay. So that was an eye-opener — that people are at the point where they realize this fast pace is here to stay and they're ready to learn healthy ways of eating ... and the companies know eating affects health and productivity. FOXNews.com: What do you do that people can't read in a book or learn from a program? What I do is work with people's eating style, how they like to eat, their tastes. What kind of texture do you like in your mouth? Crunchy? Chewy? Smooth? It becomes their own eating plan. It's all about the personalization. It's an empowering experience because they learn about their bodies and become very aware ... they become skilled at staying …show more content…

First, [the protein bar] gives you carbs and protein ... [with the Snickers] you're getting more fat; nuts are 75 percent fat. High-fat food makes you sleepy if you eat too much of it. And the energy bar has fiber, which you're not going to find in peanut M&Ms — plus, they're made from whole oats and dried fruits. There's a difference in how our body reacts to something wholesome vs. sugar, which our body reacts unpredictably to. FOXNews.com: What are typical client schedules you work with? Acker: It varies. I have some who ... start the day really early. One client gets up at 5, she's at the corporate gym at 6 and is eating a low-fat breakfast at 7. She found that by 10 she was starving and eating what other people brought in, heading to the candy jars ... it was so frustrating. So we looked at it: She needed a 10 o'clock snack to stay energized. For her, she wanted convenience. FOXNews.com: Was she looking to lose weight too? Is that a common goal of your

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