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12/21/2016 07:30 AMAs Shop Rite of East Haven’s registered dietician, Sarah Vacher is excited about helping customers and those in the community live a healthier lifestyle and make healthy choices while grocery shopping. Shop Rite offers its dietitian services free of charge to its customers.
“A lot of people don’t know about this service,” says Sarah. “It’s a resource for the customers here, as well as our employees.”
Sarah has worked for Shop Rite of East Haven since August, building many relationships as she not only offers one-on-one consultations, but group classes for dieting, diabetes, and more. She also will tour the store with clients to show them how to read the labels and make healthy choices.
“I really like counseling people,” says Sarah. “It’s really nice because there’s a lot of misinformation out there that can be confusing so it’s nice to be able to walk people through the basics of eating healthy. It doesn’t have to be difficult.”
When she was growing up in Virginia, Sarah recalls her family eating healthy, but not being “health nuts.” She went on to attend Virginia Tech, originally studying to be a physical therapist, but changed her mind after taking some nutrition classes. She went on to get her master’s in public health.
She then moved with her boyfriend Chris Collins to Connecticut, where she completed her internship at Yale. She was hired at Shop Rite about a year ago, beginning her work in East Haven in August. She is thankful that the team at the pharmacy, especially pharmacy manager Dalya Sabet, is so supportive of the program.
“I like my job and everyone has been very welcoming,” says Sarah, who noted she has formed friendships with the dietitians at the other local Shop Rites, as well. “I like being part of the community. Dalya Sabet and all of the Shop Rite pharmacists are really good about promoting the fact we have dieticians and working with us.”
Sarah not only meets with customers for consultations and classes, but she also goes out into the community to teach residents the importance of healthy choices. She does outreach programs at the Hagaman Library on the second Wednesday of each month. This month, she taught children how to create a healthy trail mix snack.
She also meets with groups in the store. She recently worked with a group of 12th-grade Girl Scouts, teaching them about budgeting for groceries and how to create healthy meals. They toured the store and each girl was challenged to create a healthy dinner for a family with a $10 budget.
“That’s a really fun part of my job,” says Sarah, who enjoys hiking and rock climbing. “It’s really important to talk about these things with kids when they’re younger. I didn’t learn much about how to cook or what was in my food until I could get to college. The earlier you could start, the better.”
Sarah noted, though, that it’s never too late to start eating healthy and she enjoys helping people create diets to manage their weight or help control their diabetes or other health afflictions. Teresa Sirico has experienced the benefits of working with Vacher firsthand.
“She is phenomenal,” says Sirico. “Sarah listens to your needs and personalizes her knowledge to help. This is definitely not something I have witnessed anywhere else. No matter how many times, you ask the same question, Sarah is patient, kind, and caring.”
To use Sarah’s services, customers can stop into the store to see if she is available or schedule an appointment. There is also a schedule of store events on shoprite.com.
“What we do at appointments depends on what they want,” says Sarah. “Some people are looking to come and have someone hold them accountable. Sometimes we’ll sit down and talk for a half hour or an hour and delve deep into whatever problem might be. It’s very individualized.”
Sarah is happy to work at a family-owned store that stresses the importance of wellness for its customers and employees. She sees the value it adds to the community as a private registered dietitian’s services can be pricey.
“If you go to a private practice or hospital, it could be a lot of money, even if insurance is involved,” says Sarah. “Here, people can pop in with a quick question or we can sit for an hour at no cost to them.”
Because every day is different for Sarah and she sometimes goes into the community for events, she is not always in her office, but when she is, she is happy to take time to meet with customers to answer any questions they have while shopping. She has several tips for people who are trying to shop healthier.
“People should familiarize themselves with the label if they’re shopping the inner aisles and I can help with that,” she says. “Getting fruits and vegetables in as often as they can is important, even if they are the frozen or lighter canned options. As long as they’re getting fruits and vegetables, that’s the goal.”
To make an appointment, call the Shop Rite Pharmacy at 475-202-5184 or email sarah.vacher@wakefern.com.