Publix will soon be offering expanded services from registered dietitians at some stores, which means customers can get expert advice on the foods they’re buying.

Ann and Frank Cardy recently had a medical scare, and so now the couple is trying to make healthier food choices.

"I had catheterization where I had a blockage,” said 86-year-old Frank Cardy. “I don't know how I did it because I thought I was eating healthy but obviously I wasn't."

Ann Cardy also has a heart condition. The couple has a lot of questions about selecting the best foods for their dietary needs.

"Especially with the salt and fat content so much in all the processed foods, that we want to make sure we're not overdoing that," she said.

Registered dietitians like Anastasia Kyriakopoulos are now working inside select Publix grocery stores, to make sure customers like the Cardys are making the healthiest food choices.

The experts participate in group classes, shopping tours, one-on-one shopping, nutrition counseling and meal planning.

Kyriakopoulos says the program can benefit all shoppers.

"It could be someone who has a medical condition, maybe you’ve just been diagnosed with diabetes or hypertension and you just need to learn how to read a sodium food label or you need to count carbohydrates. Or it might be you know what, I just want to eat healthier," said Kyriakopoulos, RDN, LDN.

Services like the grocery store tours and food tastings are free. Other services like personal shopping assistance, require a fee. That service allows shoppers to reserve a personal shopper at participating Publix locations. A registered dietitian goes aisle by aisle with the shopper, making sure they’re meeting their personal dietary needs.

"You just get that one-on-one personalized experience with the dietitian to answer all the questions you’ve ever wanted in a grocery store," said Kyriakopoulos.

Publix says this is part of a growing test. The first store in Riverview has been doing so well with its dietitian services that the program expanded to three additional stores.

Participating Publix locations:

  • 11109 Winthrop Market St- Winthrop Town Center store in Riverview
  • 200 37th Avenue North in St. Petersburg
  • 500 East Lake Rd. in Palm Harbor
  • 1920 County Road 581 in Wesley Chapel