Dietary Supplements

Providing dietary supplements that contain ingredients that may turn up fat loss and help with energy levels may result in having healthier and happier customers. Dietary supplements in most health food stores post a better than 50- percent markup. The following is a basic primer on some commonly-used ingredients in weight-loss formulas, along with suggestions for intake and possible contraindications:

Caffeine—While most commonly known for its ability to get folks up and moving in the morning, caffeine also is a powerful weight-loss ingredient. It serves as a diuretic and also increases heart rate and energy levels, which helps to boost metabolism. Many ingredients such as kola nut and guarana contain caffeine, but may not be labeled as such on a supplement label. However, for those avoiding caffeine, these should be pointed out.

L-Carnitine—L-carnitine is the biologically active form of carnitine and is found in animal foods. In the body, Lcarnitine transports fatty acids to the muscles for energy production. L-carnitine levels in muscles are increased through physical training and supplementation may help well-conditioned individuals resist fatigue and enhance exercise performance.

Creatine—Creatine is a nutrient that combines three amino acids—arginine, glycine and methionine. It helps provide energy to the muscles by regenerating ATP from ADP. The more creatine in the muscle, therefore, the longer a person can train that muscle. This also helps the body to avoid relying on glycolis for energy production, which has lactic acid as a byproduct.

Creatine’s positive effects on weight loss are due to this energy-enhancing ability. Because muscle weighs more than fat, people taking creatine as part of a training program may not see pound differences, but likely will find their bodies more fit and toned and have more energy.

Energy Bars

Hiding behind those bright, flashy wrappings and gimmicky tag lines lies America's answer to a power snack. Energy bars have become the epitome of modern culture, offering a convenient, quick fix of nutrients and a taste profile that can leave any sugar tooth satisfied. It's no surprise then that energy bars have been one of the highest grossing categories within the natural foods market.

The natural products channel for energy bars experienced dollar sales of nearly $100 million in 2000. Natural food stores still comprise the bulk of sales; however, indoor tanning salons and spas also can cash in on the popularity of energy bars.

A Healthy Addition

During the summer months and into early fall, many tanning salons experience a slowdown in business. For some, the instinct in this situation is to buckle down, spend less money and wait for the busy season to begin. While keeping a handle on costs always is a good idea, this should not prevent a business owner from taking on a small cost that will result in increased profits. A perfect example of this is the addition of energy bars to the front counter. According to a 1999 SPINS report, while the natural products channel experienced sales growth of 19.4 percent, sales of energy bars in mass merchandise stores grew 62.9 over the course of the year.

Fueled by the emergence of strong national and regional brands, energy bars are being merchandised in nearly all retail formats--from natural products stores to sports specialty outlets, from warehouse clubs to tanning salons. For bar manufacturers, introducing energy bars into these markets and retail outlets means big business, and a shift from enticing hard-core sports enthusiasts to capturing the palate of the average American.

Tailored originally as a performance food used in conjunction with athletic activity, the energy bar market has worked from its foundation as an energy supplement to a snack alternative for busy, health-conscious Americans. By offering a wide variety of flavors, nutritional profiles and innovative ingredients, energy bar manufacturers are now reaching new consumer groups, targeting professionals, recreational athletes and individuals craving an innovative on-the-go snack.

Triggering Taste Buds

Manufacturers realize that in order to reach consumers across the demographic spectrum, taste is the most essential element in the quality and success of an energy bar. The myth that "if something tastes bad, it must be good for you" no longer applies to the average consumer who is willing to trade a healthy treat for one that tastes better. In the past, energy bars were praised among athletes and fitness enthusiasts for the extra burst of energy they provided. For these individuals the chewy and chalky taste was a compromise for an extra dose of energy.

However, the everyday consumer has much more finicky tastes. Some individuals even admit to taste being the determining factor in selecting energy bars, looking first at the bar's flavor profile and then its nutritional content. Consumers are not willing to surrender taste for nutrition, leaving manufacturers to search for ways to improve the health benefits of bars and while maintaining a pleasant taste profile.

Granola-like and chocolate covered bars are among the innovations used to improve taste. With flavor offerings such as chocolate raspberry truffle, honey peanut and chocolate peanut butter, energy bars are steadily inching their way into the candy bar category. Inching so much that some energy bars are now being showcased at point of purchase locations--a spot once devoted to impulse items such as chocolate bars and confections.

So are chocolate covered energy bars nothing more than candy bars in disguise? Yes--and no. While many manufacturers load their bars with natural ingredients such as grains oats and fruit, energy bars remain high in calories. Regarded as fortified snack-food containing a blend of carbohydrates, protein, fiber, and vitamins and minerals, several energy bars still label sugar as the main ingredient, often in the form of rice syrup, corn syrup, chocolate or cocoa. The typical calorie count for energy bars is 230, not much of a dietary bargain, especially when a Snickers bar weighs in at 280.

Natural ingredients are forming a bridge between past bar offerings and today's. While the tradition of energy bars still remains imbedded in the sport-fitness arena, the appeal of capturing the everyday consumer has brand name players creating new taste and nutrient profiles and consumer specific bars.

Aimed at addressing the specific needs of women, gender-oriented bars have crossed the boundaries of the energy bar category. For instance, some bars address female concerns such as menopause, stress and deficiencies in vitamins and minerals. Supplying high percentages of key nutrients and vitamins, these bars are the first of their kind to provide an extra dose of energy and nutrients for women interested in maintaining a healthy mind and body.

Studies have found that the majority of women in the United States are not receiving the required amounts of nutrients. As a matter of fact, 80 percent of women fail to get even two-thirds of the required daily amount of one or more nutrients, as reported in an article "Vitamins, Why You Really Need to Take More" published in Womens' Sport and Fitness last year. Due to the fact that in most salons nationwide the ratio of tanners is generally 70 percent women, by including energy bars in a salon, owners can provide a nutritional outlet for the majority of their clients.

Open Bar

One sure way to stimulate sales of energy bars, particularly when introducing them, is providing a sample. Open one of each flavor, cut it into small pieces and place them on a nice plate. It also is helpful if you attach the wrapper for each flavor in front of the appropriate plate so clients know what they're trying.

As clients enter and leave, encourage them to try a sample and tell them that you have decided to add this line of healthy snacks to your salon. You will be amazed at how many clients buy at least one bar, especially if you offer them a sample immediately before it is time for them to pay. Once your energy bar sales are established, this also is an effective way to introduce a new flavor.

Another important promotional technique is encouraging case sales. Most health food stores and gyms offer some type of discount for case purchases and aggressively promote it. At a minimum, have an attractive sign near the bars offering the case special. A client who is used to eating a bag of chips every afternoon may just take you up on the offer. Certainly your fitness-minded and active clients who already take an energy bar with them when they bike ride or hike will be tempted to save some money and purchase the bars a case at a time.

Most energy bar companies package their products in cases of 20 that are stackable and can be opened to form a display. If counter space is a problem, many companies offer freestanding displays. Wherever you decide to put your energy bars, make them easy to find, easy to grab and as close to the cash register as possible. Many of your clients probably already are stopping at some other location during the day to purchase a snack, they might as well buy it from you.

In addition to the added profits that energy bars can bring, they also establish a perfect foundation for building nutritional products sales in your salon. Energy bars are a low-ticket, impulse purchase that result in a high percentage of clients making a buy. These clients may very well become accustomed to buying a healthy, nutritional product from you. Thus, when they see other nutritional products being introduced, they will feel more comfortable purchasing them from your salon.

Nutrition For The Skin

As you already know, the skin is the body's largest organ and also functions as a protective shield. It works to keep pollutants out; to help it in this cause, it needs nutrition, both internally and externally. Some of the most interesting work currently being conducted about nutrition and the skin focuses on how certain nutrients can prevent and reverse sun damage to the skin.

Exposure to the sun causes 90 percent of extrinsic aging (photoaging). The formation of collagen in the skin is significantly decreased as a result of exposure to sunshine. Free radicals are generated in the skin as a result of exposure to UV light. They are responsible for at least part of the degenerative changes leading to cutaneous aging.

The skin is probably the most susceptible target organ to environmental oxidative stress, because it is most directly exposed to UV radiation and to substances known to generate free radicals in the presence of oxygen. The skin has several lines of defense, including melanin, which acts as a UV-absorbing filter and free radical scavenger, and antioxidant enzyme systems. Particular antioxidants that have shown to be effective include vitamins A, C and E, the carotenoids, flavonoids and certain minerals such as zinc and selenium.

In an Australian dermatology study, researchers found that increased consumption of fish, beans, lentils, peas, carrots, Swiss chard, pumpkin and cruciferous vegetables (such as broccoli and cauliflower) meant decreased incidence of skin cancer. Also, increased consumption of foods that were high in beta-carotene and vitamin C, such as spinach, papaya and apricots, correlated to a decreased incidence of skin cancer. Skin melanin concentration can be increased significantly through intake of the antioxidants beta-carotene, lycopene, vitamin E and vitamin C.

Beta-carotene is perhaps the best known antioxidant carotenoid, but other substances, including lutein, are gaining more attention. Lutein plays an important role in reducing the risk of age-related macular degeneration and decreasing the formation of cataracts; it is now postulated that it also plays a photoprotective role for the skin. "We knew that antioxidants are found in the skin and offer natural sun protection," says Hubert Greenway, M.D., with Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, Calif. "Lutein may also play a role in fighting free radical damage to the skin."

A study published in the Journal of Dermatological Science in 1999 tested the ability of various carotenoids to protect against UV light-induced damage in vivo. Researchers tested the antioxidant potential of beta-carotene, lutein and astaxanthin to protect cells against UV damage and to repair cells after damage had occurred. Each of the carotenoids showed particular activity against types of damage. "Carotenoids other than beta-carotene may be of importance as biological antioxidants," the researchers wrote.

Other studies back up the conclusion. Another study showed that in an in-vitro cellular system, lutein was a more effective antioxidant than beta-carotene. However, beta-carotene has several studies that show its ability to protect against UVB-induced skin tumors. A mixed carotenoid supplement, then, may offer the best internal protection for consumers looking to bolster their skin's antioxidant defenses.

External Factors

While internal protection is important, the skin is also able to take in nutrients transdermally. Offering a host of skincare products that contain antioxidants and other natural ingredients that repair skin damage and reverse signs of aging shows an interest in customers' whole health.

One interesting study found that vitamin A, in the form of Retinoic Acid (Retin-A) may protect skin from sun damage. The study, published in the April 1999 issue of Nature, found that ultraviolet radiation effectively causes a functional vitamin A deficiency in the skin by reducing the expression of certain proteins necessary to maintain levels of vitamin A. In the study, conducted at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, 70 volunteers were subjected to various amounts of UV irradiation. Researchers found that after this exposure, there was substantial reduction in two proteins that are essential to maintaining vitamin A levels.

This research counters the advice of some dermatologists, who advise patients using Retin-A to avoid the sun because it increases the likelihood of sunburn. "There's nothing in the literature that suggests this [avoiding the sun] and I have not seen evidence of it," says John Voorhees, Ph.D., co-author of the Nature study. Voorhees added that taking vitamin A internally doesn't seem to have the same effects as topical application. "When Retin-A is applied topically, it saturates the receptors, which is what you need," he says.

Other antioxidants also are gaining respect for their ability to reverse or reduce the signs of age and skin damage. Vitamin C, for example, is one of the most popular products now available in topical form. Ester-C, a trademarked form of vitamin C from Inter-Cal, is one of the most popular forms of this antioxidant because its water processing makes it more bioavailable. Because vitamin C is essential for the formation of collagen, transdermal delivery is an ideal way to ensure the skin gets the antioxidant support it needs. "Many researchers feel that low levels of vitamin C will affect the integrity and the suppleness of the skin," says Dr. Phillips Brown, a researcher with Inter-Cal. "By applying topical vitamin C, you may help strengthen the collagen."

One precaution about using vitamin C, or any antioxidant, topically is that they tend to deteriorate quickly when exposed to light, heat or humidity. In natural products formulations, in particular, which use natural preservatives, it is important to find products that have been stabilized.

Finally, educating yourself and your staff is important. You don't need to know everything, but a little working knowledge of the products you sell makes a big difference. In addition to information supplied by the manufacturer, independent information also can prove valuable. 

The publishers of LOOKING FIT Magazine also publish a monthly industry magazine called Health Supplement Retailer. Subscriptions are available by calling (480) 990-1101 or logging on to www.hsrmagazine.com.