Health Promotion Program Ideas – Low Fat Foods Sampling.

Often individuals  shy away from low fat foods because they think these foods don’t taste good.  To help inform workers, buy a variety of low fat foods and put them out in a conference room for an hour or so for a drop-in tasting session.

Or, arrange for low-fat potlucks encouraging employees to bring and share their favorite low fat or healthy dishes.

Considerations -

o  Make certain the selections actually taste good.

o  Give a “fact sheet” with the names and price of the various products to assist participants if they want to buy these products from the supermarket.

o  Provide other written information on good nutrition for any interested participants to take. Make use of web sites and other resources listed in the Resource Section after this guide.

o  Provide small tasting spoons or wooden ice cream tasters.

o  It does not take much of each item to give participants a taste of the food or dish. It is not necessary to purchase enough, or bring enough, food to provide a meal.

o  Be sure to set up the tasting room after lunch so participants can go in on their own and sample.

o  Watch for overly sugary itemsâ..sometimes low fat means high sugar – so be sure to check the label.

o  Typical buys for a worksite sampling could include –  two boxes of low fat crackers, a package of low fat cheese, a box of low fat cookies, two or three low fat spreads such as hummus, low fat cream cheese, a package of honey nut or other flavored rice crackers, and one or two other low fat items.

o  Put signs on the table politely reminding participants that the idea is to sample, not have a meal.

o  Offer a beverage such as a new type of fruit juice or herbal tea.