Posted by Health Handouts | Posted in Health Handouts, Health Tips | Posted on 12-04-2009
Often individuals avoid low fat foods because they think these foods do not taste great. To help inform staff members, purchase 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 staff members to bring and share their favorite low fat or healthy dishes.
Considerations:
• Make sure the selections actually taste great.
• Offer a “fact sheet” with the names and price of the various products to assist participants if they want to purchase these products from the supermarket.
• Offer other written information on good nutrition for any interested participants to take. Make use of websites and other resources listed in the Resource Section at the end of this guide.
• Give small tasting spoons or wooden ice cream tasters.
• It doesn’t take much of each item to give participants a taste of the food or dish. It is not crucial to buy enough, or bring enough, food to provide a meal.
• Plan the tasting room after lunch so participants can go in on their own and sample.
• Keep an eye out for overly sweet items…sometimes low fat means high sugar – so be sure to look at the label.
• Typical purchases for a workplace sampling might include: two boxes of healthy 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.
• Place signs on the table gently reminding participants that the idea is to sample, not have a meal.
• Provide a beverage such as a new kind of fruit juice or herbal tea.