Wellness Program Ideas - Low Fat Foods Sampling.
Very often people shy away from low fat foods because they think these foods do not taste good. To help inform employees, 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 stimulating employees to bring and share their favorite low fat or healthful dishes.
Considerations -
o Be sure 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 websites 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 Make sure to set up the tasting room after lunch so participants can go in on their own and sample.
o Watch for overly sugary itemsā..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 like 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 like a new kind of fruit juice or herbal tea.