Promote Fruits and Veggies In the Cafeteria

Take a field trip for lunch: Visit a fall farmer’s market.You can find one in your area by visiting www.greenpeople.org - click on Farmer’s Market and you will be taken to a map of all 50 states. Click on your state and you will see a list of farmer’s markets in your area.

Display what’s in season.Work with your local grocery store’s produce manager to obtain a selection of seasonal produce. Allow participants to sample tastes of each item. Here are a few ideas:-winter squash-pears-pumpkin-apples-grapes-carrots-turnips and turnip greens-beets and beet greensMake a large fall salad using many of these ingredients.• Make a healthy picnic.You might have to keep this one inside due to cold weather. Make vegetarian sandwiches (tofu eggless, hummus & veggie, etc.), baked corn chips, salsa and fruit salad. This will show participants that a healthy plant based diet is more than just giving up meat. It is important to put in vegetables, beans, fruits and whole grains too.• Feature a special dish.Ideally, this can be done in your employee cafeteria. Other ideas include:-a recipe for your newsletter-recipe of the month handout-cooking demoIf you are looking for a healthy recipe, be sure to visit our website at www.foodandhealth.com. Click on Recipe Database under free recipes or see our new subscriber-only database by clicking on Subscriber under Free• Party pot-luck style.Have participants each bring in one vegetarian dish. Encourage them to share their recipes and talk about what they made.• Taste test.Select several vegetarian versions of animal protein foods. Examples include: vegetarian burgers (we recommend bringing several brands for them to try), soy milk, soy cheese, vegetarian sausage, vegetarian chicken patties. Offer participants tips for buying these items:1) Read the label to make sure the “healthy” food is not too high in sodium or fat.2) Try different brands to find one you like. Often times, vegetarian hamburgers and soy milk really vary in flavor according to brand.3) Compare the vegetarian brand to the animal protein brand. You often save a significant amount of saturated fat by choosing the vegetarian version.