Food Tastings

One idea for an after-core class is to offer a series of food tasting parties and have participants rate the products (see example rating form attached).  One fun title for the class might be “Come Taste with Us.”  Each session could follow this format:
1.	Start with a discussion of strategies to lower calories and fat (e.g., omit fatty item all together, use other seasonings or ingredients to replace part of the fatty item, etc.)
2.	Have everyone rate 2 or 3 brands of one product (e.g., salad dressings), then have someone total the scores and announce the winner.
3.	Next have everyone rate 2 or 3 different items (e.g., sour creams), then have someone total the scores and announce the winner.
4.	Conclude with a discussion.  Make the point that it has taken all of us many years of trying many different high-fat food products before we discovered our favorites.  In the same way, it takes time to sample different low-fat products before we discover ones that suit our tastes.

Here are some examples of types of products to taste:
1.	Low-fat salad dressings, condiments and spreads (salad dressings, mayonnaise, margarine, butter alternatives, sour cream, cream cheese, flavored mustards, vinegars, gravies, packaged sauces, etc.)
2.	Low-fat dairy products (yogurt, cheese, frozen yogurt, creamers, etc.) and egg substitutes
3.	Low-fat party and snack foods (crackers, chips, vegetable tray, fruit tray, dips, rice cakes, angel food cake with fruit, etc.)
4.	Low-fat meats and meat alternatives (vegetarian burgers, barbecued tofu, tempeh, different types of cooked beans, luncheon meats, sausage, ground turkey, extra lean ground beef, beef and pork tenderloin, etc.)  
5.	Vegetarian food products (for ideas, refer to the list of foods in the Considering Vegetarian Food Options class, Session 2, How to Shop for Vegetarian Foods)

You may also want to include one session that is a tour of a grocery store.  Some stores provide tour guides who will tailor the tour to particular dietary requirements, such as highlighting low fat and low calorie products.  If you conduct a tour on your own, you may want to include something fun like a scavenger hunt (write names of food products or specific criteria--e.g., “find two margarines that contain less than x grams of fat and less than xx calories per serving”--on slips of paper and have participants draw them at random from a paper bag, find the foods, then meet briefly as a group to share their “finds”).

Be sure to review Section 6 in the Manual for Contacts After Core:  Guidelines for Conducting Lifestyle Classes after Core, before conducting this or other after-core classes.
Note:  All after-core classes should be considered a time for participants to “restart” (resume behavior changes toward their weight loss and physical activity goals).  To accomplish this, all classes should include weigh-ins, encouragement to self-monitor, and collection and review of self-monitoring records.  At Session 1, participants should set goals for fat grams/calories, exercise, and weight loss to achieve during the course.

Rate the Recipe

Circle the number that best shows your rating.  (1 = very poor,  5 = excellent)

Food Item:  ________________________________________________________________

1.	Appearance			1	2	3	4	5

	Comments:   ____________________________________________________________

2.	Smell				1	2	3	4	5

	Comments:   ____________________________________________________________

3.	Taste				1	2	3	4	5

	Comments:   ____________________________________________________________

4.	Texture				1	2	3	4	5

	Comments:   ____________________________________________________________

5.	Mix of Flavors			1	2	3	4	5

Comments:   ____________________________________________________________

Overall Rating 			1	2	3	4	5

	Comments:   ____________________________________________________________