Get The Word Out On Nutrition

With the national spotlight on menu labeling legislation and the First Lady’s “Let’s Move” campaign to bring healthier lunches into schools, chefs at all types of restaurants and institutions are taking a second look at what goes into their food. In honor of National Nutrition Month, we thought we’d bring you some ideas for how you can promote and incorporate nutrition into your operation’s menu.

For Restaurant Operators:

Healthy Special
Incorporate a Healthy Special or Healthy tasting menu during the month of March.

Conduct a cooking healthy demo
Take some time to get out of the kitchen during an event and explain your food to customers so that they understand what goes into your food – and how healthy food does taste good too!

Incorporate new ingredients
Branch out and cook with at least one vegetable that is not normally on your menu. Use social media tools like Twitter, Foursquare and Facebook to have consumers vote on a unique vegetable to be incorporated into your menu the following week. Exposing your customers to unique ways to prepare often overlooked vegetables will help them to think about incorporating more vegetables into their own diets.

Promote your efforts
Don't keep your efforts a secret! Promote your changes with T-shirts, buttons or other promotional items for all employees.

For Healthcare/Schools:

Advertising
Decorate the cafeteria with posters and pictures of healthy foods. Use “Eating the Rainbow” or the Food Pyramid as a source of inspiration

Guess the Protein
Have a jar filled with dried beans and ask "How many grams of protein?" or "How many ounces of meat does it equal?"

Voting Booth
Ask participants to vote for their favorite vegetable or fruit. Post a tally board to record votes.

Conduct a "Fear Factor" - type event
Provide unusual vegetables and fruits cut into bite-size pieces. Offer an opportunity to taste and guess the food.

Nutrition Year-Round

While the nation is focusing on Nutrition in March, these ideas can be incorporated year round. Your patrons will appreciate that you are showing that you truly care about their health and well-being. Not to mention – you might stumble across a few menu items or ingredients that make it into the full-time rotation on your menu.

Here are some recipes to help get you started:

Starburst Spinach Salad
Packed with fruit, eat the rainbow with your eyes and mouth in this refreshing salad.

Flounder and Asparagus Rolls 

Chef Lonnie brings us a healthy twist on fish - wrapping flounder around the veggies.

Crepes Filled with Poached Peaches
Top these fruit crepes with vanilla yogurt instead of whipped cream to cut out fat, but not flavor.

Deborah Schnurbusch, RD, LDN
Heathcare District Sales Manager
PERFORMANCE Foodservice - Thoms Proestler