[Muffie's Mom]

WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRY TO GET MANAGEMENT TO CHANGE FOODS GIVEN DURING MEETINGS AT WORK? READ ON...........................

Select foods and beverages that are culturally appropriate
Choose foods that are low in fat, especially saturated and trans fats
Provide entrees that are low in fat
Provide whole grain products
Provide fresh fruits and vegetables, and salads
Provide vegetarian options
Offer locally or Washington grown products, when available
Offer organic products, when available
Serve nonfat or 1% milk, 100% fruit or vegetable juice, water or unsweetened iced tea instead of soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages
Provide pitchers or bottles of water at meetings
Avoid foods with added salt and added sugar
Include space on registration forms to indicate food allergies or dietary restrictions
Use recyclable, disposable products when proper dishwashing facilities are not available
Follow safe food handling practices (For example, wash hands for 20 seconds with soap and warm water, keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold
Provide Nutrition Facts Labels whenever possible
Suggestions for healthier food choices


The following are lists of recommended food choices for Public Health sponsored events to provide culturally appropriate, healthier foods and beverages for breakfast, lunch/dinner, snacks and receptions.

Food suggestions for breakfast:

Fresh fruit
Low-fat breakfast burrito
Yogurt - low or non-fat
Hard cooked eggs
Whole wheat or multi-grain mini bagels (or cut regular bagels in half)
Small muffins (2-1/2" or smaller) - bran, oatmeal, or multi-grain (large muffins can be cut into smaller portion sizes)
Fruit quick breads (i.e., oatmeal, banana, pumpkin) - cut into small pieces
Whole grain toast or English muffins
Offer low-fat (LF) cheese, LF cream cheese, peanut butter, jam or jelly
Granola bars - low fat (5 grams of fat or less/bar)
Low-fat granola
100% fruit or vegetable juice (4 - 6 ounce portions)
Water - bottled, plain, sparkling or flavored sparkling with no added sugar
Coffee, tea (offer decaf) - served with nonfat or 1% milk

Food suggestions for lunch/dinner:

Salad with low-fat or fat-free dressing on the side
Soups - vegetarian broth based or skim milk based (not cream)
Pasta salad with low-fat dressing
Sandwiches made with whole grain breads or wraps made with lean meats, low-fat cheese & low-fat condiments
2-3 ounce serving - lean meats, poultry, fish, tofu (3 grams fat/oz)
Steamed vegetables with herbs/lemon
Whole grain rolls
Fresh fruit, canned fruit in fruit juice or light syrup
Include at least one vegetable - fresh or cooked (avoid cream sauces)
Baked potatoes with low fat toppings (low-fat sour cream, low-fat plain yogurt, or salsa)
When serving desserts, offer small serving sizes. Consider: angel food cake (2" square) with fresh fruit topping, low-fat ice cream or frozen yogurt.
Boxed lunches/dinners - whole grain or pita bread or wraps prepared with low-fat mayonnaise; meats, poultry or marinated tofu
(low-fat = 3 g fat/oz); low-fat cheese, request fruit or veggies instead of chips; or if including chips request pretzels or baked chips (7 g fat or less/oz).
Water- bottled, plain, sparkling or flavored sparkling with no added sugar
Coffee, tea (offer decaf) - served with nonfat or 1% milk
Food suggestions for snacks (am/pm):

Consider whether it is necessary to provide food at meetings, presentations, and seminars, especially mid-morning and mid-afternoon.

Fresh fruit
Raw vegetables - if providing, choose non-fat, low-fat dips or salsa
Pretzels, hot pretzels cut in pieces or baked chips (7 grams of fat or less/ounce)
100% fruit or vegetable juice, avoid soft drinks
Low fat cheese, string cheese
Granola bars - low fat (5 grams of fat or less/bar)
“Lite” popcorn (lightly salted)
Whole grain crackers
Dried fruit or trail mix
Roasted nuts
Water – bottled, plain, sparkling, or flavored sparkling with no added sugar
Coffee, tea (offer decaf)- served with nonfat or 1% milk

Food suggestions for receptions:

Most food service professionals are familiar with healthier food preparation options and are willing to accommodate requests for changes to their usual fare.

Fresh fruit - cut up and offered with low-fat yogurt dip
Raw vegetables salads marinated in fat-free or low-fat Italian dressing
Vegetable sushi rolls
Low fat cheese slices or small cubes
Reduced or low-fat whole grain crackers
Lean beef or turkey - 1 ounce slices
Miniature meatballs made with lean meat
Mushroom caps with low-fat cheese stuffing
Miniature pizzas made with English muffins, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and mushrooms
Roasted nuts
Food contractors:

Work with food contractors used by Public Health to identify culturally appropriate, nutritious, lower calorie food items on their menus to make food and beverage selection easier for Public Health staff.

Consider donating unused food and beverages

Unused food can be donated only if the food has been stored properly and maintained at the proper temperature.
Food cannot be donated if it has been on the service (or buffet) table, even if it has been kept at the correct temperature.
Contact a local food bank to make arrangements for donations.
Food safety


When providing snacks and/or meals during a meeting, follow these basic guidelines to prevent foodborne illness:

Ensure food is delivered just prior to serving time. Food should be at serving temperatures at the time of delivery.
Serve food within 30 minutes of delivery
Hot food should be held at 140 ° F or warmer and cold food should be held at 41 ° F or colder.
Perishable food should not be left out more than 2 hours at room temperature.
Discard any food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
Note: At a buffet, food should be kept hot with chafing dishes, slow cookers, and warming trays. Food should be kept cold by nesting dishes in bowls of ice or using small serving trays and replacing them often.

Suggested physical activity guidelines: (half day or longer meetings)

Try to choose a meeting location where participants can easily and safely take a walk.

Provide participants with maps of the area showing good walking routes.

Organize an early morning physical activity opportunity for overnight conferences. Offer either a walk or low-impact fitness activity.

To encourage physical activity throughout the meeting tell participants that the dress code is casual.

Encourage participants to take the stairs. Place signs near the elevators telling people where the stairs are.

Include physical activity on the meeting agenda so participants can plan appropriately (rain coat, umbrella, walking shoes, etc).

Encourage networking by suggesting that groups take a walk together and talk about their common goals.

Schedule brief activity / stretch breaks in the AM and PM led by a group member.

If the meeting/conference is in a hotel, give hours and location of gym.
Vending machines


Winner’s Circle nutrition criteria for healthy vending foods:

Less than 30% fat
Less than 480 milligrams sodium
No more than 35% sugar by weight or no more than 15 grams of added sugar
For dairy snacks:
4 ounce servings must have at least 120 milligrams calcium
6 ounce servings must have at least 150 milligrams calcium
8 ounce servings must have at least 245 milligrams calcium