Every wonder if the salad or fresh soup you are eating is really the best thing for your dietary needs or just plain diet? I do.  I have to confess I am terrible when it comes to ordering the right salad or soup. For instance I am not a big fan of soup. I know that many fresh soups are great for diets and are completely wholesome…but if I have to eat soup it’s going to be a chowder or a cream based soup and well, so much for diets.

Thankfully, Panera has created a fun, interactive and educational way to learn about their food and how to make great dining choices. Panera “Eat Smarts”, makes playing with your food fun and rewarding! Players can move through the game by playing 15 interactive challenges and win a ton of really fun prizes!

I’ve spent some time playing the various Eat Smarts games and I found them to be not only fun but also educational. I discovered that while I love Panera…a few of my choices could be better. Now when I go in to eat I can decide what I want to eat not just based on taste but on education as well.

Panera Eat Smarts invites players to complete 15 different challenges on three levels to earn prizes and share their progress on Twitter and Facebook.

• As players move through the game, they soon realize that, aside from the fun, they’re getting tips about nutrition and how to make smart food choices.
• The game “officially” kicked off June 11, 2012 and prizing will end on August 29^th, 2012.

The Games

• Spin-a-Meal: Spin the slots to find a You Pick Two® under 600 calories.
• Nutrient Memory: Match cards displaying ingredients and key nutrients in this memory-style challenge.
• The Daily Balance: Determine calorie needs and see how daily intake compares.
• Culinary Class: Answer culinary questions and watch Panera’s Head Chef prepare a recipe.
• Food Swap and Drop: Swap food icons to create sets of three or more. Increase your score while getting tips about the benefits of seasonal ingredients.
• Drink Up: Answer questions to reveal the beverage that suits a player’s mood.
• Summer Fresh Tips: Watch Panera’s “fresh tips” videos and answer questions that test players’ culinary skills.
• Get Snack Savvy: Test players’ snacking smarts.
• Discover Your Kitchen: Uncover 10 hidden cooking, grocery shopping and food safety tips in a virtual kitchen.
• Eating Style Quiz: Respond to a series of questions and players uncover their eating personality.
• Smart Swaps: Test player’s dining out smarts.
• Rate Your Plate: Drag food items onto a plate to create a balanced meal and then evaluate based on USDA’s MyPlate.*
• Serving Size Wise: Match pairs of cards to identify serving and portion sizes
• Alphabetter Tips: Click on a letter of the alphabet to uncover fun summer tips and share with friends.
• Eating Social: Browse Panera’s collection of recipes and share with friends.

 The Prizes

• Level 1:  Complete the first five challenges and players will receive an electronic Panera Eat Smarts cooking and lifestyle magazine.
• Level 2:  The first 10,000 players to finish all Level 2 challenges will receive a 30-day free membership for PumpOne, an online fitness exercise program, which can be customized to specific goals and exercise preferences.
• Level 3: As a MyPanera® member who completes all Level 3 challenges, players are automatically entered for a chance to win a Sandals Resorts Luxury Included® Caribbean Vacation for two.

For More Information: – To learn more, visit www.panerabread.com/eatsmarts.

Christine
The IE Mommy