"Product sampling" is an effective marketing strategy which lowers consumer 
buying resistance by providing a free sample of the product for the consumer to 
test. We used this strategy to demonstrate the palatability of the prudent diet 
(30-35% of calories from total fats, less than 10% from saturated fats, less 
than 3 g sodium, and increased fiber) to physicians attending a 5-day family 
practice continuing medical education conference. The effect of the intervention 
was evaluated with pre- and postintervention questionnaires and a 20% random 
sample of participants was surveyed 1 year later. The proportion of physicians 
who reported that they considered the diet to be "very palatable" rose from 26% 
before the demonstration to 64% after the demonstration. Only 5% of the 
physicians did not report a favorable response to the demonstration. Sixty-two 
percent of the physicians reported that the diet was better than expected, and 
82% reported that the demonstration encouraged them to recommend the diet to 
their patients. One year after the intervention 60% considered the diet "very 
palatable" and 55% reported that the demonstration stimulated them to increase 
their dietary intervention activities. These data suggest that serving the 
prudent diet at continuing medical education programs helps to remove prejudices 
about the diet and encourages physicians to recommend the diet to their 
patients.