Posted by
Sara on
Friday, April 18th, 2014 with
1 Comments
By now, it’s old news that most nutritionists, doctors, and environmental activists think we should eat less meat. Meatless Monday is a widespread success. A simple quote from Michael Pollan (“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”) now graces reusable shopping bags and meme-ready illustrations. And one environmental group has painstakingly compiled statistics to describe just how terrible mass-produced meat is for the environment, like “If your four-person family skips steak once a week, it’s like taking your car off the road for nearly three months.”
And, of course, seemingly endless studies continue to reveal that plant-based diets are the best for our weight, blood pressure, and even our longevity. We get it — we should eat less meat. But what do we eat instead… especially when it comes to ordering takeout, planning a catering menu, or arranging office meals?
The tricky part of trying to serve more vegetarian cuisine in the office is to make sure every meal has plenty of protein… without resorting to hockey-puck-like veggie burgers or highly processed fake meats that would never qualify as “real food”. And luckily, you don’t have to. Whether you’re trying to accommodate a special diet at a catered meal or trying out Meatless Monday during a group takeout order, there are plenty of delicious, wholesome, plant-based proteins to make sure every breakfast or lunch will be just as satisfying as a meat-centric meal. Here are seven plant-based proteins to try:
Chickpea-based dishes, like falafel, are excellent sources of vegetarian protein!
Image source: Flickr user Mr.TinDC
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Posted by
Sara on
Thursday, April 17th, 2014 with
Comments Off on Corporate Catering Trend Alert: Pasta is Going Gluten-Free Comments
If you attend (or plan) a lot of business lunches or all-day conferences, chances are good you’re an accidental expert on catering trends. Pomegranates. Acai berries. Korean fusion tacos. Fancy cupcakes. Cake pops. Bacon in/around/baked into everything. And now, you might be encountering a new corporate catering trend at business meetings or during your menu planning: wheat-free pastas.
Gluten-free dining – especially pastas – is a top catering trend this year.
Image source: Flickr user Alpha
Don’t tell your Italian grandmother, but it’s true. Thanks to the skyrocketing popularity of gluten-free diets, pastas made without wheat are becoming downright ubiquitous on restaurant and catering menus. While some people must avoid gluten (a protein found in certain grains, including wheat, rye, and barley) due to celiac disease, most estimates show that celiac suffers are less than 1% of the population. Many more claim that going gluten-free helps alleviate digestive problems; still others are giving up gluten as part of a weight-loss plan. While nutrition and health experts are divided regarding whether gluten-free diets are actually useful for those without celiac disease, it doesn’t seem to make much of a difference. Americans want to buy and eat gluten-free foods, and are literally paying billions of dollars to do so.
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Posted by
Sara on
Wednesday, April 16th, 2014 with
Comments Off on From Healthy Office Meals to Meditation: 6 Ways to “Celebrate” National Stress Awareness Day at Work Comments
Today is National Stress Awareness Day — and on the surface, it may seem like a completely unnecessary occasion. Stress is always on our minds, and we talk about feeling stressed or being stressed or even stress eating all the time… especially in the context of the workplace. Does stress really need a special day?
The sad answer is yes. While we might throw the word “stress” around the office daily, it can have real, lasting consequences, both for employees and employers. The American Psychological Association estimates that three-quarters of Americans suffer physically from stress, including from stomachaches, headaches, and fatigue, and that more than half of us report that our productivity suffers and we don’t even use our vacation time due to stress. And, of course, work-related stress costs employers, to the tune of around $300 billion every year.
There are right ways and wrong ways to deal with stress at the workplace…
Image source: Flickr user leyla.a
But don’t get stressed! The good news is that stress actually is manageable, and there are ways you can work to reduce stress in your workplace, without even making major adjustments to your daily schedule. From eating healthy office meals to taking a few minutes for quiet meditation, here are some top strategies for stress-busting to practice in the name of National Stress Awareness Day:
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Posted by
Sara on
Tuesday, April 15th, 2014 with
2 Comments
By now, you’ve likely heard the big news that Wal-Mart is investing in organic foods. And while the knee-jerk reaction in the media may have been a collectively raised eyebrow, the truth is, Wal-Mart’s move says a lot more about American culture than it does about Wal-Mart’s… and as an employer, it’s worth considering how your own workplace culture fits into the picture, particularly when it comes to your corporate catering and organics.
Organic groceries with lower prices are coming to Wal-Mart.
Image source: Flickr user Walmart Corporate
Consider this: Wal-Mart’s partnership with Wild Oats, and their intention behind expanding their existing organic grocery business (permitting customers to buy organic food at non-organic prices) signals that not only is the organic food game about to change, but that the world’s largest retailer considers it a game worth playing. Organics aren’t a niche market anymore; Wal-Mart’s research shows that 91 percent of its shoppers would like to buy affordable organic food products. So Wal-Mart will do what it does best: give their customers what they want, at cheaper prices than their competitors, because they can make production less expensive and more efficient thanks to the economy of scale.
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Posted by
Sara on
Monday, April 14th, 2014 with
Comments Off on Say Arrivederci to Boring Business Lunches: 9 Amazing Italian Dishes You Should Be Ordering Comments
Italian food is one of the most popular cuisines in America, and a go-to choice for business lunches or catered fare, thanks to its reputation as a crowd-pleaser. And while ubiquitous dishes like spaghetti and meatballs, fettucine alfredo, lasagna, and (of course) pizza are delicious, if that’s all you order from an Italian restaurant, you’re missing out on some of the best dishes this simple, straightforward cuisine has to offer.
Keep your business lunches exciting and engaging by ordering in some of Italy’s less iconic dishes. While the options are endless (and each region has its own specialties), a few specific items to look out for include…
Bucatini all’amatriciana is a spicy, pork-studded pasta.
Image source: Flickr user Joy
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Posted by
Sara on
Friday, April 11th, 2014 with
3 Comments
When you’re tasked with ordering Chinese food for office meals, it can be easy to go for the classic standbys: sweet and sour chicken, egg rolls, crab wontons… but the same-old, same-old can make working lunches and meeting fare become part of the daily routine instead of a real, enjoyable break from the workday.
Dim sum makes for a very lively office get-together!
Image source: Flickr user Jude Adamson
Think of it this way: if a company decides to provide office meals, whether every day or on special occasions, they have an opportunity to accomplish much more than just feeding employees. A simple lunch can communicate appreciation, boost morale, and provide a chance for socialization and relationship building — all factors that can have a lasting impact on employee engagement and job satisfaction in the office. But when the meals being served become predictable and just another part of the routine, the meaning behind the food can become muddled and the opportunity is lost.
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Posted by
Sara on
Thursday, April 10th, 2014 with
Comments Off on 5 Ways to Make Sure Your Food Delivery Orders Serve Up All-Day Energy Comments
During an especially busy workday, the last thing on your mind may be what you eat for lunch… and that’s if you even take a lunch break at all.
The office is doing a takeout order? Sure, put me down for a burrito or something, I’ll have ten minutes between meetings around lunchtime.
Is that pizza in the break room? Great, I can eat that at my desk while I approve these reports.
Does your office need a lunchtime energy boost?
Image source: Flickr user 10 10
Convenience is king… but would you believe that taking a few extra minutes to choose a healthier food delivery order could make a huge difference in how productive you are the rest of the day?
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Posted by
Sara on
Wednesday, April 9th, 2014 with
Comments Off on 5 Seasonal Spring Vegetables to Add to Your Business Lunches Comments
Seasonal, local, farm-to-fork cuisine: whether you consider it common sense, an overrated trend, or gospel, there’s no denying that many restaurants have embraced the idea of changing their menus depending on what’s available each week at the nearest farmer’s market. Seasonally-driven menus have even infiltrated good, old-fashioned business lunches right in the office, from catering companies to restaurant delivery reflecting the demand for locally-sourced ingredients.
Fiddlehead ferns may look a little strange, but they’re a hidden gem of spring eating.
Image source: Flickr user John Herschell
While seasonal menus might drive some diners a little stir-crazy in February (please, not another kale salad!), as temperatures warm and variety increases in April and May, they become a downright delight. The only catch is that some of the more locavoracious (yes, that’s now a word) restaurants and catering companies may be featuring some less common vegetables that can leave the less adventurous diners in your office a little… wary.
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Posted by
Sara on
Tuesday, April 8th, 2014 with
Comments Off on Why Are Optimists Healthier Eaters — And How Can Food Delivery Promote Positivity? Comments
We know that what we eat and how we feel are intertwined, especially at the office: binging on greasy food delivery at noon can make you feel lethargic all day, while eating a healthy catered lunch of whole grains, vegetables, and lean proteins can supply steady, long-lasting energy.
But the impact of our diet goes beyond energy levels; it can even impact how we think, and how we perceive the world. Over the last two years, a few studies have investigated the relationship between the food we eat and our levels of optimism. And while there’s still a bit of chicken-or-the-egg questioning to be done, one thing is clear: optimistic people tend to eat more healthily than pessimists.
How does your diet affect your outlook at the office?
Image source: Flickr user Brendan Lynch
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Posted by
Sara on
Monday, April 7th, 2014 with
Comments Off on 4 Tips to Help You Avoid the Secret Sugar in Your Everyday Office Meals Comments
Want to cut back on sugar? Good for you! Research shows that’s one of the best moves you can make to reduce your risk for chronic diseases like obesity and heart disease, as well as maintaining good mental health and cognitive abilities.
The bad news? Sugar is insidious. Reducing your sugar consumption to nutritionist-approved levels doesn’t just mean avoiding cupcakes in the break room or skipping your afternoon soda — sugar is everywhere in our daily diets, from ostensibly healthy breakfast foods to takeout lunches that we would never think of as sweets. Worst of all, since sugar adds flavor without fat, many so-called “diet foods” are actually higher in sugar than their less-processed counterparts.
Sugar in the office isn’t always this obvious.
Image source: Flickr user StolenGolem
Still, cutting out sugar is a very worthwhile goal, and one that can be easily met once you know where to look for the sweet stuff. And there may be no better place to start than by examining what you eat at the office every day: making small changes to your daily routine can add up to a big difference in the amount of sugar you eat.
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