Is Your Office Obsessed with the World Cup? Get Corporate Catering on Board!
Posted by Sara on Friday, June 20th, 2014 with Comments Off on Is Your Office Obsessed with the World Cup? Get Corporate Catering on Board! Comments
World Cup fever is sweeping the United States this summer, with nearly 16 million Americans tuning in to watch the U.S. men’s team trounce Ghana last Monday. And given the daytime scheduling of many games, your office may be one of many across the country that has turned watching the World Cup at work into a daily activity.
We’ll take it one further: don’t just look to the U.S. team for inspiration on the field or as an excuse to strengthen social ties in the office… take a few tips on real-life nutrition as well. Thanks to the meticulous oversight of head coach Jorgen Klinnsman, the U.S. players are following a diet that seems all too rare in professional sports, and one that has several lessons you can apply directly to your corporate catering routine.
Jump on the World Cup bandwagon at the office – and follow the team’s nutrition routine!
Image source: Flickr user Felipe Gavronski
In fact, when the Associated Press outlined the dietary habits of the U.S. team in a recent article, there was no mention of muscle-building shakes or protein powders whatsoever. Instead, Klinnsman — along with team chef Bryson Billapando and nutritionist Danielle LaFata — has built a routine around lean proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and an awful lot of avocados. While there’s certainly nutritional needs that professional soccer players don’t share with the rest of us, there’s a lot we can learn about healthy eating from Klinnsman and crew:
Keep it simple.
As the very first of the team’s own official top ten nutrition rules describes it, “come back to earth.” Eat the least-processed forms of food you can: whole grains, real fruits and vegetables, and higher-fiber carbohydrates (rather than the ultra-processed kinds found in white breads, pastas, and pizza crusts). Reportedly, Coach Klinnsman even prefers organic whenever possible. Work with your restaurant of choice or catering provider to follow this rule and choose the simplest dishes with the smallest ingredient lists — they’ll tend to be lower in added sugar and other unnecessary additives.
A wide range of colors indicates a wide range of nutrients.
Image source: Flickr user Ann Larie Valentine
Think color.
At every meal, the U.S. team eats two cooked vegetables, each a different color — and players are told to choose an even wider array at the salad bar. Why the emphasis on color? Since color can indicate which phytochemicals and antioxidants are present in fruits and vegetables, we need to eat the whole rainbow to get the whole spectrum of nutrients. For example, deep oranges (like sweet potatoes and carrots) can signal alpha and beta carotenes, while red and pink (tomatoes, watermelon) indicates lycopene, and deeper reds and purples (grapes, beets, blueberries) usually suggest anthocyanins. Use this rule when piling your plate at the corporate catering table to ensure that you’ll get a wide array of nutrients, as well!
Stay hydrated.
Hydration is obviously important to athletic performance, and the U.S. team nutritionist makes big batches of “spa water” flavored with herbs and fruit to encourage plentiful drinking of naturally calorie-free — yet delicious — liquids. Copy this tactic to the letter, and stock your own office fridge with Pinterest-ready pitchers of cucumber or watermelon-spiked water.
Avocados are a favorite source of healthy fats for the U.S. men’s soccer team.
Image source: Flickr user Jonathan Lin
Don’t neglect healthy fats.
The U.S. team goes through a case of avocados per day, and peanut butter was one of the specialty items from home brought along for the Brazilian kitchen. Avocados and nut butters are just a few entries on the list of heart-healthy foods that are rich in monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids the team nutritionist deems essential: olive oil, nuts, seeds, fish, and flaxseed also make the cut. In your office, ask for catering items to be prepared with olive oil instead of butter, and choose fish for a delicious alternative to the ubiquitous chicken-or-pasta entree selection.
Even if your team is scoring sales calls instead of goals, they still deserve the kind of wholesome and nutritious food that the U.S. team employs to optimize their own performance. And with Virtual Cafeteria Service and food delivery from Waiter.com, you don’t have to be an elite organization to provide excellent corporate catering for your crew!
When it comes to feeding employees and coworkers, make your company's food program really count! If your workplace dining plan needs to take it up a notch — or if you don't have one at all — Waiter.com is here to help. From Virtual Cafeteria Service to diverse menus to local takeout & delivery, Waiter.com offers customizable dining solutions for every business and budget. Contact us today to get started!
