Mindful Office Meals: How Indian Food and Ayurvedic Philosophy Bring Clarity at Work
Posted by Kimberly B. on Thursday, October 2nd, 2014 with 7 Comments
Office meals are an opportunity to strengthen the connection between employees, and cultivate a supportive, community-based company culture. Within this is ample room for inspiration, fun, play, and wellness. One cuisine that enables us to touch upon these aspects of a positive, healthful work environment is Indian. Much of Indian food is originally based in Ayurvedic philosophy, an approach to life that promotes mindful eating. And there’s no need to be an expert in mindfulness or interested in Indian culture to reap the benefits of such a philosophy. In fact, it’s quite simple to pull together a delicious office meal with Indian food delivery that’s based around the mindfulness inspired by Ayurvedic philosophy.
Vegetable biryani is both delicious and healthy — and fits within Ayurvedic philosophy.
Photo by Kimberly Bryant.
Three dosha types
Nearly 6,000 years old, Ayurveda began in India with a focus on practices that helped monks in their quest to discover the “knowledge of life.” The underlying goal in Ayurveda is to create and maintain balance in our lives, both physically and emotionally. One of the ways we can achieve this is through food. Ayurveda uses something called doshas to organize people into three categories – Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. These categories help us to tailor our diets to our physical bodies and personality types.
To bring everyone up to speed, here is a brief overview of the three types of dosha energies. People who are considered Vata are usually slim figured and delicate, highly creative and energetic, and prone to anxiety. Pitta people tend to be sturdy and strong in body, well-balanced overall, intelligent and contented. And Kapha types are rounder in shape, passionate with love, and can struggle with insecurity. But these are just basic, general guidelines. While the philosophies behind the three dosha types are quite in-depth, we’re going to stick with the aspects related to food. Each dosha type has a diet best-suited to them: Vata types are fueled by cooked, easily digestible foods, while Pitta types benefit from lots of fruits and veggies, and Kapha types are nourished by light and spicy foods.
Smoothies made from fresh fruit and yogurt are a nutritious treat.
Photo by Kimberly Bryant.
An Ayurveda-inspired office meal
For the Vata types in the office, try ordering some fresh fruit lassies, preferably with strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries. Lassies are a type of smoothie common in India, made with fresh yogurt, and typically eaten at breakfast – but are great any other time of day, as well! Dairy products are well-suited to Vatas, as are berries, beans, nuts, and rice, and warm foods. This makes an order of vegetable biryani – a staple of Indian cuisine – a perfect dish. Made from rice, veggies, dried fruit, turmeric, spices, and nuts, biryani is a tasty way for Vata employees to re-fuel.
Vegetable biryani also works for Kapha types, who do well with spices such as cumin, and should try to avoid overly heavy meals. As for drinks, an order of ginger and lemon tea will perk up even the sleepiest Kapha type in the office — this re-energizing drink is recommended as a healthy pick-me-up for anyone on staff who craves a healthy alternative to coffee.
Both Pitta and Kapha benefit from dishes with plenty of dark greens, such as kale or spinach. A hearty palak paneer with a side of brown rice is a delicious choice – this warm, spinach-based curry with chunks of cheese goes well with either rice or an Indian flatbread, like naan. Palak paneer meets the requirements of all three dosha types, while being a colorful complement to an order of vegetable biryani. To please the carnivores on staff, simply add chicken biryani to the mix. It’s the same dish as the vegetable version, but with chicken added.
Biryani is made with either vegetable or chicken (and sometimes both!), cooked with rice and spices.
Photo by Kimberly Bryant.
Mindful eating from different cultures
One of the best parts about Ayurveda is that it gets employees thinking about food beyond what it tastes like. Food has the potential to bond us socially, as well as heal our physical and emotional ailments. Combining Ayurvedic wisdom with our Indian food delivery orders enables us to create mindful meals at work that bring clarity and connection to our staff members, our company, and our food.
A healthy staff is a productive staff, and an office that cultivates a company culture based in mindfulness will be that much further ahead of the competition. Ordering Ayurveda-inspired meals for the office is just one of the many ways that we can nourish our bodies, minds, and spirits at work, while mixing it up with multi-cultural cuisine. What delicious dishes will your staff be tucking into this week? Waiter.com is ready and waiting to bring you healthy, great tasting food to sate hungry mouths and re-ignite office energy.
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!
I have been looking into the health benefits Indian food has on people. I found it so interesting that active and slim people tend to refuel on biryani. Biryani is a favorite for a lot of people I know, I should find a good restaurant to try this dish at.
Thanks for your comment! We love Indian food, also!
This is what I need. For a productive day, the right meals should be guiding my day.
Bianca, So glad you enjoyed the blog!
I agree with mindful eating. Office meals should be something to help workers be productive.
Yes, we love the mindful eating movement.
I like how you plot your ideas. I had fun reading your point of view.