Brain Friendly Food

Chances are you just about caught breakfast on the hoof this morning... or maybe you had time for a full fat cappuccino and a pastry from your favourite coffee shop - after the hassle of course in finding somewhere to park the car?

As for lunch, that will almost certainly consist of a sandwich and if the latest eating trends are to be believed, you are likely to be relying on a good deal of snacking throughout the day to keep your energy levels up. Many of us do not get to eat a proper meal until we finally sit down in a more relaxed environment at some stage at the end of the day and with modern technologies such as Blackberries and I Phones, it’s all too easy to never switch off from work and business commitments?! 

When we do get to relax and unwind from the stresses of our work, home and family life, the food we all seek can often be used as a “comfort” factor and indeed many of us have a reliance on that “large glass of wine” to help the process along as we crave to ease our tensions and fall all too often towards sleepless nights, with thoughts and anxiety turning over the never ending list of things to do in our non-stop lives. 

If this sounds like you, then don’t worry you are definitely not alone. 

Current consumer trends would indicate that many of us don’t get to eat breakfast at all, rather we rely on snacks and convenience foods that have poor calorific value and are unable to support our energy needs, often leaving us unable to perform work tasks at our best and adding to other stress triggers in our lives. 

To help combat food stress, consider doing the following, balanced with weekly treats: 

> Keep some mixed nuts and dried fruits in your work bag, office draw or car when travelling so as you can have one or two handfuls when hungry rather than fill up on confectionary or sugary snacks. 

> Keep fresh seasonal fruits on your desk and encourage work colleagues to do the same, perhaps this is something that your work place would help sponsor? 

> Plan and prepare your lunch at home in advance, using quality produce with variation, avoiding fatty or high salt content ingredients. (do ensure that this is kept refrigerated prior to eating).

> Avoid drinking Alcohol through the week and give yourself periods away from consumption of fast foods & takeaways.

Buy local... Think global

With memories of Wimbledon not far behind us (images of English teas and freshly picked strawberries), the eyes of the world have been on sporting events with every pub and supermarket tempting you with meal deals, big screen TV, and full to the rafters cases of cheap beer!

Now might be a good time to give a thought to exactly where our food comes from and how to ensure those “food miles” are as much a part of our sustainable way of living as turning down the thermostat or taking the opportunity to cycle or walk to the office on gloriously sun filled mornings.

The country and indeed the world face some massive challenges ahead when considering our future food security and inevitably as consumers we will be forced to change our lifestyles and adapt to the rising costs of our weekly shopping baskets and increasing shortages of basic food ingredients as countries and economies adapt to changes in the environment.

As a catering supplier of business buffet lunches for to a wide range of meetings and clients throughout the region, it is therefore critical to our success that we consider where our products are sourced from, how they are distributed and other issues such as packaging and our partners approach to the management of waste and their own environmental strategies.

"We have some great local partners from whom we can rely on some fantastic fresh seasonal produce at this time of year - and nearly all of it from in, or around our Hertfordshire borders” says Ian White of business caterers 'eatlunch'.

Regional and Seasonal Products to look out for:

> Strawberries
> Raspberries
> Baby Carrots
> Leeks  
> Fennel
> Turnips
> Potatoes

"We have fresh produce delivered to our kitchens every morning from many of our carefully selected supplier partners, such as: www.fisherandwoods.co.uk "

For more information on please visit the environment section of our website at www.eatlunch.co.uk, alternatively you can call us on 01707 331751.