Mood food: how to relieve stress

I know I keep barking on about this but a report last week said workers in the UK are becoming more stressed in the workplace, which is having a negative impact on their eating habits.

The workplace report carried out by Aviva Health found that long hours and workplace pressures are stopping workers from taking the breaks they need, with lunch breaks most affected. Did you know 30% of employees said they regularly don’t take a lunch break – I don’t know about you but I'd be starving!

It is so important to take a break, because eating has a significant effect on morale and work place efficiency. At bartlett mitchell we’ve always laid great emphasis on the importance of enticement- healthy options, vfm, choice, energy food, food you eat on the go.

Communicating our food offer to employees is integral - they need to know what’s available - as is recognising the importance of ambience. Taking a lunch break is not just an opportunity to refuel, it may be a time to unwind and recharge batteries, in short de-stress.

I am a passionate believer that our customers’ minds and bodies cope better when they’re getting the right foods, filled with essential vitamins and minerals. You can literally eat your way out of stress with power foods that will not only boost overall energy and keep you mellow, but counteract the damaging effects of stress on the body.

So what foods are good for stress?

Blueberries

Available on our breakfast tables

Almonds

Part of our desk treat packs – take them and put them in the draw for a quick nibble

Spinach

One of our mixed salad leaves

Tuna

Available everyday and great with spinach salad

Oranges

Wedges make a great treat for your desk

Milk

Try it in a hot blondie drink from the coffee bars

Bananas

Start you day with a smoothie their packed with banana

Sweet potatotes

Often available as part of the jacket potato options

Brown rice

Try it from the salad bar with fresh chopped herbs and a squeeze of lime juice

Avocados

Grab a spoonful from our delicatessen counters to go with your salad or with your baked sweet potato

And of course a quick observation will tell you that all of these foods are ‘good for you’ too – and cunningly all part of our ‘DARE’ (Delicious and Responsible Eating) program which we cook by for our clients.

But what are your tips to de-stress?

What do you do at work if you find the stress levels rising?  Any handy tips we should all know of?  What works for you?

History & future of contract catering...

It’s been a mad, mad month with some of our new restaurant and café openings so you’ll forgive me if I’ve not been writing that much but…..I’m back and although I’ve not been writing, I’ve been thinking!

One of the things I’ve been pondering over is how our eating habits have changed even in my working lifetime.  I remember my first venture into the contract catering world was with a company called ‘Taylorplan’ (any of you remember them?!).  Back in those days just over 20 years ago food at work was a very different affair... 

• Menus still had a ‘starters’ section and everyday there was a soup and even a fruit juice or grilled grapefruit to meet that 'starter need'.  
• Main means were always served with vegetables and potatoes, and salad was an ‘exotic’ more talked about than eaten!  
• Pudding was on every day and we used to shift loads of it whether it be chocolate sponge with chocolate sauce or lemon surprise sponge it was always stomach lining and hearty. 

There were no such things as ‘disposables’ except for napkins and everything was served in china or the dreaded stainless-steel coupe dish!  I distinctly remember introducing a coffee brand to one of my biggest clients at Heathrow and having to really persuade the client that paper cups were the way forward for coffee.  I can remember him asking with indignation “would people REALLY drink their coffee from a waxed paper cup?”  I’ve heard recently that in the USA Starbucks have taken out china cups from all of their outlets and paper is the norm.

Where did we put all that food?

A three course meal everyday even for the ‘office workers’ seems like madness.  I wonder where food service will be in 20 years from now? 

What do you think?

I’ll let you know in 2031 if you were right!