De-stressing foods - more ideas to make your day easier

Thanks for your great response to the de-stress foods post! It’s good to know that so many of you take your diet so seriously.   We always offer so many ‘good for you foods’ in our restaurants and cafes and we’re shortly introducing a pick n mix of fruits and nuts to help with the sugar rush.

As you’re clearly so keen, I’ve given you 5 more delicious ingredients to help with those stress levels.  Remember though that these are great foods to eat for whatever reason so don’t feel you need to be stressed to eat some of these great things.

Milk

Try it in a hot blondie drink from the coffee bar

Bananas

Start you day with a smoothie – they’re packed with banana as a natural sweetener

Sweet potatoes

Often available as part of the jacket potato options. And if not, request it!

Brown rice

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

Avocados

Grab a spoonful from our delicatessen counters to go with your salad, with your baked sweet potato or with your houmous – honest give it a try!

With the Autumn on our doorsteps these ingredients will help keep the blues away and remind you of those halcyon summer days ‘when we were young at heart’. 

Happy munching!

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?