Catered Healthy Meals Posts

Paella is a delicious rice, vegetable and meat dish that originated in Valencia, Spain, during the days that the Moorish Kings were in power. According to legend, it’s a dish that melds two different old cultures: the Romans – who made the special pan within which paella is cooked, and the Arabs – who brought flavorful rice to the table. After royal banquets, servants would mix leftovers in large pots to take home, constituting early versions of this now-famous dish. The recipe was eventually refined and spread throughout the entire country, which created a huge explosion of paella dishes that include a variety of meats, veggies, and flavors that we call get to enjoy today!

There are two reasons why paella makes a great lunchtime meal delivery option for you: first, it’s a naturally balanced meal between the rice, meat, and vegetables that are mixed into the dish. A well-balanced lunch means you’ll get the right combination of food groups to feel full and sated, and be better able to sustain your productivity throughout the rest of your day. Second, the flavor is amazing – and since there are so many different options for how this particular meal can be made, you’ll never feel like you’re getting the same humdrum meal two weeks in a row. Intrigued? Let us tempt your tastebuds – here are three of our favorite Spanish paella dishes you could order in for your office meals today!

Traditional Paella

As it’s been made for centuries, traditional paella includes a few types of seafood, usually shrimp and mussels, in combination with one or two ‘land meats,’ like chicken and spicy sausage. While they’re not flavors you would usually think of mixing, there’s something totally perfect about how these proteins blend with the rice and veggies in this meal. Finely chopped veggies are then added to the dish, usually in the form of red bell peppers, diced tomatoes, and peas. Then some of the beautiful flavors of Spain, saffron and paprika, are mixed into the dish. Because paella is cooked in one big pan, the flavors infuse the entire meal with something unique and totally tasty. We definitely recommend adding this dish to your list of lunch delivery items to try this week!

Grilled Paella

This yummy dish infuses a smoky flavor with some of the traditional flavors of Spain. Shrimp, chicken, clams, and Spanish chorizo bring a yummy combination of meats (and protein, for energy) into the dish. Mixed with traditional Spanish paella rice, chopped tomatoes, and onions, the main ingredients of this lunch meld together perfectly. Seasoned with saffron, a traditional way to take the flavors of a paella dish up a notch, this plate is then topped with a little squeezed lemon – which adds something modern into the mix. When you’re craving barbecue, but are ready to try something different than a burger or chicken sandwich, this is a more refined meal choice to order for office delivery today!

Mushroom Paella

When it comes to eating paella in the winter months, sometimes swapping a few ingredients can do just the trick. In the case of this dish, using mushrooms to compliment the traditional red peppers used in the original version is the perfect way to bring a little heavier taste – and texture – to the meal. Mushrooms are definitely a strong feature; the mixture of flavors from the shiitake and oyster varietals in bulk really pack more mass into your meal. Not only that, but mushrooms are an excellent way to help your body digest food and boost your immune system – taking this dish up a notch to terms of the health benefits it provides. This  midday meal also mixes in chicken and shrimp, as well as some Italian parsley and cloves to change up the flavor a bit. It’s one of our favorite takes on a very old favorite dish!

Lunchtime Flavor Swaps

When it comes to changing up the flavor of your favorite lunchtime meals, paella is definitely a tasty treat that you should considering ordering for delivery today. The seaside taste mixed with the flavorful spices of Spain will leave you ready to book a trip to walk the streets of Valencia. You might even be intrigued to make a batch of fresh sangria over the weekend!

When you’re ready to try some of the unique flavors Spanish paella has to offer, Waiter.com is here to help. Our easy to use meal delivery service allows you to order from your favorite restaurants around the city, and have your food delivered straight to your office. Planning a bigger affair? Our corporate catering can make a yummy paella dish your team is sure to love for any big event. Learn more about how we can help you make your next big meeting one to remember!

 

We get it: ordering the traditional food delivery sides like chips and french fries is an easy way to round out your midday meal. But since they’re typically fried in oil, you’ll often find yourself feeling pretty greasy — and hungry — by the middle of the afternoon. That’s because chips and french fries are packed with empty calories. Thus, they don’t have the staying power you need to make it through the rest of your day without additional snacks.

Choosing healthier options that contain more fiber and vitamins — like veggies — can help you to eliminate that afternoon slump, be more productive for the second half of your day and combat the afternoon munchies. Not only that, choosing healthier food options can help boost your immune system, reducing your risk of catching common illnesses like a cold or the flu. And this means you can use your days off for the things you really want to do — like taking that fantastic beach vacation this winter.

To help you find great tasty options that pack a healthful punch, we’ve pulled together some of our favorite healthy sides that will keep your mind refreshed and your taste buds happy.

Wedge Salad: This classic steakhouse favorite is a great way to round out your main dish at lunch. The big wedge of iceberg lettuce is filling in itself, but it’s the protein that gives this side some staying power. A wedge salad is typically topped with bacon bits – a nice treat in moderation – and sliced boiled eggs. Add in some chopped tomatoes – which are packed with potassium and vitamin C, can help control your blood pressure and boost your immune system, and you have the makings of the perfect side dish. Cheers!

Veggies and Hummus: We all know to pack lots of veggies into our day — but sometimes, vegetables on their own can get a little boring. By adding hummus to dip your veggies into, you can do more than just mix up the flavor of your meal and boost the health value of your lunch. Hummus is packed with protein (it’s made from chickpeas, after all), which means it can help you fight hunger cravings long into the afternoon and better control your weight. Now that’s a side with some staying power!

Quinoa Salad: Although it’s been gaining popularity over the last few years, quinoa still isn’t a completely mainstream side order. If you’re wondering what it is, quinoa is essentially a seed that is eaten like a grain. Recently, quinoa reached superfood status because it’s packed with protein, fiber and other nutrients like manganese, iron and potassium. Quinoa salads usually take a health-filled lunch to the next level: they’re packed with yummy veggies like cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and onions and can even include some light cheese, like a nice Feta to compliment all of the other flavors. Plus, it’s a great way to mix up some of the flavors you typically get with your typical midday meal. It’s definitely a side to try.

Fruit and Greek Yogurt Parfait: If you’re craving something sweet to top off your meal — but want to get away from the sugar packed desserts — order a simple fruit and Greek yogurt parfait. Although it’s typically a breakfast item, many restaurants will still offer it during lunch. Greek yogurt is full of protein and dairy, which can help you manage your weight. It’s also great for improving your digestive health due to the probiotics naturally found in the yogurt. And adding fruit is a lovely way to end your meal with something sweet while not sacrificing your dietary goals for the day. It’s the perfect way to feel satisfied until dinner.

Simple Edamame: Edamame is one of our favorite sides. Because it’s a simple dish that’s delicious, you’ll always be ready to order it again. Just one half-cup serving of these steamed soybeans doles out a whopping 9 grams of fiber and 11 grams of protein at just 120 calories. The lightly salted taste is excellent for satisfying your lunchtime craving — and soy protein is thought to help reduce cholesterol and protect against certain types of cancer, heart disease and osteoporosis. Not only is edamame completely delicious, it can be a regular part of your healthy lifestyle!

Healthy options for busy days

When your day is swamped, it can be easy to give in to cravings for fat and sodium packed sides that don’t have the right nutrients to keep you full and productive for the rest of your day. Choosing a healthier option can not only help you keep your diet on track, but accomplish more during the day and promote a healthier lifestyle in general.

When you’re ready to order a great lunch — complete with a healthy side like those we showcased above — Waiter.com is here for you. Our easy-to-use service will deliver your favorite meals right to your office — making healthy living a little easier to come by.

Sub sandwiches are one of the easiest – and favorite – lunches of office workers across the country. And while they’re often billed as being one of the more healthy lunch choices on the market, that’s not always true. In fact, many of the specialty sandwiches touted by these restaurants contain upwards of 900 calories! Numbers like those can certainly prevent you from reaching your dietary goals on a daily basis – and based on the ingredients, can also make you sluggish and tired for the rest of the afternoon.

Eating a nutritious, filling lunch isn’t just hype: it’s a great way to meet your daily health needs, keep you energized for the afternoon and make you more productive. So when you’re choosing a sub sandwich as your midday meal choice, how can you ensure that you’re not just filling up on empty calories, but actually consuming the right kinds of foods that will help you get through the afternoon? Here are four ways to change up your sandwich so that you’re eating healthier and feeling better about your meal choices all day long.

Double the veggies

Yes, it sounds basic, but it’s something that many of us skip over when we’re ordering a sub! Going heavy on the cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, and any other veggies the restaurant stocks is a great way to add some healthy bulk to your meal, mix in some extra flavor, and help you feel more satisfied after you eat lunch. Not only are veggies high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, but they can also help you reduce your risk of certain diseases and help you prevent everyday illnesses like the common cold. Now that’s a reason to stock up on the veggies!

Go halfsies on the cheese

Sub shops tend to pack on the cheese, especially if you’re ordering a vegetarian sandwich. And while a little cheese is a good thing – it is packed with dairy and protein, after all – too much is going to load your meal with excess fat and leave you feeling a little gut heavy for the afternoon. Although you could just take off the extra cheese you don’t need after your sub arrives, it can be pretty tempting to eat it after you finish your sub. Avoid the over-the-top cheese by asking for half the amount and save yourself the extra cheese temptation at the end of your meal.

Skip the mayo

Mayo is a common sub shop condiment – that’s also loaded with fat and calories, which can make you sluggish for the second half of your day. And while you’re cutting back on the mayo, don’t ask for oil or butter, either. Instead of adding a high fat topping to your sub, go with one of the savory-sweet dressing options like a honey mustard or ginger teriyaki. These choices will pack a tasty punch to leave you just as satisfied, while eliminating the excessive fat and calories from your condiment choice. Another option is to substitute with a healthy fat, like avocado or guacamole, which can offer a great alternative as a creamy spread.

Add something unusual

No matter how tasty your favorite sub is, eating the same sandwich all the time can get a little boring. So try mixing up your flavors a little from time to time. Ordering your sub with a fruit, like some thin apple slices, substituting your usual American cheese for some provolone, trying some kalamata olives with your cucumber, or even just changing out your bread choice from sliced to pita can give you the flavor change your tastebuds are looking for. Switching things up with healthy ingredient choices is a great way to keep your lunch tasty and packed with nutrition to get you through the afternoon.

Keeping it delicious

Ordering a healthy sub for lunch can be just as exciting – and a lot healthier – than trying the new burger joint around the corner. The key is to make wise choices where it comes to the toppings and condiments you add to your sandwich. And by mixing things up, you’ll never get bored with your midday meal choice.

When you’re ready to order the perfect sub to fill you up for the afternoon, Waiter.com is here to help! We can hook you up with the best sandwich shops in town – and deliver your food right to your office, saving you time and hassle on your lunch break. Check out all of our great options today!

Want to eat healthier lunches at the office? Wish you could feel fuller during the workday? Looking to observe Meatless Monday (or a meatless lifestyle)? Simply feeling stuck in a rut with your usual food delivery order at the office?

The answer is beans.

Yes, beans — the underrated, overlooked, and downright mocked legume could actually be the secret superfood that can make your catered office lunches more nutritious, more flavorful, and vegetarian-friendly. Beans are packed with fiber, which is digested slowly, meaning you’ll feel fuller for longer periods of time after eating. They are also rich in protein, the essential component of a satisfying (and nourishing) meal. And they can substitute for meat in an awful lot of dishes for complete and healthy vegetarian meals.

But beyond all those reasons? Beans taste good! They absorb flavor and spices beautifully, and are found in cuisines of all kinds from all across the globe. So if you feel stuck in a food delivery rut, always ordering the same Pad Thai, carnitas burrito, or chicken tikka masala, look to the unlikely bean for inspiration. We’ve done the legwork: here are six delicious, takeout-friendly dishes starring your new favorite plant-based protein.

Indian – Channa masala

Enjoy the familiar flavors of your favorite curries, but with chickpeas taking center stage instead of chicken or lamb — for more fiber and lower fat in your next Indian takeout meal.

Thai – Sator pad goong

This Southern Thai dish isn’t vegetarian, but it’s a delicious way to switch up your same-old Thai routine. Sator beans are stir-fried with hot chiles, shrimp, and pork. Fun fact: sator beans (which are vaguely similar to lima beans) are commonly referred to as “stink beans” in Thailand, but don’t let that stop you from trying this amazingly spicy and flavorful dish.

Cuban – Arroz congri

No cuisine does a better take on rice-and-beans than Cuban. The two main ingredients (with black beans being the standard) are cooked together with peppers, garlic, cumin, and onions for a flavor-packed dish that’s hearty enough to stand as a main course.

Mexican – Black bean burritos

Because when you’ve got zesty black beans, fajita-style vegetables, and a healthy scoop of guacamole, we promise you won’t miss the carnitas or beef one bit – and you’ll still be stuffed after your meal!

Italian – Pasta e fagioli

Yet another example of Italian peasant food that’s actually fit for a king. Traditionally, cannelloni or borlotti beans are cooked with a smaller pasta (like macaroni) and vegetables (like onions, celery, and tomatoes) and sometimes a little pork for added flavor. The consistency can be quite soupy or more solid, but regardless of the variation, it’s simple and sublime when done well.

Moroccan – Harira

This traditional Moroccan soup is especially popular during Ramadan, when it’s eaten as an appetizer to break the fast at the end of each day. Chickpeas and lentils are cooked with lamb or beef, onion, and spices like ginger, paprika, and turmeric for a hearty yet zesty soup.

Give your food delivery order a healthy, fiber-rich, vegetarian-friendly makeover by bringing on the beans! And Waiter.com makes it easy, with a wide range of menus, online ordering, and prompt delivery — every day of the week.

Pizza has a lot going for it, especially when it comes to office lunches and food delivery. Pizza’s a crowd-pleaser. It’s easy to share, and relatively easy to eat. And, of course pizza’s downright delicious.

But can pizza be healthy? Well… for a food based around dough and cheese, definitely! There are many ways to participate in an office pizza party without sabotaging your dietary goals. The key is to plan ahead, as is usually the case when you’re trying to eat healthy at the office. If you aren’t in charge of ordering your own food, talk with the admin assistant or office manager who is and put in a few requests to help make the menu healthier. Chances are very, very good you aren’t the only one in the office who will appreciate a few lighter options!

Here’s our simple, straightforward plan to pull a food delivery makeover, and stage a healthier pizza party at the office:

1) Start your meal with a good salad that won’t look sad and limp and totally unappealing next to all that piping hot pizza. The point is to help curb your appetite before you dive into the pie, so look for an option with some fiber and/or protein: beans, grilled chicken, hard-boiled egg, or just a lot of delicious vegetables, like a greens-free salad of some kind.

2) Portion size can be extra-tricky with pizza, so play it safe by ordering a smaller pie. It may sound like common sense that large pizzas come with larger slices – so two slices of a medium pizza is a smaller, lower-calorie serving than two slices of a large pizza. But, most of us don’t think that way: we tend to think a slice is a slice, and don’t take the size of the pie into account when deciding how much to eat.

3) Choose the right crust: if you care about getting the most nutritional bang for your buck, choose whole-grain, which will be higher in fiber. If you’re strictly concerned with counting calories, go for the thinnest crust you can find!

4) If possible – and palatable – ask for “light cheese”, a surefire way to cut down the saturated fat on your pie.

5) But, pile on the veggies! Bell peppers, roasted tomatoes, spinach, artichokes, garlic, mushrooms, onions: choose three to four of your favorites. If you’re watching your sodium, though, be wary of olives, which tend to be packed with salt. For a bonus, go gourmet and add fresh arugula to the top of your pie.

6) Go meatless if you can, but if you must have meat, choose wisely. Your best bets are ham, grilled chicken, and anchovies, while bacon, sausage, and pepperoni are considerably higher in calories and saturated fat.

7) Skip the breadsticks and dip your pizza crust in marinara sauce instead. Whatever you do, steer clear of those buttery garlic dipping sauces: they’re likely to pack in around 250 calories per serving, as opposed to marinara’s 25.

8) A 20-ounce bottle of Coca-Cola will have 250 calories – which is probably more than another slice of pizza. Have club soda with a slice of lime instead for a zero-calorie yet festive alternative.

However you slice it, pizza will continue to be a food delivery mainstay for office parties and employee lunches. Following these tips will help you enjoy the occasional indulgence without completely disregarding your health and nutrition… and ordering from Waiter.com ensures you’ll be able to find the perfect menu and prompt delivery for your next office pizza party!

Last week, a new study revealed that when people dine out – whether it’s at a fast food restaurant or a sit-down place – they eat an average of 200 extra calories per meal. And while the study has its flaws (like the fact it’s based around survey answers of self-reported food consumption, which are notoriously unreliable), it still brings up a question: how do you eat out, and not overeat? And specifically for those of us who order in to eat at the office, how can food delivery remain healthy?

There isn’t one easy answer – but there are lots of small, simple ones. Want to avoid the (alleged) 200-extra-calorie curse of restaurant meals? We looked over the menus of a few popular chain restaurants to come up with specific, easy-to-follow tips to cut a few hundred calories (or more) from your next food delivery order:

Chinese (sample restaurant: PF Chang’s)

Take only 1/3 of the rice provided with a typical entree – a six-ounce container can include around 300 calories, whether you order white or brown.

Choose shrimp as your protein – this will save you over 200 calories compared to chicken, whether you’re ordering Kung Pao or Orange Peel.

Go for spring rolls instead of wontons or egg rolls for a 200-calorie saving, minimum.

American (sample restaurant: Applebee’s)

If you really can’t say no to fries, only eat half. That will save you more than 200 calories – because yes, there are more than 400 calories in a side of fries. To be a real overachiever, order the seasonal steamed vegetables instead, and you’ll save around 350 calories.

Order dressing on the side – and then only use half of it. This will really save you 200 calories at Applebee’s, where dressing can add 430 calories to a grilled chicken Caesar salad and an astonishing 660 calories to an Oriental chicken salad.

Mexican (sample restaurant: On the Border)

Skip the side of Mexican rice  and save 280 calories, without missing out on much in the way of protein or fiber.

Have two beef tostadas instead of two soft beef tacos, and save 340 calories. (Tostadas may be the hidden healthy secret on most Mexican menus!)

At any restaurant!

Drink water or unsweetened iced tea – because don’t forget, a 20-ounce bottle of Coca-cola has 240 calories.

Practice instant portion control. There’s an advantage to food delivery versus dining in at restaurants: it’s easy to put half to two-thirds of your order on a real plate, and put the remaining food in the fridge for tomorrow. Make a habit of this, and you’ll easily be saving 200 calories per meal.

Avoid fried foods. Whether’s it’s a tempura roll at the sushi place or onion rings at a burger joint, skipping fried appetizers and sides is a surefire way to make a healthier food delivery order.

The bottom line? Eating out doesn’t have to be a recipe for an unhealthy meal. If you follow the basic rules of being mindful of portion sizes  and trying to build your meal around vegetables and lean proteins – rather than bread, tortillas, and rice – you can enjoy restaurant meals without adding excess calories! And Waiter.com makes it easy to peruse dozens of menus, customize your order to your liking, and savor delicious, wholesome meals right in the workplace.

Salads seem like the perfect choice for a business lunch or conference meal: they won’t weigh you down or make you sleepy like a heavy sandwich or pasta dish, they’re easy to eat while you carry on a conversation, and they’re good for you. But is your salad really as healthy as you think it is? Not if you’re ordering one of those ubiquitous fat-free vinaigrettes.

In yet another example of how the fat-phobic diets of the 1990s were a terrible idea, the habit of choosing low-fat or fat-free salad dressing — or skipping it altogether — is actually making your salad less good for you. Fat-free dressings may mean you’re consuming fewer calories, but they also are missing a key component that vegetables need to do their work… which is improving your health and wellness, probably the whole reason you’re ordering a salad in the first place.

It works like this: certain carotenoids — the pigments that give vibrant vegetables like bell peppers, tomatoes, and spinach their rich colors, and also happen to be potent antioxidants that can reduce your risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease — are fat-soluble. That means they need a certain amount of fat along for the ride during digestion so that they can be properly absorbed by our intestines. So when you eat a big spinach salad with lots of colorful veggies but no fat, those carotenoids can’t actually be used by your body.

And over the last decade, researchers have been really specific about focusing on the interaction of salads and dressings! In 2004, a study out of Iowa State University determined that carotenoids in salad vegetables were more bioavailable – that is, readily absorbed – when paired with a full-fat versus a low-fat or fat-free dressing. Taking it to the next level, in 2012, a salad study from Purdue University found that certain kinds of dressings, depending on the type of fat they contained, were more efficient than others at making carotenoids bioavailable.

In the Purdue study, dressings made from heart-healthy monounsaturated fats (specifically, canola oil) promoted carotenoid absorption at the same significant rate, regardless of whether participants ate salads with three grams of fat or twenty. By comparison, dressings made from saturated fats (like butter) and even polyunsaturated fats (like corn oil) were much more dependent on dose: you need to eat higher grams of fat to get higher levels of carotenoid absorption. Eating 20 grams of fat meant you got significantly more carotenoids — but, of course, a significantly higher number of calories, which is not ideal for diners who are trying to lose or maintain weight.

So what does that mean for your go-to salad order during a typical business lunch? Essentially, if you’re trying to eat fewer calories but still retain the health-boosting benefits of your veggies, pair your salad with a monounsaturated fat to get the biggest nutritional bang for your caloric buck. In addition to canola oil, dressings made from olive oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, and safflower oil fall under the monounsaturated fat banner. If the only dressing options are creamy ones (like ranch and blue cheese), or even fat-free vinaigrettes, think of including other salad-friendly additions that are also rich in monounsaturated fats: sliced avocado, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds all fit the bill.

And don’t just stop at salad! Think about the fat-carotenoid pairing with other veggies: add a scoop of guacamole to your roasted sweet potato, cashews to your stir-fried broccoli, and even some sliced pecans to your morning oatmeal with fresh berries (deeply colored fruits have carotenoids too).

A little fat — especially the right kind — might just be the key to unlocking the full potential of your business lunch. And when you need a healthy, hearty salad delivered right to the office, Waiter.com is ready. With easy online ordering and prompt delivery, eating healthy at the office has never been easier!

Sticking to healthy diet can be challenging — especially when it comes to the office lunch. Group food orders, catered breakfast meetings, pizza Fridays… there are seemingly endless temptations to stray from a diet plan during the course of a typical workday.

One solution that many office workers swear by? Eating the same healthy office lunch. Every single day.

It may sound crazy to those of us who love trying new cuisines (Korean takeout, anyone?) or chatting over a spread of tapas-style appetizers with our coworkers: finding a favorite salad or turkey sandwich, and making that your office lunch every day. But to people who have a hard time saying no to a second slice, or won’t be able to pass up adding cheese and sour cream to a burrito, sticking to a tried-and-true lunch makes things easier. After all, if you don’t allow yourself any choices, you won’t make the wrong one.

Another advantage? Convenience. Huffington Post editor Lori Fradkin wrote an entire column about how refreshing it is to walk into “her deli” every day, and not have to look up from her email because the employees know how to make her daily salad order (Romaine, chicken, walnuts, bleu cheese, dried cranberries, and chickpeas) without needing a word of instruction.

Many of us have the same comfortable routine with the baristas at our regular coffee shop — is it really that different at the deli?

Nutritionists tend to think so. This specific question — is it OK to eat the same lunch every day, as long as it’s a healthy one? — is not uncommon in the Q&A sections of many magazines and health blogs. And across the board, the response is some variation of: while eating the same healthy lunch is better than eating different kinds of junk food, there’s a very wide variety of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients your body needs… and as Dr. Nieca Goldberg tells Women’s Health readers, “It’s pretty much impossible to consume all of them without eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein.” 

And as Fradkin, the Huffington Post editor, described in her column, part of the reason she ate the same salad every day was that “I have a job for which a lunch hour is nonexistent. I eat at my desk and read blogs and drop little bits of food into my keyboard. My goal for those ten or fifteen minutes is to eat something that’s quick, filling, and relatively healthy.”

While that “I don’t really take a lunch break anyway” factor might make sense — and be an all-too-familiar scenario for many of us — it’s an incredibly unhealthy habit. Taking a real lunch break and getting away from your desk is one of the best ways to boost creativity and reduce stress. When we simply sit and shovel the same food into our mouths at our desks — even when it’s healthy food — we’re missing out on the “real break” part of the equation. 

This relates to another potential pitfall of eating the same lunch day in and day out: you stand almost zero chance of engaging mindfully with your food. Research has shown that when we pay attention and become really engaged with what we eat, we enjoy our food more — and eat less of it. That’s naturally harder to do when you’re eating the same thing over and over again, with no unfamiliar flavors, textures, or nuances to engage your senses in a new way.

At the end of the day (or the lunch break), if eating the same healthy office lunch is the only way you can meet your dietary goals, then it might be what works for you. But if it keeps you tethered to your computer instead of socializing with your coworkers or recharging your mental battery – or prevents you from getting the wide variety of nutrients you need – then it might be time to switch up your meal plan!

There are plenty of perfectly healthy office lunch options available that you can adopt as your go-to takeout orders — find your new favorite sushi roll, a better slice of pizza, even a less-indulgent Indian lunch — without depriving yourself of variety every day. And there’s no better way to order up a wide range of office lunches than by getting to know the options available at Waiter.com! With online ordering and prompt delivery, you’ll have more time to do what lunch breaks are really meant for: relaxing, recharging, and eating something delicious!

 

When you’re trying to plan healthy meals for a conference, there’s one simple tip that can help promote balanced eating at the corporate catering table: start with salad. A big bowl of leafy greens right up front will prompt attendees to fill their empty plates with a healthy salad, and by the time they get to the meat dish or dessert section, there won’t be as much room left.

Great – for one day. But if you’re orchestrating a multi-day event, what about day two? Or even day three? The same leafy lettuce that was a refreshing start at the first lunch will quickly become a passed-over obligation if it keeps showing up at the head of the table.

So what’s a health-conscious meeting planner to do? On days two and three, skip the leafy greens altogether and serve a lettuce-free salad at the front of the line. It will help reach the same goal (attendees will fill their plate with vegetables first) without boring your conference attendees.

Need some salad inspiration? From Italian menus to Mexican fare, there are plenty of greenless salads to start your lunch off on the right foot. Here are seven of our favorites that deserve a place at the head of your corporate catering table:

1) Caprese salad

Juicy tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, and fragrant basil are drizzled with balsamic vinegar for a fresh and filling start to a meal. The mozzarella makes it feel a little indulgent, but plays second fiddle to the tomatoes — especially during the peak of summer, when you can likely find local and heirloom varieties to star in your Caprese.

2) Shaved Brussels sprouts salad

Brussels sprouts aren’t just meant to be served all roasty-sweet in the winter: shaved into thin strips, they make a deliciously light salad. Look for one paired with lemon and walnuts for a summery take on this cool-weather vegetable that will work well with classic catering staples like chicken and salmon.

3) Roasted corn salad
Serving a Mexican menu? Opt for a roasted corn salad with black beans, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, and a healthy dose of lime juice — cotija cheese optional!

4) Broccoli slaw

Shredded broccoli, nuts, raisins, and a creamy dressing? Attendees who might skip a pan of roasted or steamed broccoli won’t be afraid to dive into this refreshing (albeit retro) salad. Just request a light touch on the dressing!

5) Watermelon & feta salad
Yes, watermelon salad is a thing. Chunks of juicy pink watermelon pair beautifully with cheese — and a sprinkling of mint leaves makes it even more refreshing.

6) Greek salad
Bite-size slices of bell peppers, red onions, tomatoes, olives, and feta, tossed with olive oil and fresh cracked pepper, make for a colorful and surprisingly hearty salad… but don’t forget to provide a few breath mints after all those red onions!

7) Panzanella
This Tuscan classic eschews lettuce in favor of bread — maybe not the healthiest swap for a salad, but it’s still full of fresh produce, like tomatoes, onions, and basil.

Don’t settle for boring, repetitive meals during your next big event: enlist the corporate catering experts at Waiter.com to provide a wide array of healthy meals for all your conference attendees. From Italian to Japanese to Mexican food, we can help provide the perfect menus to keep your multi-day meetings fresh!

You’ve probably noticed by now that calorie counts on restaurant menus are becoming the norm — and the more information we have about the food we eat, the better. But, new research from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (or CPSI) is shedding light on another health risk that’s lurking in many of the office meals you order from your favorite restaurant: sodium.

And no, sodium is not just something your grandparents should be worrying about. Having too much sodium in your diet, at any age, can increase your risk of kidney stones, headaches, and stomach cancer… not to mention directly leading to bloating and weight gain, thanks to higher water retention (talk about an unpleasant way to spend an afternoon at the office).

What’s worse, chances are very good that you fall in that “too much sodium” group — 9 out of 10 Americans do.

How much is too much? Well, the maximum amount recommended for a healthy, low-risk population who eat plenty of fruits and vegetables is 2,300 mg/day. For people who are over 51, African American, OR have diabetes or high blood pressure, the recommended amount is 1,500 mg/day. But if you eat out even a few times per week, you’re likely way above your recommended amount. Restaurant meals and packaged foods have been singled out as being an incredibly guilty party to the American overconsumption of sodium, with many chains serving meals that contain a day’s worth of sodium in one item.

Just to put things in perspective, an Italian Combo on Ciabatta sandwich from Panera Bread has 2,850 mg of sodium. A six-inch Spicy Italian at Subway has 1,490mg. And an Olive Garden breadstick (yes, just one) has 370 mg. Even a large lemonade from Panda Express has 480 mg!

That’s the danger of sodium: we have no way of knowing where it’s hiding. Unlike avoiding fried foods and creamy sauces to cut back on fat and calories, there’s no easy rule of thumb to avoid sodium when dining out.

The good news is that many restaurants are voluntarily scaling back their sodium. The progress might be slow, but heavy hitters like Darden Restaurants (which includes Olive Garden and Red Lobster, among many others) and Yum! Brands (i.e., Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut) have pledged to significantly reduce their sodium over the next decade. That’s good news for our collective health, and the latest news from the CSPI shows that some brands are knocking it out of the park, with sodium levels at Burger King and Subway down over 27% each over the last four years.

And in the meantime, while we wait for the sodium levels to drop to a healthier level at more restaurants, there are at least a few tips and tricks that can help you stay on track when it comes to consuming a reasonable sodium. Here are a few simple ways to start cutting back on the salty stuff during your takeout orders and office meals:

1) Do your research. Most restaurants have nutrition info posted online, and there are plenty of nutrition-related apps that can help you find the healthiest options from many chains. Take five minutes to check your stats before you order.

2) Don’t get cheesy. At Subway, the highest-sodium options tend to have one thing in common: cheese. A six-inch Italian herbs & cheese has 470mg, Parmesan Oregano has 420, while plain old honey Italian has 280.

3) But if you have to have a few slices on your sandwich, think Swiss. Again at Subway, there’s 95 mg of sodium in a serving of Swiss cheese, versus 200 mg in American.

4) At the Chinese place, opt for steamed rice instead of fried. At Panda Express, it will save you 790 mg of sodium. And try out hot mustard (115 mg/packet) instead of soy sauce (375 mg). Better yet, keep a bottle of reduced-sodium soy sauce in the office fridge for just such occasions.

5) Go for corn instead of flour tortillas when you’re ordering Mexican food. At Chili’s, for example, this will save you 540 mg of sodium when you order fajitas (which come with three tortillas of either variety).

6) Wherever you dine, get your dressing on the side, or replace it with a simple oil-and-vinegar you keep at the office. At Olive Garden, the house salad without dressing has 270 mg of sodium. Add regular dressing, and it jumps to 760 mg. That’s nearly 500 mg of sodium in a condiment!

7) Remember, just because something is classified as “light” doesn’t mean it’s lower in sodium — in fact, the opposite can often be true, as the absence of flavor from fat is covered by adding more salt. At Olive Garden, for example, the “lasagna primavera with grilled chicken” on their Lighter Italian Fare menu contains 1,700 mg of sodium. The traditional Lasagna Classico has 1,520 – almost 200 mg fewer.

8) Whenever possible, avoid cured meats. Some of the worst sandwich offenders at Subway include pastrami (1,470 mg for a six-inch) and the aforementioned, 1,490 mg Spicy Italian. By comparison, a six-inch oven-roasted chicken has 610 mg, a tuna sub has 600 mg, and a veggie delite only 280 mg. Cured meats include pepperoni, sausage, and ham — so keep this tip in mind on pizza delivery days!

9) It bears repeating: do your research. At Chili’s, a side of steamed broccoli — sounds so healthy, right? —  has 450 mg of sodium. The salt is truly hiding everywhere!

And you’ll have the five minutes to spare to check those nutrition facts — and then some — because ordering your office meals from Waiter.com will save you tons of time! We offer easy online ordering and prompt delivery, so that you can rest easy knowing your healthy, wholesome meals consist of the fuel you need to make it through the day — no headaches or bloating allowed!

Want to liven up your workplace wellness plan this summer? Consider going seasonal on the corporate catering table!

With the Fourth of July behind us, we’re in the heart of summer — and that means that many of the tastiest, sweetest, juiciest fruits and vegetables are at their peak. Summer fruits and vegetables are packed with vitamins and minerals, along with unbelievably fresh flavor (think of the difference between a tomato plucked right from the vine in August versus one delivered from a hothouse in November).

There’s no better time of year to treat your body and your tastebuds equally well by enjoying the bounty now available at local farmers’ markets — and that also translates to the workplace. Ordering food from restaurants and corporate catering programs that source their ingredients locally is an easy yet impactful way to make seasonal produce the delicious centerpiece of your company’s workplace wellness plan this summer.

Need a little inspiration on how to get started? Here are some of the best summer fruits and veggies that are just beginning to hit their peak in most parts of the country — and the tastiest ways to feature them in business lunches and even takeout orders!

1) Raspberries

Loaded with belly-filling fiber, fresh raspberries are the perfect topping for Greek yogurt at a breakfast meeting.

2) Eggplant

Filled with fiber, eggplant is often the star of hearty vegetarian entrees, from lasagna from the Italian place to Indian curry dishes.

3) Watermelon

Not only is a ten-ounce slice of watermelon high in water content to keep you hydrated — it also offers a third of your daily recommended dose of vitamins A and C. A platter of fresh watermelon slices (or cubes for less mess) makes a refreshing dessert or afternoon meeting snack.

4) Zucchini

This underrated vegetable is your new best friend if you’re trying to tone up this summer: it contains folate and magnesium, both important for building and maintaining muscle. Let zucchini shine by featuring it in light, summery pastas.

5) Cherries

A bowl of cherries isn’t just a healthy meeting snack: thanks to their unusually high concentration of melatonin, the tart variety may even help you sleep better.

6) Tomatoes

Nothing beats a tomato for flavor — and few foods can match its levels of cancer-fighting lycopene. Make the most of this summer treat by ordering a Caprese salad, which pairs fresh tomatoes with basil and mozzarella.

7) Avocado

Get a hearty dose of healthy monounsaturated fats (and potentially more potassium than a banana) when you substitute creamy avocado for empty-calorie mayo on your lunch sandwiches.

8) Arugula

You don’t have to eat a salad to enjoy this leafy green’s hefty dose of vitamins A and K: next time you order from the gourmet pizza place, add a handful of fresh arugula atop your pie.

9) Red bell peppers

Roasted on a sandwich or sautéed in a burrito bowl, red bell peppers deliver about two days’ worth of immunity-boosting vitamin C.

10) Cucumbers

While they may not be as packed with vitamins and minerals as the others on the list, cucumbers are amazing at one thing: preventing dehydration, which can lead to headaches, stress, and even overeating. Cucumbers are very high in water content, so pair sliced cucumbers with hummus during a long afternoon meeting to keep everyone well-hydrated.

With these nutrition powerhouses at their peak flavor this summer, it’s never been easier to ensure your corporate catering program is doing its part to help employees reach their daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables! And you don’t have to haul a box of produce from the farmers’ market to get it to your break room: Waiter.com offers fresh, fast delivery and convenient online ordering to make your summer meals downright carefree.

For better or worse, pizza is a part of our office culture! Pizza is the go-to food delivery option for late night work sessions, fun Friday lunches, and pretty much any occasion where you want a hearty meal brought right to the workplace… but, of course, it isn’t always the healthiest option for those who are watching their waistlines or following a diet of any kind.

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way! It’s totally possible to order a pizza that’s not only lower than your average pie in terms of calories and fat, but that actually provides vitamins, antioxidants, and other nutrients that will help fuel your brain and body for the workday ahead. And while choosing the right crust — thin, always, and whole-wheat, if possible, for the added fiber — and ordering a lightly dressed side salad are the keys to starting strong, loading your pie with the most nutritious toppings is the fun part! We’ve put together a list of the healthiest pizza toppings available — and they’re not all gourmet products or pricey add-ons, either.

To get the biggest nutritional bang for your buck on pizza day, pick a few toppings from the list below for your next food delivery order!

1) Red bell peppers 

While green may be the ubiquitous offering, go for the riper red peppers to get a bigger boost of vitamins C and A. A half-cup of green bell pepper has about 60 percent of your daily vitamin C and 10 percent of A; the red version contains 235 percent of vitamin C and 85 percent of vitamin A!

2) Mushrooms

Often overlooked when it comes to vegetable consumption, mushrooms contain fairly high concentrations of vitamins and minerals that many of us lack: potassium, selenium, riboflavin, and niacin, just to name a few. They might be the “deep cuts” when it comes to nutrition labels, but they’re all important to maintaining immunity and overall health.

3) Spinach

It may not be as trendy as kale, but a little sauteed spinach tastes better on pizza — and you’ll get a healthy dose of folate, iron, vitamin A, and vitamin K to boot.

4) Arugula

Usually sprinkled fresh on top of a cooked pizza, arugula adds a peppery bite along with potassium, fiber, vitamin C, and calcium to your pie.

5) Grilled chicken

If you can’t fathom a pizza without meat, go for grilled chicken instead of pepperoni or sausage. Packed with protein but without as much saturated fat and salt, it’s the healthiest meat option by a long shot.

6) Roasted garlic

Add a ton of flavor without a lot of calories with roasted garlic — and potentially protect yourself from cancer at the same time, thanks to garlic’s antioxidant effects. Just remember the breath mints, too.

7) Artichokes

Packed with fiber and antioxidants, artichokes are another underrated superfood that deserve a place on your healthy pizza!

8) Roasted tomatoes

Cooked tomatoes are a fantastic source of lycopene, an antioxidant that has been linked to lower rates of cancer — especially prostate, lung, and stomach. Adding roasted tomatoes to a red-sauce pizza practically guarantees you’ll get a huge dose!

Whether you’re ready to pile fresh greens atop your slice or simply make the switch to chicken and mushrooms instead of pepperoni and sausage, every small, healthy step is one in the right direction. Waiter.com is here to help you along your journey to a better pizza — and our online ordering and reliable food delivery service make it easier than ever to build the perfect pie!

Following “expert advice” on food and nutrition is tricky. With Time magazine’s recent cover literally ordering us to “Eat Butter” and a never-ending supply of articles on the latest cleanses and cold-pressed juices to try, it can be hard to parse out simple, applicable advice from so-called experts on nutrition and healthy eating… especially when we’re trying to navigate the real world of ordering wisely at restaurants or eating healthy meals at the office (rather than preparing organic vegetables from our backyard gardens or buying shares of a grass-fed cow).

But that doesn’t mean the advice isn’t being given. Some of the most trusted food writers and even celebrity nutritionists are still doling out simple, straightforward tips that real people can use in their real lives. I recently spent some time rounding up takeaways from five of the most famous health-conscious (and conscientious) sources out there today. And of course, I wanted to know what their advice was on a dilemma many of us face every day: how to eat healthy when dining out.

Here’s what they’ve had to say:

Marion Nestle, New York University professor and public nutrition activist, writes in a column for The Atlantic:

“If I could teach just one thing about nutrition, it would be this: Larger portions have more calories. Funny? Portion size is anything but obvious… How to deal with the portion size problem? Use small plates and cups in the dining hall. When eating out, order appetizers, not entrees. Order the small size, or share large portions with friends. The system is stacked against you and it’s up to you to figure out how to cope with it.”

Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, advises The New York Times on eating healthy while traveling for business:

“For breakfast, I always have oatmeal at a hotel, never do the breakfast buffet. When we’re faced with a variety of food, we eat more. If you’re just eating oatmeal, you’ll get full and you’ll stop. But if you introduce a new food, you will discover you have more appetite that you didn’t have.”

And in a post on dining out for The Sustainable Restaurant Association:

“Determine your own portion size, no matter how much you’re served. Restaurants serve supersize portions to make you feel you’re getting your money’s worth. Often it’s enough for another serving. So ask them to wrap it to go– in which case you will be getting your money’s worth.”

The Biggest Loser‘s Jillian Michaels tells Health magazine her best practice for office meals:

“Make a ‘slim lunch options’ book of all the takeout places in your area where you know there’ll be healthy things to eat. When I used to have an office job I’d think, OK, there’s the Italian place, but I can get the antipasto salad with light cheese, no salami, dressing on the side.”

In his book VB6, which advocates eating an all-vegan diet until 6pm (and then eating meat and dairy in moderation), New York Times columnist Mark Bittman writes:

“In restaurants, start your meal with vegetable soup, or make it your main course… Get salad or fruit instead of fries or chips… Compose your restaurant meals creatively to break out of the meat main-dish mind-set: Order all side dishes or focus on vegetable-heavy appetizers and soups. Don’t be apologetic about ordering what you want from the menu.” (pp. 108-109)

Joy Bauer advises on TODAY:

“Be selective about where on your plate you’re going to splurge, and try your best to cut back on the rest of the meal. If you love mashed potatoes with gravy, consider rounding out the meal with an order of grilled fish or chicken and a side of veggies to keep total calories down. In other words, indulge in moderation, and make some calorie-conscious choices to offset your treats.”

And that’s the beauty of making Waiter.com part of your plan for eating balanced, wholesome office meals: we offer online ordering from a wide range of restaurants with diverse menus, so you can figure out the best kind of healthy diet… one you’ll actually enjoy eating!

June isn’t only National Employee Wellness Month — it’s Men’s Health Month! And the focus may be much-needed: research has shown that men may not give their long-term health much thought until something actually goes wrong. That’s one reason, according to some medical experts, why men tend to visit the doctor considerably less often than women and be less concerned with preventative health.

That’s why the remainder of June presents an excellent opportunity to focus on men’s health and nutrition in the workplace! Continue to curate a culture of workplace wellness by presenting a men’s health-themed lunch-and-learn, or even just order up a big spread of healthy fare with little place cards extolling the nutritional virtue of each dish.

While the same basic principles apply for men and women when it comes to nutrition (essentially, the Mediterranean diet-inspired habits of eating more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and fish instead of red meat and processed foods), there are certain foods that men should be especially careful to consume. From preventing prostate cancer and heart disease to protecting muscle mass, here are a few special office meals to order in honor of Men’s Health Month:

Whole wheat pasta with marinara sauce

 In one large study, Harvard researchers found that men who ate large amounts (as in, 10 servings a week) of tomato-based foods had a 45% lower risk for prostate cancer, and those who ate 4-7 servings had a 20% lower risk. It’s likely that lycopene, the antioxidant found in tomatoes that’s most effectively absorbed when the heat from cooking breaks down cellular walls, is the source of this prostate protection. So, think like an Italian! Order up whole wheat pasta (rich in fiber, of which men need considerably more than women) with marinara sauce for your next office lunch. Just note: too much dairy is linked to an increased risk of prostate cancer, so don’t pile on the Parmesan.

Beef and broccoli (and brown rice)

If Chinese takeout is a big hit in the workplace, order up a big platter of beef and broccoli for your men’s health lunch. Broccoli belongs to the family of cruciferous vegetables, which can help prevent heart disease and cancer thanks to their boisterous nutritional profile: vitamin C, beta-carotene, potassium, and sulforaphane, which may be the most powerful cancer-fighting compound you’ve never heard of. And the brown rice, as a whole grain, is nutritionally superior to white.

Grass-fed beef with roasted sweet potatoes

At your next catered affair, request grass-fed beef instead of conventional corn-fed… and bonus points if it’s from the high plains. It may sound crazy, but animals who graze in areas with rich concentrations of selenium in the soil have a higher selenium content in their meat — and northern Nebraska and the Dakotas rank first in the U.S. Selenium is a mineral that’s been linked to preventing heart disease and cancer, specifically prostate cancer (plus, grass-fed beef tends to have less fat than its grain-fed counterparts overall, along with a lower proportion of saturated fats). Sweet potatoes, for their part, are packed with antioxidants — specifically beta-carotene — making this a much healthier twist on the old meat-and-potatoes routine.

Salmon rolls 

When a sushi craving hits, skip the California rolls in favor of heart-healthy salmon. Packed with omega-3 fatty acids and protein, salmon is one of the best foods for men who want to protect their muscle mass and reduce their risk of heart disease. Tuna’s a good choice, too: just skip the “spicy” rolls, which add considerably more calories and saturated fat thanks to their thick spread of mayo-based sauces, and get your heat from wasabi instead.

When you want to provide healthy, wholesome office meals for your staff — no matter what month it may be — Waiter.com can help! Easy online ordering and prompt delivery make it more convenient than traditional takeout and delivery, and our Virtual Cafeteria Service ensures a regular supply of balanced meals will keep your team well-fed and ready to work.

When we think about eating healthy at the office, we tend to think about curbing our guilty pleasures: no more potato chips, avoid the birthday cupcakes, stop drinking so much soda. But a new study out of Spain suggests that a much more innocent-sounding culprit in your office lunches may be responsible for drastically increasing your likelihood of obesity… good, old-fashioned white bread. 

For five years, researchers monitored the eating habits of more than 9,000 college graduates through regular surveys. They found that people who ate three slices of white bread per day (not too outrageous – that would be a sandwich and a piece of toast!) were 40 percent more likely to become obese when compared to those who ate white bread once per week. However, not all bread showed the same effect: people who ate whole grain breads were not more likely to be obese.

The study, which was presented at the European Congress on Obesity, does leave a few questions… namely, is it specifically the white bread that makes people fat, or do people who eat three slices of white bread every day tend to have worse diets overall? There’s no direct cause-and-effect relationship established, but given what we know about the way refined carbohydrates (like those found in white bread) are rapidly digested and can lead to belly fat, it’s reasonable to assume that white bread shouldn’t be dietary staple for people who want to eat healthy.

Instead, as the study’s lead author University of Navarra professor Miguel Martinez-Gonzalez suggests, go for fiber-rich whole grains: “When you use refined flour for making bread, you lose the bran and the germ, and you lose essential nutritious components for the diet, such as vitamins. [Fiber] slows the absorption of sugars, but refined bread is almost like a bomb of sugar.”

A sugar bomb in your sandwich? No, thank you! From the local deli or a mega-chain, it’s clear that choosing whole grain bread instead of white is a better choice for your waistline… and whole grains aren’t just good for you when it comes to preventing obesity. Thanks to their higher levels of vitamins and fiber, they can also help reduce the risk of heart disease and other chronic illnesses.

Of course, sandwich bread alone isn’t the only source of refined flours you’ll encounter during your typical office lunches. Here are five easy swaps you can make at office meals to up your intake of whole grains, and potentially reduce your risk of weight gain!

1) Swap a whole-wheat tortilla for flour at the Mexican place (or get a tortilla-free burrito bowl instead)

2) Choose brown rice instead of white when you eat Chinese or order sushi

3) Opt for a bowl of oatmeal instead of a piece of white-bread toast at office breakfasts

4) Request whole-grain crust from an artisan pizzeria instead of the usual white-flour delivery option

5) Ask for whole-wheat pasta when you order Italian food (and skip the breadsticks!)

Incorporating whole grains into office lunches is easy when you have plenty of choices available — which is just one of the advantages to choosing Waiter.com! With abundant menus, stress-free online ordering, and our convenient Virtual Cafeteria Service, we can help make healthy, wholesome (and whole grain-rich) office meals a staple of your daily diet!

Followers of food news and health-conscious diners who are looking for healthier office meals have heard it all before: the Mediterranean diet is almost too good to be true. Research has suggested that following a Mediterranean-style diet can help reduce the risk of chronic diseases, improve memory, and even prevent depression. That’s why Mediterranean-inspired office meals are one of the healthiest cuisines that wellness-focused workplaces can serve.

And by and large, it makes sense. The diet is rich in vegetables, legumes, fruits, and fish, and low in red meat and processed carbohydrates. One question that has plagued researchers may finally have its answer, though. The Mediterranean diet isn’t necessarily low-fat — olive oil and nuts are staples — yet following it seems to prevent heart disease and lower blood pressure. How is that possible?

The answer, as always, is to eat your vegetables. A new study on the Mediterranean diet in mice, published May 19th in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has found that it’s the combination of certain vegetables and olive oil that’s responsible for the Mediterranean diet’s heart-healthiness.

It works like this: pairing olive oil with some vegetables leads to a reaction between the unsaturated fats in the olive oil and certain nitrites and nitrates found in many vegetables, including spinach, celery, and carrots. The fats and the nitrites/nitrates combine to create awesomely-named compounds: “nitro fatty acids”. Nitro fatty acids, in turn, seem to improve heart health by relaxing our blood vessels and lowering blood pressure.

The researchers determined this by selectively feeding mice with high blood pressure a diet with lots of the unsaturated fats and nitrogen compounds found in olive oil and veggies. After five days, the mice had lower blood pressure — except for a small group that had been specifically bred to be resistant to nitro fatty acids. Of course, further research is needed to see if the same results appear in humans, but it’s a really promising — and sensible — explanation for why a relatively high-fat diet like the Mediterranean can lead to better heart health.

So how can you make this equation work to unleash the power of nitro fatty acids during your office meals? Luckily, we have a few suggestions!

1) Swap your salad dressing. Instead of ranch or bleu cheese atop your spinach salad, go for a balsamic vinaigrette made with olive oil for your nitro fatty acid fix!

2) When you order a deli sandwich, skip the honey mustard in favor of oil and vinegar, and add spinach instead of lettuce for a nutrient boost.

3) Choose heart-healthy snacks. Find hummus made with olive oil instead of the less-healthy canola oil, and serve it with baby carrots and celery.

4) Since avocados have the same unsaturated fats as olive oil, the study’s authors suggest they will have the same effect in olive oil’s place. At your next meeting, serve guacamole and radish slices for a crisp and refreshing alternative to chips and dip.

5) The same rule goes for nuts, so go nuts! Add them to your spinach salad for a heart-healthy crunch.

6) Have a pasta makeover. Next time you order Italian take-out or have a catered meal, choose a pasta with sautéed veggies and pesto (usually made with olive oil AND nuts) instead of a creamy tomato sauce.

Serving Mediterranean-inspired office meals is a no-brainer: healthier employees are happier and more productive. And with plentiful menus and prompt delivery, Waiter.com makes it as easy to provide delicious, wholesome, nitro fatty acid-powered meals to your team!

Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer, but it may as well be the official start of company picnic season. And since swimsuit season is right around the corner as well, we think it’s high time to examine how to have a healthier picnic lunch. It can be all too easy to pile a plate with hot dogs, rich side dishes, and hearty desserts… and think that just because you might play a game of Frisbee after, you’re in the clear!

The good news is that it’s not hard to have a healthy picnic; only a few simple swaps can help reduce your calorie, fat, and sugar consumption at the big event. Whether you’re attending a lavish company picnic at the park or simply ordering up an Americana-style spread for a summery staff lunch at the office, here are six ways to stick to your diet goals while still partaking in all the fun:

1) Instead of hot dogs or hamburgers, opt for grilled chicken. Chicken is a wonderful source of quality protein, without the added nitrates and sodium of most hot dogs, and is a leaner meat than most beef. Plus, a chicken breast doesn’t require a bun (easily saving around 200 calories alone) or cheese to be delicious — just a decent cook manning the grill.

2) Go for coleslaw instead of potato salad. Made with fiber-rich cabbage versus starchy potatoes, cole slaw offers more nutritional bang for your buck (even though the mayo-based dressing is probably still on the heavy side).

3) Bypass the lemonade for iced tea. Even if the tea comes sweetened, it’s still likely lower in sugar, and richer in antioxidants, than most store-bought lemonades.

4) Instead of dishing up baked beans and corn on the cob, go for a zesty black bean and corn salad instead. Baked beans are high in sugar and saturated fat, thanks to the pork fat they’re cooked with (what did you think made them taste so good?), while corn on the cob is nearly always slathered in butter. On the other hand, a Southwestern-inspired mixture of black beans, corn, tomatoes, and a squeeze of lime juice is packed with fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants — plus, it’s way more refreshing on a hot day.

5) Don’t save watermelon for dessert: eat it first! Thanks to its high water content, having a few slices of watermelon as an appetizer will help you feel a little fuller — cutting down on the chances you’ll double-dip at the dessert table by the meal’s end.

6) And speaking of desserts… skip the brownies for the cookie tray. Gooey, rich brownies tend to be higher in calories and fat than comparatively lighter, crispier cookies — especially if you can opt for oatmeal raisin instead of double-chocolate-chip.

Whether you’re planning a barbecue in the park or a festive catered office lunch, Waiter.com has you covered. With a wide range of menus and easy online ordering, arranging for a healthy company picnic – indoors or out – has never been easier!

Stress is something we talk about a lot — especially in the context of the workplace — but it’s something few of us really understand. While we may think of stress as a mental condition or frame of mind, it’s actually a very physical experience… and one of the easiest ways to combat stress at work is by selecting the right food delivery orders for our mid-day nourishment.

It works like this: when presented with a stimulating experience (whether it’s positive or negative, from a frustrating driver that cuts us off in traffic to an exciting football game), our nervous system initiates a response. Without going into too much detail, our adrenal glands release hormones like epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol into our bloodstream, each doing their part to ready our bodies for whatever action this stimulating situation might require. In most cases, it’s incredibly helpful: our lungs take in more oxygen, the arteries leading to the skin restrict to slow down bleeding in case we’re injured, and our cells that are storing energy are activated to keep our resources at the ready so we can react quickly. Our bodies are primed for action, like running away from a threat or facing down a foe (or ready to tackle a big presentation at the board meeting).

But… when we continue to feel challenged over extended periods of time, these physiological responses become exhausting. When you never stop facing challenges, from an overflowing inbox to family issues, stress can take a huge toll on the body. The good news is that there are ways to balance stress back to a manageable, productive level: both physical and mental strategies can work to help reduce stress.

One unexpected way to relieve stress? Through your diet! And we’re not talking about chowing down a big bowl of ice cream at the end of a long day (which might make you feel comforted for a little while, but has other health implications that are best avoided). Rather, there are certain foods rich in certain vitamins and minerals that can boost the production of feel-good, stress-relieving neurotransmitters, like serotonin, which need to be replenished after an energy-depleting experience that’s high in stress.

Some of the best vitamins and minerals to target are vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folate, magnesium, vitamin C, tryptophan, and omega-3 fatty acids, all of which are involved in reducing the negative effects of stress. When you’re in the midst of a stressful day at work, count to ten and reach for one of these stress-reducing food delivery orders:

Hummus with sliced red bell peppers (vitamin B6, vitamin C)

A turkey sandwich with avocado on whole-wheat bread (tryptophan, vitamin B6, fiber for sustainable energy)

Spinach salad with grilled salmon (omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium)

Plain yogurt topped with blueberries (vitamin B12, vitamin C)

Stir-fried tofu with broccoli and bell peppers (magnesium, vitamin C)

Grilled chicken with asparagus (vitamin B12, folate)

Whatever stress-busting food delivery option you choose, online ordering and prompt delivery from Waiter.com makes placing and receiving your lunch the easiest part of your day!

Nothing derails a workday like a good, old-fashioned headache. As that familiar throb begins to creep in, your focus and productivity go flying out the window… and all you can think about is why you left your bottle of Advil at home today. Instead of popping pills, however, you might take a minute and consider your diet. Both in terms of prevention and treatment, the food you eat can affect when a headache might strike — and how strongly you’ll feel its crushing effects. And we’re not just talking about migraines: your diet can impact all kinds of headaches, including those brought on by stress or even having one too many cocktails the night before.

Ready for a new strategy to combat headaches during the workweek? Follow these tips on what to order — or avoid — during your lunchtime food delivery orders.

Migraine-specific food triggers

Even those of us who don’t suffer from migraines wince when we hear the word. A violent throbbing sensation, sensitivity to light, even nausea: with around 15% of Americans susceptible to migraines, we’ve all heard the horror stories. And migraines can most definitely be triggered by food, although the specific foods responsible for migraines vary widely from person to person. Most doctors will advise their migraine-plagued patients to keep a diary to identify individual triggers, but here are some of the most common foods you’ll likely want to avoid: Many foods that contain the compound tyramine, trigger migraines. Tyramine is found mainly in processed meats and pork, aged cheeses, and red wine. While the latter shouldn’t be hard to avoid at lunchtime in the office, tyramine can be difficult to sidestep when you’re ordering food delivery in from the local deli. Skip the turkey club (both the turkey and the bacon could trigger a migraine) and instead go for a spinach salad with hard-boiled eggs – hold the cheese. Spinach is rich in riboflavin (vitamin B2), which has been linked to migraine prevention.

Another potential migraine trigger is MSG, the compound found in a lot of Chinese food. If it’s Chinese takeout day, do a little online research to find a place that offers MSG-free foods. And don’t forget to double-check the bottle of soy sauce in the office fridge, which often contains MSG. One unexpected source of migraines: food colorings, which can increase blood flow to the brain and trigger headaches. So at the next office birthday party, discreetly ditch the frosting on your slice of cake!

Coffee

We all know that skipping your morning Americano can bring on a major caffeine headache — but so can indulging in an extra cup. Too much caffeine can trigger headaches, so try to keep to a coffee routine… ideally having no more than two cups per day. If there’s an afternoon latte run in store, ask for decaf or half-caf to cut back your intake.

Skipping lunch

One of the worst things you can do for your head is skip lunch altogether. Both in terms of headaches and overall cognitive function, not providing your brain the fuel it needs to work hard through the day is a bad idea. Even if you don’t have time to leave your desk, you can order in a healthy takeout lunch to keep your juices flowing (and your blood sugar stable) throughout the afternoon.

Monthly magnesium 

Hormonal fluctuations can also trigger headaches (like migraines, usually felt on just one side of your head). That’s why many women notice migraines kicking in during their periods, when their estrogen levels drop. To help offset this, try increasing your daily intake of magnesium, which can help relax blood vessels and reduce the actual pain you feel during a headache. Order up a salad with leafy greens and topped with almonds or sunflower seeds for a healthy magnesium fix.

Hangover headache prevention

If you’re heading to office happy hour after work, order up a cup of chili and a baked potato for lunch: some nutritionists believe eating potassium-rich foods (like white or kidney beans, and potatoes) can alleviate alcohol-induced headaches.

Drink and Eat some water

One of the top causes of headaches is plain old dehydration: you aren’t drinking enough water. If you’ve never been able to get into the recommended eight-glasses-per-day habit, try snacking on water-rich fruits and vegetables, like watermelon, cucumbers, and berries — or head straight for the oatmeal at office breakfasts.

Your office food delivery has a big impact on how you feel at work — so choose a healthier, headache-free lunch. With easy online ordering and a wide selection of menus at Waiter.com, it’s never been simpler to eat your way to a better day!

Stamina is something many athletes must take into consideration, whether they’re preparing for a long hockey match on the ice, or participation in a marathon. However, marathon runners aren’t the only individuals who have to worry about “hitting the wall”. While runners are concerned about their bodies physically running out of fuel during a big race, the rest of us know the feeling of staring at a computer screen or piece of paper for an extended length of time and the toll it can take. It can begin to feel as though we can’t actually read the words in front of us. Long days, conflicting priorities, and endless meetings make it easy for the average employee to hit the wall when it comes to focus and attention — especially when we don’t pay attention to properly fueling our brains the way athletes fuel their bodies.

After all, marathoners don’t just train by running, but by eating a diet tailored to their body’s needs. And while athletes are likely to burn, and, therefore, consume more calories than the average non-marathoner needs, they also know a lot about fueling their bodies to survive a grueling race… including some tips on healthier eating that all of us would be well-advised to follow. We’ve taken the best advice from athletes and nutrition experts, and applied it to the office worker’s equivalent of those mid-marathon sports gels: lunchtime food delivery!

View food as fuel, not a reward

“I love food, but I don’t look at it as a reward for a hard workout; it’s fuel to help me run harder and recover faster,” elite marathoner Kara Goucher told Fitness Magazine. This can be especially tough to apply in the office. After all, your lunch break (brief as it may be) is sometimes your only respite from the daily grind — so it’s easy to feel justified in treating yourself to a burger and fries or slice of pizza during a rough day. Instead, follow Goucher’s example: think about how your lunch will fuel your brain. Instead of seeking comfort in greasy takeout that will leave you tired and unfocused, eat a lunch balanced with whole grains and lean proteins — providing the steady energy release and long-lasting satiety to keep you focused for the rest of the day.

Adopt agnostic healthy eating

Do the best athletes follow the Paleo diet? Are they vegan? Do they swear off dairy? Generally, no. Most athletes focus more on what they do eat than what they don’t, but without any hard-and-fast rules or beliefs — earning the term “agnostic healthy eating”. This means they tend to eat a lot of fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts, legumes, seafood, and lean meat… and avoid deeming anything strictly off-limits. Follow their lead and try to incorporate as many brain-boosting foods as you can into your food delivery order, and you’ll feel much more positive about your choices. There’s a big difference between thinking “This turkey-on-whole-wheat is going to give me so much energy” and “That meatball sub isn’t allowed”.

Mix up your fruits & veggies

One excellent rule of thumb is to eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables — different colors signify different nutrients. Look for salads with a lot of color — yellow bell peppers, deep green spinach, red strawberries — to ensure you’re getting a wide variety of vitamins and minerals.

Eat high-quality carbs

The stereotype of runners carbo-loading on potatoes and white pasta is just that — a stereotype. While some marathoners may eat extra carbs the night before a big race, during their daily routine, nutritionists recommend eating high-quality whole grains and complex carbohydrates. Sweet potatoes, quinoa, farro, beans, brown rice — these are the kinds of quality carbs that the best athletes incorporate into their daily diet. At the office, it’s easy to follow their example: order brown rice instead of white with your Chinese food, swap out white bread for whole wheat on your deli sandwich, and choose whole-wheat pasta instead of the regular stuff. Your blood sugar and energy levels will thank you!

Plan ahead for your own personal “race day”

Runners usually have their race day menu planned out well in advance – they know just what foods help them run their best and maintain their pace. Follow their example when it comes to busy days at the office! If you know you’ll be in meetings for hours or staying late to meet a deadline, coordinate your food delivery to provide your own optimal fuel: the day before your early meetings, order a whole-wheat bagel along with your deli sandwich so you’ll have a healthy breakfast waiting at the office. When you’ll be working late, add an extra salmon roll to the sushi order to stash in the fridge for a late-afternoon snack. Skipping meals is a guaranteed way to feel tired and distracted when you need focus and energy the most!

When you’re working on your healthy eating routine, Waiter.com is in your corner! Our easy online ordering and prompt food delivery make it easy to have wholesome office meals on hand.

Salads are awesome: you just feel healthier while you’re eating a big pile of leafy greens and crisp vegetables. They make great fare for business lunches, too, since they’re rarely messy and easy to eat while working. But if you’re a busy admin in charge of ordering salads for meetings or conferences, don’t make the mistake of choosing the wrong kind of salads — the ones that will leave your coworkers feeling unsatisfied once they clear their plates (and already planning their afternoon snacks).

When a salad is created to be low-fat and low-calorie, it’s almost always low-protein and low-fiber — which means while it may satisfy our desire to stick to a restrictive diet, it probably won’t satisfy our appetite. That’s why many people who aren’t interested in watching their waistlines may dismiss salad as “diet food”… but you can prove them wrong with your next menu selection!

Done right, a salad can offer the perfect combination of protein, fiber, and antioxidant-rich vegetables that result in long-lasting energy and productivity throughout the workday. The basic rule of whether a salad will be the genuinely healthy, hearty meal your hardworking colleagues need is right there in those first two factors: protein and fiber, the building blocks of satiety. And, of course, it needs to taste good.

With that baseline in mind, here are a few specific ways to ensure the salads you order for business lunches will result in clean plates and satisfied appetites, rather than trips to the vending machine!

1) A lean protein is a must for a fulfilling salad. While chicken is usually the default (i.e., boring) option, consider upgrading to grilled salmon instead: it feels a little more decadent, and packs in a ton of omega-3 fatty acids that help promote cognition and focus.

2) Think outside the greens: order a round of whole grain based salads. Whole grains like farro, couscous, and brown rice taste delicious and add abundant fiber to your salads… and bonus points if you choose quinoa, which is rich in protein, as well!

3) Want to add a little creaminess without a heavy dressing? An avocado is just the ticket. In addition to monounsaturated fat (the good kind), avocados provide fiber and a little extra protein to boot.

4) Black beans, white beans, chickpeas: beans and legumes are excellent sources of fiber and protein, and a natural addition to many salads. To really mix it up, find a Greek restaurant with a good lentil salad — packed with protein and nary a leaf of lettuce in sight, you’ll convert even your most skeptical coworkers. 

5) Don’t forget the incredible edible salad protein… a hard-boiled egg will add seven grams, and a dose of memory-boosting choline.

6) When you’re looking for a healthy, hearty salad, go a little nuts — from walnuts to pistachios to almonds, even a handful-sized portion of nuts sprinkled atop a salad adds a respectable amount of protein and a whole lot of belly-filling fiber to your salad. 

7) Along the same lines, certain seeds also deserve a spot on your salad. Pumpkin seeds (often called pepitas) and sunflower seeds are the most common salad addition, and both offer protein, fiber, and the focus-boosting mineral magnesium.

If you include at least two of these ingredients in each salad you order for business lunches, you’re practically guaranteed to have a table full of satisfied diners at a meeting’s end. And there’s no easier way to coordinate your newly improved salads than by using Waiter.com: with a wide range of menus, easy online ordering, and prompt food delivery, we’re here to make life easier for busy admins like you! 

Watery eyes, sneezing, scratchy throat — ah, it must be spring. Along with beautiful blossoms and rising temperatures comes the yearly onset of seasonal allergies, commonly called hay fever, which affect nearly 18 million American adults each year. But before you head to the drugstore or resign yourself to weeks of misery, take a second look at what you’re eating each day. Your diet can have a big impact on how your seasonal allergy symptoms show up, for better or for worse.

And while it’s easy to plan ahead for the dinners and weekends you cook at home, your office meals can be a little trickier… so here are six ways to ensure allergy-alleviating dining in the workplace.

1) Takeout time? Vote for sushi, and stick to salmon and tuna rolls. Some studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids may help alleviate allergy symptoms, and fatty fish are the best sources of omega-3s.

2) Trade your morning latte for a mug of hot tea. Black tea is rich in the flavonoid quercetin, which has natural anti-inflammatory properties that can decrease your body’s production of histamine (thus relieving symptoms of allergic reactions).

3) Kiwis, strawberries, papaya, mangoes: all these fruits pack more vitamin C than the iconic orange, which means they may also function as natural anti-histamines. Plus, they’re frequent guests at many catered office breakfasts. Skip the sugary doughnuts or bagels, and load your plate with fruit for an allergy-fighting start to the day.

4) But, if you suffer from a ragweed allergy, beware of certain raw fruits and vegetables at any meal. Bananas, melon, zucchini, and sunflower seeds all contain proteins that the body can mistake for ragweed pollen, which means eating them can trigger a case of “mistaken identity” allergic reaction resulting in a scratchy throat. This phenomenon is called oral allergy syndrome, and simply paying attention to your body’s responses can help you determine if you’re susceptible. Similar reactions can occur in people with birch pollen allergies when they eat apples, almonds, pears, and cherries; similarly, those allergic to grass pollen may experience allergy-like symptoms when they consume tomatoes and celery. The good news is that once the foods are cooked, no issues arise, because the lookalike proteins are distorted by heat… so if you’re affected, say yes to spaghetti with marinara, but no to a Caprese salad.

5) If you’re ordering takeout from a Japanese place, start your meal with miso soup. The deli? Chicken noodle. In the mood for Thai food? Tom kha gai. Basically, any hot, clear soup can help relieve congestion, and nearly every cuisine includes an option to add to your lunch order.

6) We know that nuts are the ideal office snack thanks to their high protein content and disease-prevention powers, and they can also help fight allergy symptoms — especially walnuts. Like fish, they contain omega-3 fatty acids, along with immunity-boosting vitamin E and magnesium. Skip the chips for your afternoon snack and have a handful of nuts instead.

Allergies can be real drag each spring, but Waiter.com is on your side. With convenient online ordering and prompt delivery, we make eating a healthy office meals easier — and hopefully help you breathe easier, too.

We know that what we eat and how we feel are intertwined, especially at the office: binging on greasy food delivery at noon can make you feel lethargic all day, while eating a healthy catered lunch of whole grains, vegetables, and lean proteins can supply steady, long-lasting energy.

But the impact of our diet goes beyond energy levels; it can even impact how we think, and how we perceive the world. Over the last two years, a few studies have investigated the relationship between the food we eat and our levels of optimism. And while there’s still a bit of chicken-or-the-egg questioning to be done, one thing is clear: optimistic people tend to eat more healthily than pessimists.

We’ll come back to the nitty-gritty science of the studies, but let’s take a minute to consider why optimism matters in the workplace. Are optimists more productive, or better employees? An office full of optimists is likely to be more pleasant and welcoming than a sea of cubicles staffed by Debbie Downers, but do you really want a smiling, slightly naive Pollyanna in charge of a challenging project or solving complex problems?

Maybe a little cynicism is helpful when it comes to foreseeing possible complications or challenges, but generally speaking, optimism is an asset. An optimistic staff doesn’t necessarily translate to a room full of Pollyannas in rose-colored glasses, but instead a group of people who maintain a generally positive attitude about the company they work for, and the work they’re doing. Optimism can be an indicator of employee engagement, which certainly results in a more productive workplace. And that’s a no-brainer.

So back to fruits and vegetables. What does the kind of food delivery you get for lunch — say, a salad versus a burger — have to do with keeping a positive attitude? While it may seem like a leap, researchers have certainly established that the two are related… even if we don’t know exactly how just yet.

In 2013, scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health compared antioxidant levels between people who described themselves as optimistic or pessimistic. The optimists had considerably higher concentrations of carotenoids, pigments found in richly-colored plants like kale, sweet potatoes, and squash.

But the question remains — are people more optimistic because they eat vegetables, or do they eat vegetables because they’re optimistic? Another study published earlier this year demonstrated that women who described themselves as optimistic were more successful at improving their diet. The study’s author hypothesized that optimists tend to have a better handle on traits like self-regulation and coping with stress, which can help them stick to their goals, even during difficult times… like when it’s 3 pm, you’ve had a long day full of never-ending meetings, and all you want is to stuff that leftover cupcake in the break room into your mouth.

In the end, when it comes to workplace wellness, it doesn’t entirely matter whether healthy people are more optimistic or optimistic people are healthier. Both are outcomes that will help employees be more engaged, positive, and productive members of a team. So promote optimism and nutrition in the workplace by creating an environment that embraces healthy eating and positive habits like recognition and team celebrations.

Need a few ideas to get started? Host a lunch and learn with a nutritionist who can share healthy eating tips with your staff. Replace regular Friday pizza deliveries with healthier alternatives like sushi, or celebrate Meatless Monday in the office by catering in a hearty vegetarian spread. Food delivery can be convenient and healthy, and with the arsenal of options available from Waiter.com, there’s no excuse not to celebrate wellness with your team as you create a more positive workplace!

The latest findings in behavioral nutrition suggest that laziness can make you healthier, and the research conducted could have a direct implication on employee wellness and corporate catering. Laziness, in fact, may be key to creating a more productive, healthier, and happier workplace.

And no, this isn’t an April Fool’s joke. It’s true… with a few caveats, of course.

A new study published in Appetite, and conducted by researchers at Saint Bonaventure University in New York, revealed that people will eat more of a healthy snack when it’s within arm’s reach — even when a more tempting treat is a little further away.

The study was relatively simple: 56 college-aged participants (of all body types) were instructed not to eat for two hours before coming in to complete a questionnaire. They were led to a table, sat down, and then left in the room unattended while the facilitator went to fetch the paperwork. Before departing, the facilitator mentioned off-handedly that they should feel free to snack from the food available if they liked.

A third of the participants were left with a dish of apple slices within arm’s reach, and a bowl of buttered popcorn about six feet away. The second group was in the opposite situation — popcorn was close, and apple slices were further. The third group had both kinds of snacks within arm’s reach.

Guess who ate the most of the healthy apple slices? The group who was closest to them — even though they later reported they preferred popcorn as a snack more than apples. They just didn’t want to get up to reach it. While we hear all the time that you should keep healthy food within reach, this study is worth noticing because it goes a step further — we’ll eat healthy food that’s within reach, even when there is a tastier, more tempting treat in the same room.

Context could explain some of the results: coming in to complete an experiment might leave people feeling a little nervous, and they don’t want to make a fuss by getting up to gobble popcorn when there are perfectly good apple slices right in front of them. Where else might this situation apply? In the office! During meetings, if bowls of fresh fruit and heart-healthy mixed nuts are placed at each seat around the conference table, chances are very good that attendees will enjoy these smarter snacks — even if a tray of cookies is located just a few steps away.

Research has shown in the past that employees who eat healthy food will be more alert, more able to focus, and more productive. There are endless ways to promote workplace wellness and healthy office snacks by leveraging laziness: keep cans of soda in a cupboard, and bottled water in the fridge. Put a bowl of fresh fruit on the break room table, and keep the candy on a higher shelf. During working lunches, keep a few veggie trays on the conference table, while the boxes of pizza stay on a serving table in the back of the room — attendees who want seconds will go for the easy, healthier target. Don’t limit options entirely, but make it easy for employees to make the healthier choice… which is a nicer-sounding way of saying leverage their laziness!

Promoting employee wellness is in everyone’s interest, and corporate catering can be your biggest ally — or undermine your best efforts. Help strike a balance between delicious and healthy with the wide range of menus and options available at Waiter.com. And don’t think you’re being lazy by taking advantage of our easy online ordering and prompt delivery right to your door — our service is just another way to make group food ordering and your office even more productive!

Is it better to get chicken or pork in my green curry from the Thai place?

I’m trying to cut back on salt — should I order coleslaw or baked beans from the barbecue joint?

When you want to order healthier office meals, these are the kinds of burning questions that you want answered… but comparing menus and nutrition facts isn’t always possible, and rarely convenient! Luckily, late last year, Google quietly rolled out a new nutrition comparison search tool that makes life a lot simpler for health-conscious office workers. For example, simply type in “compare baked beans and coleslaw”, and a handy side-by-side nutrition chart pops up. (It turns out that while both sides are roughly equal in terms of calories, baked beans contain more than twice as much sodium.)

How useful — and accurate — is the tool? Fairly, on both counts. NPR’s food news blog, The Salt, first reported on the comparison tool after Reddit users started discussing it in a forum; NPR’s reporting reveals that Google uses the USDA’s National Nutrient Database for its info. This means that most of the comparable items are simple, whole foods (like apples and oranges, for instance), but we found quite a few “composed dishes”, like the barbecue sides above.

Obviously, one restaurant’s coleslaw may be loaded with more mayo or salt than another, but it’s a decent guideline for busy, diet-conscious employees who want to order healthier takeout at work… without spending half an hour scouring menus for nutrition details. While you may not be able to quickly compare many staples of office meals (a BLT versus a turkey club, for instance, doesn’t work), you can immediately determine that ordering feta cheese on your salad instead of gorgonzola will cut your calorie intake by 25%.

So why did Google introduce this handy little tool? As the company’s spokeswoman told NPR, “We noticed that people were doing a lot of food and nutrition searches — multi-step searches on one food and another food. These things are often compared to one another, so we thought, why don’t we make it easy?”

And it is easy! Here are just a few office-friendly fun facts we found from using Google’s new tool:

Brown rice vs white rice

One cup of brown rice gives you 14% of your daily fiber, while white only has 2% — meaning you’ll feel fuller for a longer period of time if you choose the whole grain.

Bagels vs crossiants

Heading to a carb-heavy catered breakfast meeting? Go for the bagel — that buttery croissant has nearly ten times the fat, and half the protein and fiber.

Spinach vs kale

Go for a kale salad instead of spinach if you’re trying to fight off a cold: 1 cup of kale has 134% of your daily dose of immunity-boosting vitamin C, while spinach only has 14%.

Pepperoni vs ham

Pitching in to the pizza delivery? Go for a slice of Hawaiian: diced ham has half the saturated fat and considerably less sodium than classic pepperoni.

Now that you have access to a helpful tool to pick the healthiest choices for your office meals, choose the most convenient way to get them to the break room! Waiter.com offers fast food delivery, easy online ordering, and recurring catering through our Virtual Cafeteria Service.

The Paleo diet may be the one of the most buzzed-about health trends of the last few years, but a new study is suggesting that such protein-rich diets might be linked to cancer risk and a shorter lifespan. If your office is working to promote employee wellness, take note: the potential health ramifications of eating lots of protein, especially animal-based, over the long term shouldn’t be ignored.

The study from the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California tracked the eating patterns of more than 6,300 people in middle age — that is, 50 and over. Researchers found that people who ate high-protein diets (with 20% or more of their daily calories coming from protein) were four times more likely to die of cancer than people who only took less than 10% of their diets from protein sources. They were also three times as likely to die from diabetes, and had higher death rates from any cause.

Of course, the story isn’t that simple (as it rarely is in nutrition studies!). People who ate larger amounts of plant-based proteins (like legumes and nuts) saw a significant reduction in their risk of death compared to those who ate a lot of animal-based proteins, both from meat and dairy.

After the age of 65, though, high-protein diets seemed to have the opposite effect: people in that age group who ate more protein lived longer than those who didn’t. The study’s author, USC professor Valter D. Longo, suggests to The Wall Street Journal that, “Those high-protein diets were developed with a shortsighted vision. On a high-protein, high-fat diet you can lose weight, but in the long run you may be hurting yourself.”

Longo believes Americans are eating about twice as much protein as they should be. It’s true: protein is often seen as the centerpiece to a meal. Even in the office, we seem to think that meat makes a catered lunch or even pizza party complete, from the deli-style turkey piled on sandwiches to the pepperoni atop our pies. This can run contrary, though, to the advice that our workplace wellness programs tend to give out, and to the tenets of highly-supported eating philosophies like the Mediterranean diet or the DASH diet.

How can the office provide meals that may not be centered around protein, but will still be seen as whole, well-rounded business lunches and staff breakfasts?

When you order Mexican takeout, instead of entrees based around chicken or steak, order tacos or burritos stuffed full of brown rice and black beans, then topped with salsa and fresh guacamole. There will be plenty of plant-based protein in the beans, fiber in both the beans and the whole-grain brown rice, and healthy, monounsaturated fat in the guacamole. Your staff won’t even notice there’s no carnitas to be found!

Instead of a pizza party to celebrate meeting a goal or scoring a big account, set up an elaborate salad bar — only instead of wimpy-looking lettuce and sliced carrots, choose heartier ingredients as your base. A Mediterranean-inspired salad like tabbouleh, complete with bulgur, tomatoes, cucumbers, and parsley, is refreshing and surprisingly filling, while a quinoa and black bean Southwestern-style salad offers enough plant-based protein to fill even a hungry eater. Provide hummus, hearty bean dips, and plenty of sliced raw vegetables and whole-wheat crackers, too.

Many vegetarians can attest that Italian is the easiest cuisine to deliver satisfying meatless dishes. A catering table full of fresh, whole-wheat pasta, pesto-topped flatbreads, and lasagna stuffed with eggplant instead of sausage or beef will satisfy a hardworking team – just ask the restaurant or chef to go easy on the cheese.

The key to eating the right amount of protein is to have plenty of whole grains and vegetables on hand to keep diners feeling satisfied – simply substituting lots of processed carbohydrates will only lead to energy crashes and a whole different set of health problems. And when it comes to providing hearty, healthy business lunches or overtime meals, Waiter.com is here to help! No-fuss online ordering, recurring catering service, and prompt food delivery makes feeding your team the easiest part of your day.

In the middle of a busy work day, food delivery from a favorite takeout spot can be a lifesaver… until your meal leaves you zapped of energy, feeling overstuffed, and guilty for breaking your dietary goals. Isn’t lunch supposed to make you feel nourished and ready to take on the afternoon?

Why is it so tricky to find healthy takeout orders? Thousand-calorie salads. Savory sauces full of sugar. And let’s not even get started on portion sizes. Really, any restaurant meal has the potential to be a diet-wrecker, but perhaps no cuisine is as problematic as the kind that arrives in a little white folded box. Vegetables, rice, shrimp, chicken: Chinese takeout sounds like it should be quite healthy, but that’s only true if you know what to look for. Many dishes that sound like smart choices are actually laden with more oil, salt, and sugar than you might imagine.

So let’s explore the takeout menu, and identify a few key strategies to making your Chinese food delivery a healthier one:

Watch out for: 

Starting a meal with soup is usually a smart idea — but at most Chinese restaurants, they are loaded with sodium. A cup of hot and sour soup from P.F. Chang’s has 1,440 mg, which is pretty much what American Heart Association recommends we have all day (and that’s just a cup – the bowl has an unbelievable 7,980 mg of sodium).

Rice is perhaps the biggest nutritional land mine on a Chinese menu, mostly because of portion sizes. At Panda Express, a side of supposedly-healthy brown rice will add 420 calories to your meal! Ask for a half portion instead, and substitute mixed veggies for the rest of your “side dish”. White is similar in calorie content, but has less fiber… and you should probably just stay away from fried rice altogether.

 

Another healthy-sounding menu item is eggplant, but when cooked in a wok, the spongy vegetable can soak up a lot of oil. At P.F. Chang’s, an order of stir-fried eggplant (listed under the noble Vegetarian Plates category) will cost you 1,010 calories and 88 grams of fat. By contrast, the stir-fried Buddha’s Feast only has 420 calories and 12 grams of fat.

Smarter choices:

When it comes to chicken, think ginger. Compared to orange chicken (loaded with sugar) or black bean sauce (high in sodium), ginger chicken is usually the healthiest poultry option on the menu. It’s typically lower in fat, too: at fast-casual chain Pei Wei, ginger chicken has 14 grams of fat, while Kung Pao has more than twice that with 29 grams.

If you prefer red meat, beef with broccoli is usually your best bet; while beef will rarely be low-calorie, the ample serving of fresh broccoli makes it a wholesome lunch full of fiber and vitamins.

Another surprisingly healthy Chinese dish is shrimp with lobster sauce. While you might think lobster sauce will be creamy and thus loaded with fat, it’s actually a wine or broth-based sauce, and the shrimp is usually steamed or lightly stir-fried — often giving this dish half the fat of other shrimp dishes that are likely to be fried.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions or request customizations! Adding more vegetables and less meat is always a good idea (well, unless it’s eggplant). Some restaurants, like Pei Wei, offer a “stock velveted” or steamed cooking option, versus being cooked in oil, that can cut down significantly on fat content. Since most Chinese restaurants are privately owned and operated versus giant chains, nutrition details can vary widely depending on how much oil and seasoning is used during cooking… but many owners will be happy to accommodate special requests.

The easiest way to make your Chinese food delivery a healthy lunch? Grab a real plate from the break room, serve yourself a reasonable portion of your entree and a small helping of rice, and put the rest in the refrigerator. It will still be delicious tomorrow, and you’ll feel better — and be more productive — for the rest of the day. And with help from the experts at Waiter.com, it’s easy to have a quick meal delivered right to your office (or even your desk) so you can get back to work!

We’ve been hearing rave reviews of the Mediterranean diet for several years now. Maintaining a diet rich in fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts, and olive oil (along with the occasional serving of fish, yogurt, and other dairy product) has been linked to a wealth of health benefits. Mediterranean dieters can boast a lower risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s. Their cholesterol tends to be lower, along with their blood pressure, and they’re less likely to be overweight.

Now, however, a new benefit is being touted: people who eat a Mediterranean-style diet may be happier as well as healthier… which means, as an employer, it’s just smart business to focus your corporate catering routine on Mediterranean-inspired office meals. Including nutrition education and cooking classes in the employee wellness program couldn’t hurt, either. Happy employees make for more productive employees, and a growing body of research shows that our diets may have a much larger impact on our mood and well-being than we’ve previously considered.

In a massive study from the Journal of Psychosomatic Research, it was discovered that people eating fruits, vegetables, olive oil, and nuts — the foundation of a Mediterranean diet — were more likely to experience positive emotions like enthusiasm, pride, inspiration, and excitement. Those who ate the standard American fare of red meats, fast food, and sugar-laden treats more often reported feeling irritable, upset, distressed, and nervous… i.e., unhappy.

In the typical office environment, this is particularly bad news, because we tend to turn to unhealthy “comfort” food during times of stress or anxiety. Struggling to meet a deadline? Grab some chips and a Coke from the vending machine for lunch, because there’s no time for anything else. Depressed after hearing bad news from the boss? Maybe sneaking a few cookies from the box in the break room will make you feel better. Even on positive occasions, like meeting a big goal, the office tends to celebrate with the kind of food linked with negative moods: pizza for lunch, doughnuts in the morning, a trip to the local pub for beer and nachos after work. And while occasional treats are fine, of course, the sad fact remains that many of our office eating habits are being linked to lower levels of happiness.

It’s in everyone’s best interest — employer and employee — to cultivate a healthy, positive, happy environment in the workplace… and the Mediterranean diet can be a big part of that plan! One easy way to encourage the adoption of this plant-heavy diet is to host a lunch and learn, and share the findings regarding health, happiness, and the Mediterranean diet. Order in a fresh, delicious, Mediterranean-inspired spread like tabbouleh, grilled salmon, hummus, and plenty of fresh vegetables. Enjoying a healthy, tasty catered office lunch while learning about all the benefits of eating these foods could be an inspirational experience for employees who want to make positive changes in their life.

Another way to promote Mediterranean-inspired dining is to host a cooking class, and have a local chef share recipes for simple, healthy meals. Even simply revamping office meals to be more Mediterranean-friendly — for instance, participating in Meatless Monday by hosting a weekly vegetarian lunch, or spreading out sliced veggies and hummus at an afternoon meeting instead of chips and dip — can help promote a healthy work environment. And when you need wholesome, delicious meals for your team, Waiter.com makes it easy to order for a group, so you can spend your time on what really matters… your employees.

Between the infamous Subway Jared, Panera Bread’s not-so-secret “power menu”, and advertisements practically glistening with fresh vegetables, lean turkey, and whole wheat bread, it seems like your average sandwich shop is an easy place to grab a healthy lunch. And it should be — but, as with any restaurant, there are some land mines that people should watch out for.

After all, eating a healthy lunch isn’t just about watching your waistline. The food you consume on your lunch break — especially if, like many American office workers, you eat at your desk — can dictate how you’ll feel the rest of the day. Will your energy levels crash around 3 pm, or will you feel focused and have a productive afternoon? A lot of that depends on whether you eat a healthy office lunch!

It seems like common sense should be sufficient to order a healthy lunch at a sandwich shop. As long as you choose a non-cheesy bread, stick to lean meats, pile on fresh vegetables, and avoid creamy sauces, you’re in good shape, right?

Not exactly. Many ostensibly “healthy” takeout spots manage to sneak plenty of fat, salt, and sugar into menu items that a conscientious diner might not expect. Here are four sandwich shop land mines to look out for, both at the big chains, and at your local mom & pop shop: When it comes to bread, the lowest-calorie slice is rarely the winning choice.  Take Panera Bread’s bread, for example: their lowest-cal option is their basic white bread, with only 170 calories per serving. But, the white bread only offers one measly gram of fiber – meaning you won’t feel full for very long, and may find yourself grabbing an unhealthy treat from a vending machine a few hours later. However, if you’d chosen the 330-calorie whole grain miche, you’d have consumed 8 grams of fiber – along with 14 grams of protein.

Beware the fat-free condiments. Not all fat is bad for you, but added sugar is rarely good! Take Subway’s dressing selection as a cautionary tale: their sweet onion dressing and honey mustard may be fat-free, but they clock in at 8 and 6 grams of sugar, respectively. That’s likely to cause a spike (and subsequent crash) of your blood sugar. By contrast, a few splashes of the naturally sugar-free oil and vinegar might add 5 grams of fat – but it will mainly be the healthy, monounsaturated fats that make olive oil a staple of the Mediterranean diet. If a meat is smoked, watch out for salt. Common sense says go for lean meats, like turkey over bacon, and chicken over steak: but when it comes to sodium, that wisdom doesn’t hold true. At Panera, their selection of “smoked” meats can contain nearly four times as much salt as the rest. That smoked turkey breast packs in 1040mg of sodium, while the steak only has 210 – and our daily recommended intake is around 1500mg. Depending on your dietary concerns, conventional wisdom might be wrong on this one. Salad does not equal healthy. Simply choosing a salad doesn’t mean your meal is automatically healthy. At the McAllister’s Deli chain, a grilled chicken Caesar salad clocks in with 67 grams of fat – more than most people should eat in an entire day. Panera’s chicken cobb with avocado isn’t much better, with 48 grams of fat. And, while few of us would expect Subway’s very unhealthy-sounding “steak and bacon melt salad” would be a diet-friendly choice, diners might be surprised to find that their spicy tuna salad is just as bad (5 grams of saturated fat in both). Sticking to vinaigrettes is usually a good idea when it comes to restaurant salads, but better yet, do a little homework online beforehand to make sure your salad actually constitutes a healthy office lunch.

For a healthy, wholesome lunch that’s not secretly stuffed with saturated fat, added sugar, or copious amounts of salt, consider these guidelines the next time you order in from the sandwich shop! Luckily, the ordering process itself will be a no-brainer when you use Waiter.com – with online ordering and prompt delivery, at least you won’t have to worry about how your newly nutritious lunch will arrive at the office.

270 pounds: that’s the size of your typical refrigerator, or a North American black bear. It’s also how much meat the average American eats per year, and equates to around three-quarters of a pound of meat per day.

And with study after study suggesting that a diet lower in meat and higher in plant-based foods can lead to longer life, lower blood pressure, and a smaller environmental impact, many offices, schools, and restaurants across the country are making an effort to reduce meat consumption. You’ve probably heard of one particularly specific and successful campaign: Meatless Mondays.

If your workplace is concerned about employee health and wellness (not to mention reducing health care costs), it may be time add Meatless Mondays to your corporate catering plan! Since 2003, cafeterias and restaurants across the country (and in more than 28 others) have made it a point to offer vegetarian alternatives on Mondays. And for those who follow the routine, skipping meat just one day a week means they’ll eat about 40 pounds less per year.

Worried about the burger lovers in your office balking if you introduce the idea? Don’t be. Many participants don’t eliminate meat entirely, but instead feature vegetarian entrees along with a meat option. This strategy has been successful even in unlikely cattle-country communities like Omaha, Nebraska, where Benson Brewery’s Meatless Monday menus (adding dishes like mushroom stroganoff or kale and lentil salad) have led to packed dining rooms on the night that’s infamously slow in the restaurant business.

The point, according to health experts like Dr. Neal Barnard, is to make people realize that going meatless is possible — and potentially delicious. As Dr. Barnard tells MeatlessMonday.com, “First of all, in order to make a long-term change, you have to discover what is possible. And if a person has just realized, ‘Here it is Monday, and I just skipped the meat for one day,’ that means you’ll discover that your local restaurant may serve a bang-up Angel Hair Pasta with Wild Mushrooms. You learn that you can do it, and you learn what you can have.”

Introducing Meatless Monday to an omnivore office is easier than it sounds. Does your corporate catering plan include providing full lunches to employees? Request approachable vegetarian options like lasagna with eggplant instead of sausage, or butternut squash ravioli. If your typical lunch routine includes simply ordering in takeout for the office, load up on options like black bean burritos from the Mexican place or a veggie-stuffed curry from the Indian restaurant. Include a few meat options as well, but simply make the emphasis on the vegetables instead of the usual beef, pork, or chicken.

Most importantly, however, is starting a conversation with employees about the benefits of eating a plant-based diet. Meatless Mondays have been successful all over the world because most people want to be healthier. They want to reduce their risk of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity… and by focusing on how delicious and nutritious a veggie-based meal can be, you could end up making a real dent in those 270 pounds. The campaign has literally dozens of posters, menu cards, and other attention-grabbing infographics for offices to use in their lunch rooms for just this purpose.

At the end of the day, your employees will appreciate delicious food. And that’s where the office dining experts at Waiter.com come in: we can help ensure your staff has an outstanding experience with vegetarian meals! From healthy takeout options to fully catered lunches, our team is standing by to meet your needs any day of the week.

Eating healthy at the office can be notoriously difficult, especially when coworkers team up to order from a takeout place. Most dieters breathe a sigh of relief, however, when we hear that the sushi place is the delivery pick of the day. Fish, vegetables, rice — sushi’s totally healthy. Right?

Not so fast. Traditional sushi fare, like sashimi (just super-fresh fish), and nigiri (a small mound of rice topped with a slice of fish), are simple, fresh, and usually quite high in protein and low in calories. However, when you start ordering some Americanized rolls, stuffed with cream cheese and topped with heavy mayo-based sauces, you also start loading on saturated fats and calories.

You don’t need to stick to plain fish and rice to make a healthy office lunch, though, if that doesn’t sound appealing. Most sushi menus are full of smart choices — all it takes is a little planning and, frankly, some common sense. Here’s what to keep in mind as you plan your meal:

1) Get the biggest nutritional bang for your buck by selecting sushi that includes salmon and tuna. Not only are they both low in calories and high in protein — both contain a considerable amount of omega-3 fatty acids. They’re also among the few natural food sources of vitamin D, which boasts health benefits like boosting immunity and alleviating depression.

2) As with most meals, starting with a broth-based soup is a smart idea, and most sushi restaurants have one of the healthiest options available. Adding a cup of miso soup to your takeout order won’t just curb your appetite before you dig into the sushi itself: miso (made from fermented soybeans) is high in minerals like manganese, zinc, and phosphorous, as well as protein and fiber.

3) Another healthy appetizer to add? Edamame. Packed with protein, fiber, and vitamins while keeping relatively low on calories, these shelled soybeans’ only downside is that they’re usually prepared with lots of salt.

4) Purists may be horrified at the idea, but order rolls made with brown rice instead of traditional sushi rice, which is white — and a sushi roll can include as much as one cup of rice, or about 200 calories. As a healthy whole grain, brown rice includes more nutrients and fiber, and will keep you feeling fuller throughout the day.

5) Watch the sauces. Most “spicy” rolls, including the ubiquitous spicy tuna, are topped with a calorie-laden mayo-based sauce. Eel rolls get their sweet-and-salty kick from their thick, sugary brown sauce (also higher in calories). Philadelphia rolls, naturally, get their name because they include cream cheese. If these are among your favorites (and they are delicious!) ask a coworker to share an order rather than making it your entire lunch.

6) And finally, beware of the temptation of tempura. These crispy shrimp and vegetables are full of flavor and a Japanese tradition, but building your meal around fried food isn’t generally a healthy lunch idea. This is also where common sense comes into play: if the menu description includes the words “crispy” or “crunchy”, you can bet it will be fried.

To keep your sushi lunch as healthy as possible, keep it simple. A cup of miso soup, an order of edamame, and a few servings of salmon or tuna nigiri makes for a nutritious lunch that’s full of flavor. Simplicity, nuanced flavors, and good health: just what Japanese cuisine is meant to be.

Make your office lunches not only healthy, but convenient: Waiter.com offers easy online ordering for groups, as well as prompt delivery. You can focus on your healthy office lunch, not the hassle of getting it to the break room!

Employers who care about workplace wellness, employee satisfaction, or just plain old attendance rates should take note: the FDA is updating its nutrition labels, and making room for some new featured nutrients. Your office lunches and catering plan should be prepared to follow suit.

Late last week, Michelle Obama announced the FDA’s proposal for changes to nutrition labels on food packaging. For the first time in 20 years, the ubiquitous label is getting a face-lift. There’s a larger emphasis on calories, accurate serving sizes, and added sugars… as well as two new players in the “good-for-you” nutrients section: potassium and vitamin D.

On the labels, these two nutrients bump off two star players in the vitamin game: vitamin C and vitamin A. Why? Essentially, according to the FDA, because few Americans consume enough potassium and vitamin D, while the more prevalent (and popular) vitamin C and A aren’t as much of a concern.

This is where employers should start paying attention. This shift matters to you. Research has shown in the past that proper nutrition makes a difference in energy levels and productivity at the workplace, and there’s very good reason to think that vitamin D may be key to healthier, happier employees.

No disrespect to potassium, the other new kid on the nutrition-label-block: it’s considered a vital nutrient in the current landscape of American obesity and chronic disease mostly because of its link to regulating blood pressure. Vitamin D, for its part, has a host of health benefits: building bones and muscle strength, reducing risk of heart disease and cancer, and even boosting weight loss efforts.

Getting enough vitamin D also has been linked with increased immunity — that is, better odds of fighting off a bout of the winter flu or common cold. It’s also been reported that getting enough vitamin D drastically decreases the risk of depression (one of the chief ways we absorb vitamin D is through sunlight, leading some researchers to hypothesize that a lack of vitamin D may be the culprit behind the “winter blues” or seasonal affective disorder).

We don’t often talk about office productivity and vitamins, but in the case of vitamin D, there’s clearly a laundry list of factors that directly affect work performance and absenteeism. Workplace wellness programs have skyrocketed in popularity over the last decade due to rising health care costs, which are ascribed to chronic illnesses like heart disease and obesity — vitamin D can help reduce the risks of those diseases. Vitamin D deficiencies can lead to increased risk of illness and depression, which in turn leads to missed work days — in fact, a 2013 report estimates that depression costs U.S. employers $23 billion in absenteeism each year.

Vitamin D isn’t a cure-all for illness or depression, of course, but the science suggests that consuming enough of it can make a real difference. After all, if the FDA is rearranging the nationwide nutrition labels to make room for it, it’s probably worth your time to consider the impact vitamin D could have on your office.

Start small: make sure your office lunches, catering table, and break room are packed full of vitamin D powerhouses. Only certain foods are naturally rich in vitamin D, like salmon, canned tuna, and sardines, as well as egg yolks. Many common breakfast foods are fortified with vitamin D, a practice that began in the days when rickets was a national health crisis: look for milk, orange juice, yogurt, and cereals enriched with vitamin D for healthy office breakfasts.

Serve your staff well by sharing knowledge alongside office meals: after all, workplace wellness isn’t just about gym passes or yoga classes. And when it comes to providing the healthy meals that you can use as a conversation starter about nutrition, Waiter.com is in your corner.

There’s a reason Mark Bittman, The New York Times columnist and food writer, relishes referring to the “Standard American Diet” by its acronym — the state of our collective nutrition habits is pretty sad. It’s time to seriously consider how to get healthy foods into our daily diet.

Most people eat no more than three servings of fruits and vegetables a day (if you don’t count white potatoes, which most nutritionists would prefer); the average American needing 2,000 calories a day should be eating nine. We’re supposed to eat about four servings of whole grains per day — but the average American eats less than one. And that average is dragged way down by the 40% of us who don’t eat whole grains… ever.

We all know the story: our poor eating habits have led to more than a third of Americans being categorized as obese, with significantly increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. The rising health care costs have, in turn, led many businesses to embrace corporate wellness programs as a possible way to improve employee health and reduce costs. Some companies provide perks like discounted gym memberships, healthy cooking classes, and complimentary screenings.

But what about the food we eat in the workplace? If your company is trying to promote employee wellness, it can be a challenge to find a compromise at the catered breakfast meeting. Oftentimes, office meals are meant to be a reward… and few of us view a hearty kale salad as more rewarding than a big slice of pizza.

And, of course, the task of ordering up office meals often falls to administrative assistants who don’t want to be the bad guy. If your meal-planning duties are putting you between a rock and a hard place — or between a doughnut box and an egg-white omelette — here are some ways to sneak fruits, vegetables, and whole grains into all of your office meals.

Office breakfasts:

Serve smoothies that include whole fruit, low-fat yogurt, and even “hidden” greens (however, there are lots of sugar-ladened smoothies out there, so do a little online research first).

Serve a fritatta packed with vegetables and a little bacon, instead of a crust-heavy quiche or dish of straight breakfast meats.

Choose attractive fruit: a bowl of mixed berries or fruit salad will likely be much more appealing than whole bananas or apples.

Meeting snacks:

Serve heart-healthy mixed nuts instead of empty-calorie pretzels.

Instead of chips and dip, opt for whole-wheat crackers and sliced vegetables like radishes, bell peppers, and cucumbers alongside guacamole, hummus, and cubes of low-fat cheese.

Dish up the sneakiest whole grain out there: popcorn!

At the catering table:

Order a pasta dish with a vegetable-packed sauce, or a vegetarian lasagna — if it’s well-seasoned, many diners won’t notice they’re eating zucchini and eggplant instead of sausage or beef.

Swap whole grain bread for white on deli sandwiches in box lunches, and cut out some fat by supplying mustard instead of mayo.

If green salads often go untouched in your office, opt for a lettuce-free version: think a Greek salad composed of tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers, and red bell peppers, or a Southwestern-style black bean and corn salad. To some coworkers, leafy greens may signal “unappetizing”, so just leave them out and see what happens.

In the group takeout order:

Order sweet potato fries instead of regular fries from a gourmet burger spot (or a half-and-half mix, depending on your crowd). Sweet potatoes offer significantly more nutrients than white ones.

Include vegetarian quesadillas packed with mushrooms, peppers, and onions instead of just chicken and cheese when you order a Mexican spread.

Choose brown rice instead of white from the Chinese place.  

Although it takes a little planning, getting healthy foods incorporated into the office meal routine is important. Whatever the occasion, Waiter.com can help busy admin assistants plan and execute the perfect menu for any hard-to-please crowd!

Stress eating at the office has earned quite a bad reputation. Mindlessly chowing down on bags of Fritos from the vending machine, or obsessively gobbling from the office candy bowl are just a few of the images that pop into our minds… and they’re closely linked with the reason why we tend to indulge in ice cream straight from the carton after a long day at work or even during a bad breakup. We associate certain foods with comfort, and we reach for those first when we’re overloaded and overwhelmed. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Research has shown that eating can combat stress in a healthy, positive way — one that has less to do with comfort foods and more to do with the way vitamins, proteins, and hormones influence our mood and state of mind. Healthy food may not solve all your problems, but it may give the boost of energy, brainpower, or serotonin you need to take them on with confidence. So next time a deadline is looming, your boss is demanding superhuman feats, or you can barely bring yourself to look at your inbox, treat yourself to one of these stress-relieving office meals.

Ordering lunch from a nicer restaurant or visiting a catering table? Make a beeline for salmon with a side of asparagus. Asparagus is rich in folic acid, a nutrient linked to alleviating depression. Paired with grilled salmon, a reliable source of the omega-3 fatty acids that can reduce anxiety, and this plate of food is not only a smart choice for your waistline: it’s good for your state of mind.

Studies have shown that the amount of B-vitamins we consume can have a direct impact on stress in the workplace. Rather than popping a pill, get your vitamin B fix on your lunch break: order Indian takeout with plenty of chickpeas or lentils or have a dark leafy-green salad topped with chicken. All are high in B-vitamins!

On days with packed schedules, have a bowl of oatmeal for the most important meal of the day. The complex carbohydrates in oatmeal will boost serotonin production, which can lead to calmer nerves and better ability to focus. Be aware, however, that eating protein can block the serotonin production in the brain, so add berries or a banana to your oatmeal instead of nuts in order to get the full benefit.

During periods of high stress, don’t forget to snack – but do forget about the chips and candy bars you might normally reach for. Instead, choose a snack high in vitamin C. Not only are vitamin C-rich foods famous for boosting immunity: they can quickly reduce feelings of anxiety by decreasing the secretion of cortisol, the hormone released when stressful situations arise. Tasty treats that pack a vitamin C punch include red bell peppers, citrus fruits like oranges, papaya, and strawberries.

When it comes to maintaining office energy, nothing does the trick quite like a wholesome, healthy, stress-busting office meal… and the experts at Waiter.com have the perfect solution for your company catering needs. Best of all, coordinating lunch for a big group causes no stress at all when you use our easy online ordering or Virtual Cafeteria Service for regular deliveries.

As the Olympics blast off in Sochi this weekend, the world’s eyes will be on the elite group of athletes competing in the Winter Games. Many of us are impressed by their athletic prowess and their dedication — it takes years of commitment and hard work to become an Olympian! Perhaps, though, we should pay a little more attention to how many Olympic athletes treat their bodies: they are like finely-tuned machines that require care and upkeep, especially when it comes to nutrition.

While Michael Phelps’s famous 8,000-calorie-a-day diet is not a routine any non-athlete should be emulating, the reality is most Olympic diets aren’t nearly as extreme or even contain that many exotic ingredients (aside from copious amounts of protein powder). Many athletes report simply eating a wholesome, healthy variety of meals and snacks throughout the day to keep their bodies in the best possible condition so they can excel at their sport.

And while your office may not be a mountainside ski slope or a winding luge course, it’s definitely worth considering the Olympic point of view that our nutrition habits affect our ability to stay healthy, concentrate on our daily tasks, and be productive at work! That’s why powerhouse companies like Google not only offer free food, but encourage their employees to partake in healthy meals and snacks over junk food.

Olympians understand food doesn’t just fuel their bodies: it affects their minds as well. As American curler Jessica Schultz reports, “We have to make sure we’re getting the best nutrition to keep our brain fueled so we can focus for the two and half hours we’re on the ice.” Even if you’re spending your days in an office chair instead of an ice rink, the same principle applies: proper nutrition makes for better focus, period.

Ready to incorporate some Olympic wisdom into your office meals? To get started, here are three tips from the experts and athletes themselves:

Breakfast is essential! Every Olympian who describes their daily diet to curious journalists includes a healthy breakfast, almost always with a mix of whole grains and protein. At the Olympic Village in Sochi, the U.S. ski and snowboard team’ s official “high performance chef” will serve athletes oatmeal, Greek yogurt with fresh berries, and hard boiled eggs each morning. Next time you want to have a motivating team meeting, skip the lunchtime pizza delivery and invite employees to a healthy staff breakfast instead.

Go nuts for snacks. Maybe it’s because Blue Diamond almonds are an official sponsor, but most discussions about Olympic eating habits include an offhand mention of nuts as a must-have snack. Snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler tells Women’s Health her go-to snack is  “dried mangoes, walnuts, and goji berries. The mix provides iron, antioxidants, and omega-3s and really kicks up my energy.” Providing healthy snacks in the office encourages employees to make choices that will help their energy levels stay steady, rather than succumbing to the spike-and-crash of eating sugary treats like cookies or candy… and research shows that nuts are one of the healthiest snacks available.

Red meat? Not so much. It depends on the sport, of course, but many athletes (especially those who don’t need to pack on pounds) are favoring vegetarian or plant-heavy diets supplemented by lean meats like chicken and seafood. Julia Mancuso, the most-decorated alpine skier on Team USA, reports to Glamour that “I love sushi, so if it’s available where I am, then that’s definitely my go-to. If not, I stick with a lean protein, veggies, and brown rice.” Take a cue from Julia: order sushi instead of greasy takeout for your next office lunch, and at the catering table, replace a heavy beef entree with wild salmon for more brain-boosting omega-3s.

When you want to treat your team to Olympic-inspired office meals, Waiter.com makes it easy! We’ll do the heavy lifting, thanks to our easy online ordering and Virtual Cafeteria Service… while you collect a gold medal from your satisfied staff.

The Mediterranean diet is in the news all the time — only, unlike some of the other recent diet fads, it’s not due to celebrity endorsements or splashy self-help books. Rather, the Mediterranean diet tends to crop up in news articles and NPR broadcasts because scientists and researchers are continually finding new health benefits to its core tenets: eating plenty of vegetables, fruits, nuts, fish, and olive oil, along with less meat, butter, and processed foods.

For instance, last November, we learned that women who generally followed a Mediterranean diet in their fifties were 40 percent less likely to develop chronic diseases, like Parkinson’s and cancer, later in life, and had better memory and physical function than women who didn’t eat as healthfully. So far this month, two different reports show that following the Mediterranean diet can lead to reduced risk of plaque buildup in our arteries and even reduce our risk for Type 2 diabetes.

It’s becoming increasingly apparent that the Mediterranean diet may be a very smart strategy to counter the ongoing obesity crisis and skyrocketing occurrence of chronic diseases that are driving health care costs out of control. Employers who are seeking ways to promote employee health and wellness — and reducing their own health care costs at the same time — would be smart to consider how they can promote a Mediterranean diet within the walls of the workplace. And since it’s hard to encourage employees to eat more fresh vegetables and fish while simultaneously stocking the vending machine with Cheetos and ordering double-pepperoni pies every Friday, here are a few ways to feature the Mediterranean diet in your corporate catering routine:

Office vending machines and snack drawers are notoriously stuffed with potato chips, packaged cupcakes, and all of the highly processed junk foods that nutrition experts advise we should rarely, if ever, eat… and certainly not try to make a meal out of during busy workdays when we need sustainable, wholesome energy the most. When it comes to easy-to-access snack foods, take a cue from the Mediterranean diet and supply packages of lightly salted nuts, fresh or dried fruit, and whole grain crackers.

If you occasionally order in lunch for your staff as a special thank-you or celebration, don’t simply default to pizza delivery or greasy takeout boxes. Consider healthier takeout options like sushi, which is a great source of fresh fish and can be made with fiber-rich brown rice, or Indian cuisine, which is usually based around vegetables, lentils, and chickpeas instead of meat and white bread.

Treating your staff to fully catered meals is an excellent way to introduce Mediterranean diet-friendly foods into the office. Just choose salmon instead of beef or pork for an entree dish, and swap out the mac and cheese or mayo-heavy pasta salad in favor of a whole grain version, like tabbouleh or a quinoa salad. Be sure to include a few vegetable side dishes, like asparagus drizzled with olive oil or roasted root vegetables. Potatoes, America’s favorite vegetable, aren’t really included in the Mediterranean diet.

Most importantly, don’t just start serving different, healthier foods without telling your employees why! Make the Mediterranean diet’s potential an ongoing conversation, and create a positive environment that supports healthy lifestyle changes. Schedule a chef to come in and conduct a healthy cooking class one afternoon, or have a nutritionist present at a lunch-and-learn. And when it’s time to order office meals, Waiter.com can help your office break out of unhealthy eating habits by presenting a wide variety of wholesome, Mediterranean-friendly meals.

Anyone who has tried to read up on healthy eating and weight loss is probably very familiar with the term “portion control”. But what, exactly, does portion control mean? And how can we put portion control to practice in our daily lives — especially in the office, when takeout lunches and catering tables are in ample supply?

The truth is, we all encounter two portions or serving sizes in our daily lives: the portions we’re actually served (or serve ourselves) and the portions that are recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Wait — let’s clarify. You may not actually encounter the USDA-recommended serving sizes, unless you make a point to practice vigilant portion control on your own. Most packaged foods and restaurant dishes are quite larger than the recommended portions, but with a little research — and some visual aids — you can learn to estimate pretty accurate portion sizes, even during office lunches. And as nutrition experts suggest, this skill may be key to achieving weight loss and diet goals.

With that in mind, let’s examine both the recommended daily intake (now measured in cups & ounces instead of more ambiguous “servings”) from the USDA, as well as what reasonable portions from each food group might look like:

Protein (5 – 6.5 ounces per day recommended)

Meat: a 3-ounce serving is about the size of a deck of cards

Fish fillet: a 3-ounce serving is about size of a checkbook

Lentil/bean soup: a 2-ounce serving is one cup of soup

Eggs: one egg is a 1-ounce serving (this one’s easy!)

Peanut butter: a 2-ounce serving is 2 tablespoons, about the size of a ping pong ball

Grains (5-8 ounces per day recommended, at least half from whole grains)

Pasta & rice: one 2-ounce serving is one cup of cooked pasta or rice, about the size of a tennis ball

Bagels: one large bagel is usually a 4-ounce serving (yikes!)

Oatmeal: one packet of instant oatmeal (or 1/2 cup cooked) is a 1-ounce serving

Bread: two slices of bread make a 2-ounce serving

Fruits (1.5 – 2 cups per day recommended)

Apples: 1 small apple is one cup

Bananas: 1 large banana is one cup

Oranges: 1 large orange is one cup

Strawberries: 8 large strawberries equals one cup

Grapes: 32 grapes equals one cup

Veggies (2-3 cups per day recommended)

Sweet potatoes: 1 large sweet potato is one cup

Carrots: 12 baby carrots equals one cup

Bell peppers: 1 large bell pepper is one cup

Corn: 1 large ear of corn is one cup

Greens/spinach: 2 cups raw or 1 cup cooked is a one cup serving; 1 cup is about the size of a baseball

Oils/fats (5-7 teaspoons per day recommended)

Mayonnaise: 2 teaspoons is about the size of two dice

Butter: 1 teaspoon is the size of a postage stamp

Dairy (3 cups per day recommended, but choose low-fat varieties)

Note: Recommended allowance is 3 cups per day, but choose low-fat varieties

Yogurt: one 8-ounce container is one cup of dairy serving

Cheese: 1.5-ounce serving of cheese is one cup of dairy serving; about the size of eight or nine dice

Cottage cheese: 2 cups of cottage cheese equals one cup of dairy serving

Bottom Line:

What do proper portion sizes look like when it comes to office meals?

At a breakfast meeting: half a bagel with half a Ping-pong ball-sized serving of peanut butter; an 8-ounce container of yogurt; a whole banana

From the Chinese takeout spread: a deck-of-cards-sized serving of pork or beef; a tennis ball-sized pile of rice; a baseball-sized pile of garlicky spinach or broccoli

From the conference catering table: a checkbook-sized piece of salmon or a cup of lentil soup; a tennis ball-sized scoop of whole wheat pasta; a baked sweet potato; a dish of 8 large strawberries for dessert

This may be tricky at first, especially if you’re used to consuming the entire portion plopped on your plate or stuffed into a takeout box. The first step, though, is simply knowing what a good portion size looks like… then you can practice only going back for seconds of the veggies and fruits, instead of the bagels and pasta!

Catering and takeout at the office doesn’t have to be a challenge for health-conscious employees. Waiter.com makes it simple and straightforward to order a wide variety of nutritious foods so that every food group can be represented in the lunch room!

It seems as though the experts have (mostly) agreed: multivitamins aren’t doing us any favors. An editorial in the latest Annals of Internal Medicine, efficiently titled “Enough is Enough: Stop Wasting Money on Vitamin and Mineral Supplements”, argues that evidence is clear enough to conclude vitamin supplements have no benefit on our health.

“The message is simple: Most supplements do not prevent chronic disease or death, their use is not justified, and they should be avoided,” the editorial states. Its closing line is even more clear-cut: “[W]e believe that the case is closed— supplementing the diet of well-nourished adults with (most) mineral or vitamin supplements has no clear benefit and might even be harmful. These vitamins should not be used for chronic disease prevention. Enough is enough.” Written by Dr. Eliseo Guallar and his colleagues, the editorial was prompted by three independent studies published in the journal that month. All of them pointed to insufficient evidence that multivitamins and other supplements led to any positive impact on health or prevention of disease.

What does this mean for the everyday American? Essentially, researchers are telling us that we need to get our vitamins and minerals from our diet, instead of pills. There are certainly exceptions (pregnant women should still take their prenatal vitamins, and people in rainy climates may benefit from vitamin D supplements); there are also several high-profile detractors who argue that supplements can still play a role in our overall health. These detractors claim that multivitamins can act as an insurance policy for people who won’t eat a proper diet. Still, you’re hard-pressed to find an expert who would claim that vitamins from a bottle are equal to or better than vitamins from food.

In the workplace, attention-grabbing headlines like the aforementioned editorial (and others, including “Vitamin D’oh: Your Multivitamins Aren’t Doing a D**n Thing”) offer a unique opportunity to start conversations about diet and health, but without the stigma of weight loss and obesity that can make some employees uncomfortable. The expert recommendation that we should be getting our vitamins and minerals from our food offers a natural opening to discuss eating habits, especially within the office and the company catering plan.

If your employees are paying attention to health news and studies, they may be ready to replace their multivitamins by focusing on cultivating a healthier, more naturally nutrient-rich diet. And this is great news, because employee nutrition should be a priority to all companies. What your staff members eat can impact their engagement and productivity, absenteeism, and your health care costs. All of this dramatic vitamin news is a great way to start focusing on creating a more nutritious company catering plan and a healthier workforce!

Start a conversation in the break room about the latest multivitamin news, and use it as a catalyst to order healthy takeout and request more nutrient-dense superfoods on the catering table. Here are just a few specific foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals, and will easily find a place in your company’s dining routine:

• Red bell peppers: calcium, B-vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin A
• Almonds: vitamin E, B-vitamins, magnesium
• Garbanzo beans (chickpeas): folate, vitamin B6, manganese
• Lentils: iron, fiber, calcium, zinc
• Oranges: calcium, vitamin C, folate, carotenoids
• Salmon: vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12, potassium, selenium, omega-3’s
• Leafy dark greens, like kale & spinach: vitamin A, vitamin K, manganese, iron

When it comes to feeding your employees right, Waiter.com may be your strongest ally! Our customizable ordering and wide variety of delivery options makes it easy to satisfy all the requirements of a healthy diet — no multivitamins needed.

Who’s going to complain about free food? In some cases, it may be your employees.

Staff meals are a workplace perk that has become almost commonplace in the tech industry. In companies where employees are asked to work long hours and spend a lot of time in the office, providing meals and snacks is an easy way to communicate a message of appreciation and prioritizing employee comfort. However, it appears there can be too much of a good thing: in a recent article in the New York Post, health-conscious employees list the reasons why the free food trend may be facing a backlash.

“It’s nonstop food,” says Josie Dressendofer, a sales exec for a New York IT firm. “It’s the reason I can’t get rid of those last ten pounds.”

When staff meals mean a box of donuts for breakfast and pizza for lunch, it’s understandable that workers might feel like their employers don’t care about their growing waistline or their overall health. Most employers provide free food to boost employee morale and show appreciation. But if you’re providing a constant supply of fatty foods to a staff member who is working hard to lose weight, that employee is going to feel like the office culture isn’t supporting her efforts.

Even dedicated dieters find it difficult to decline free food in the workplace. They may feel as though they won’t be seen as enthusiastic team players if they don’t join in on the staff meal, even if it’s loaded with sugar or fat grams that they’re trying to avoid. In some cases, there may even be office “food bullies” that purposefully make healthy eaters feel guilty or snobby when they don’t partake.

There are a few solutions to the free food backlash, and none include canceling the staff meal! Most importantly, serve healthy food — at least part of the time. You don’t have to swear off pizza, but order a big salad alongside so that conscientious eaters can participate without overindulging. Don’t let unhealthy food be the only option.

When healthy food is present, make it the most easily accessible. Google reorganized their beloved campus cafes to make healthier options more visible, reduced portion sizes on rich desserts, and even famously moved their M&M’s from glass jars to opaque ones and saw calories consumed from candy drop by nine percent. Follow their lead: keep the bowl of fruit on the counter, and stash candy in the cupboard for those employees with a sweet tooth.

Promote wellness as well as providing treats. Even if you don’t have an extensive employee wellness program, you can organize an after-work hiking club or create a workplace team for a charity run. This will help employees who are striving to improve their health feel as though the workplace is a safe and supportive environment, not a threat to their personal goals.

From increasing productivity to improving employees’ job satisfaction, the benefits of staff meals and free food are well worth the effort; with a few small tweaks, you can avoid the backlash and help employees feel as though you’re truly on their side. Online ordering and Virtual Cafeteria Service from Waiter.com make it easy to provide healthy options at every occasion.

When offices order lunches from sit-down restaurants as a special treat, employees might automatically think they’ll be eating healthier food than when they grab a quick burger from the fast food place down the street. However, a recent study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior indicates that may not be the case.

The study examined the nutrition information from nearly 21 chain restaurants, divided into lower-end eateries like Denny’s and IHOP, mid-priced options like Applebee’s and Olive Garden, and pricier restaurants like The Capital Grille and Morton’s. The average restaurant entree was 800 calories, with an adult meal (which researchers defined as including an entree, side dish, and half of an appetizer) averaged 1,495 calories and 28 grams of saturated fat. Considering that adults are cautioned to limit their daily calorie intake to approximately 2,000 calories and 15 grams of saturated fat for the entire day, it’s easy to see how ordering healthy lunches for work can be a challenge — and ordering the wrong item can wreak havoc on your best efforts to follow a reasonable diet.

Skipping the bacon cheeseburger with fries is an obvious strategy, but unfortunately, it’s not that easy. Many innocent-sounding restaurant meals are hidden calorie bombs: take Applebee’s, where five of their seven entree salads pack in more than 1,000 calories apiece.

What’s a hungry but health-conscious diner to do? At work, when it’s time to add your choice to the office lunch delivery order, you may not have time to pore over calorie counts and select the absolute healthiest option. Here are a few rules of thumb that will help you navigate the menu:

1) Beware anything marketed as “crispy” or “crunchy”. This usually means fried, which will usually lead to an entree with higher calories and more saturated fat. Case in point: P.F. Chang’s crispy honey chicken racks up about 1,430 calories, while the ginger chicken with broccoli is just under 820 calories.

2) Skip the full-fat, creamy salad dressings. Applebee’s highest-calorie salad (the 1,320-calorie pecan-crusted chicken salad) drops a stunning 430 calories when you order it sans dressing. Generally, clear dressings like balsamic vinaigrettes are the healthiest choice.

3) Exercise portion control. Studies show that restaurant offerings have ballooned in size over the years, with the average hamburger being 20 percent larger than it was two decades ago. Once you have your food, put half of it on a plate and leave the other half in its take-out box to take home at the end of the day; now you have two reasonably-sized meals instead of one gigantic lunch.

4) Don’t mistake appetizers for lighter meals. A 2010 study found that many restaurants’ starters frequently had the most calories and fat on the menu; for example, Olive Garden’s bruschetta has 950 calories, while a lunch portion of lasagna has more than 60 percent fewer calories, with a much more reasonable 580.

5) Keep your eyes peeled for a “lighter choices” section on the menu — they’re being added in many chain restaurants due to new health care reform laws that will soon require calorie counts to be displayed on menus. Diners might be dismayed to learn their favorite salad has two-thirds of their recommended daily fat intake, so restaurants are making a point to provide healthier alternatives and retain customers.

When you’re trying to maintain a diet in the office, the customized online ordering at Waiter.com makes modifications and adjustments straightforward and simple. It doesn’t have to be a battle to make healthy choices at work!

Do you ever notice a sense of listlessness, lack of concentration, or just general loss in productivity at the office? Before you begin to worry about motivation and company morale, look at what your employees are having for lunch. Research shows that employees’s eating habits can have significant impact on their productivity.

A 2012 study in the journal Population Health Management found that employees who ate an unhealthy diet were 66 percent more likely to experience a loss in productivity than their counterparts who regularly consumed fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. The difference in diet was more likely to make an impact on productivity than exercise habits (50 percent) and smoking (26 percent).

Interestingly, productivity loss was more likely to show up in younger employees (30 – 39) and less likely in those 60 and older. And clerical or office workers were were far more likely to report decreased productivity than employees working in industries like construction and farming — meaning that these findings have potentially huge impacts on the majority of today’s workplaces.

“Total health-related employee productivity loss accounts for 77 percent of all such loss,” said Ray Merrill, the study’s lead author and a health science professor at Brigham Young University. The study didn’t just focus on missed days of work, but on what the authors refer to as a lack of “presenteeism” — employees who come into the workplace, but don’t perform their best.

Obviously, this loss in productivity can lead to substantial financial consequences. What’s a company to do?

Johnson & Johnson is one corporation that famously puts a high priority on employee wellness. Their company-wide wellness programs include health-risk assessments, corporate cafeterias serving nutritious food, digital health coaching, and on-site fitness centers (or Wii Fit machines!) in most of their U.S. workplaces — from warehouses to corporate offices. Their program is often cited as a successful example of employee wellness programs translating to health care cost savings, but Johnson & Johnson doesn’t only look at insurance costs as evidence that their program is worthwhile.

“We see this as one of our competitive advantages,” Fikry Isaac, vice-president of Johnson & Johnson’s global health services, told National Journal in June. Johnson & Johnson knows that healthier employees not only translate to lower health care costs: they are more productive, missing fewer days of work and having higher levels of the “presenteeism” Merrill and his colleagues examined in their research.

Even without employee gyms or on-site cafeterias, any company can focus on improving their food offerings to promote wellness and productivity. Rather than stocking the break room with sugary treats that may impair memory and concentration, provide healthier options like nuts, berries, and green tea — all considered brain-boosting snacks.

Improve employee morale and concentration levels by serving a healthy catered office breakfast on occasion, with a menu focused on nutritious foods like oatmeal or egg white omelets instead of doughnuts and pastries. Order healthy takeout for office lunches or ensure your company catering plan includes a wide variety of nutritious food.

Start by putting an emphasis on healthy food in the office, and the company-wide conversation about employee wellness can grow from there. The expert team at Waiter.com is ready to work alongside you, building a culture of wellness and a team of healthy, productive, well-fed employees!

Never heard of the DASH diet? Congratulations — that probably means you don’t have to worry about your blood pressure. However, if you’re trying to start the new year off right when it comes to your eating habits, you may want to take note. The DASH diet has been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the top overall diet for three years running, thanks to its flexible meal options and emphasis on heart-healthy foods like whole grains, vegetables, and moderate amounts of lean meats. While its main goal is to help stave off hypertension, don’t think of it as an old-person diet: studies have found that following the DASH diet’s high-fiber, moderate-fat, veggie-centric recommendations can also naturally lead to weight loss — even in teenage girls.

Want to take a cue from the DASH diet when it comes to your own eating habits? Here are a few of the primary guidelines of the award-winning diet, along with a few healthy lunch ideas plucked right from the eating plan’s official recommendations (one added bonus: since the DASH diet was primarily developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the reading materials and recipes are free to access).

1) Eat lean meats, in moderation

The DASH diet recommends limiting your meat consumption to lean meats and cancer-fighting fish, and eating no more than 6 ounces per day. Just for reference, Chipotle scoops four ounces of chicken onto your burrito bowl or salad — there goes 2/3 of the daily allowance before you’ve even thought about dinner. Ask for extra black beans and half the chicken, along with brown rice and fajita veggies for a DASH-inspired Mexican lunch, or go for a veggie-heavy stir fry with a small portion of meat at the Chinese restaurant.

2) Eat LOTS of fruits and vegetables, but start gradually

The DASH recommendations call for 4-5 servings of veggies and fruits per day — each! That’s a lot of produce. If you aren’t already eating a lot of fruits and veggies, a sudden increase can upset your digestive system. The DASH diet suggests adding a serving each at breakfast and lunch for a few days, so you can gradually work your way up to the recommended amount. Start with some easy substitutions — instead of grabbing a bag of chips at lunch, order a side salad with low-fat dressing or opt for a cup of raw veggies and hummus. Make it a point to branch out and try new fruits and veggies: pick up a few apricots instead of a banana for a snack, or dip slices of red bell peppers instead of cucumbers. That’s the beauty of DASH — there’s plenty of room for a wide variety of food.

3) Carbs are allowed, but whole grains are key

DASH recommends your daily calories come from a certain ratio of foods: 27% from fat, 6% from saturated fat, 18% from protein, and 55% from carbohydrates. Don’t think this means that half your lunch plate should be filled with soft pretzels or rolls, though: DASH suggests choosing whole grains whenever possible, and eating plenty of legumes (that is, beans). At lunch, that may mean picking brown rice instead of white in your sushi roll, swapping whole-wheat bread for ciabatta on your deli sandwich, or requesting a whole-grain salad like tabbouleh instead of mac and cheese at a catered office meal.

There are several other components to DASH, like sodium intake and cutting back on sugary foods, but these three simple rules of thumb can help guide you to find the healthy lunch ideas that will start your new year off right. Sticking to a diet at the office can be tricky, but with the wide range of catering options available from Waiter.com, it becomes much easier to make smart choices and eat the kind of delicious and wholesome foods that the country’s top-ranked diet recommends.

We know the statistics are bleak: out of the roughly 40% of Americans who make New Year’s resolutions, only 8% actually keep them. Nonetheless, we try — and especially when it comes to our health.Eating right and exercising regularly are consistently at the top of the list. And given that most of us spend around half of our waking hours at work, it’s hard to deny that our workplace environment can have a significant impact on whether or not we keep those resolutions.

As the evidence continues to indicate that companies should invest in workplace wellness and employee health, it stands to reason that supporting New Year’s resolutions is worth the time and effort of most employers. Here are just a few ways to take expert tips on keeping resolutions and implement them in the office!

 

1) Lead by example.

Before you can support others’ goals, you’ll need to gain credibility by setting your own. To successfully promote wellness in the workplace, senior management needs to be actively on board. When the boss takes a half hour at mid-day for a brisk stroll around the block and talks about his goal to stay away from the vending machines in the afternoon, it sends a clear message that health and wellness are priorities.

2) Make resolutions social.

Sharing goals with others is a frequently cited resolution-keeping tip, and one of the easiest to implement in the office. Create like-minded “resolution clubs” for staffers who are looking to improve their eating habits, exercise more frequently, or even quit smoking. As behavioral science expert Lee Newman writes for Forbes.com, “Behavioral research has shown that in many common situations, publicly stating an intention increases the likelihood of follow-through by creating accountability and commitment… co-workers can serve as a source of feedback and help track progress toward a goal.” Ask your staff to check in with one another, asking whether they went to the gym over the weekend or how their commitment to cut back on sugar is going. You could even organize a team for a charity walk or run in the early spring, creating a long-term motivation to keep up new habits. Creating community is key — when people know their coworkers will be checking up on progress, they’ll be more likely to stick to their goals.

3) Encourage simple, trackable goals.

Simply resolving to “lose weight” means you can’t really tell when you’ve reached your goal, while pledging to eat fruit instead of donuts for breakfast is easy to track. Going to the gym everyday is a huge lifestyle change if you haven’t lifted a weight in years, while biking three times a week and taking the stairs instead of the elevator are two relatively simple, straightforward changes. While lofty goals are tempting to dream about, they’re also the least likely to be kept. Encourage workers to be specific, and make resolutions with progress that can be easily tracked. “Making your resolution more concrete allows you to better monitor it. If you fall behind, you know,” University of Oklahoma psychologist Melissa Burkley tells Time. This also makes it easy to encourage accountability; it’s much more comfortable to ask a coworker if he’s been eating fruit rather than how much he weighs this week!

4) Provide healthy options in the lunch room.

From morning bagels to pizza dinners, office meals can present huge challenges to employees who have resolved to watch what they eat. Collaborate with the office manager in charge of ordering food, and ensure that a wide variety of healthy takeout options are included: vegetarian pizzas, brown rice and steamed vegetables with Chinese food, and salads with everything! Make it easy for workers to drink water (whether bottled, filtered, or even sparkling) over sodas, and provide plenty of healthy snacks like nuts and fruit instead of candy or chips.

New Year’s resolutions aren’t easy, but they do present a valuable opportunity to make health and wellness a part of the daily conversation in the workplace. Waiter.com can help your staff stick to their goals with customized online ordering and even a Virtual Cafeteria Service, allowing for a wide variety of healthy foods to find a home in your office!

Do you think willpower is the key to achieving your diet goals and keeping your New Year’s resolutions? Think again. A new study from the University of Lisbon reports that planning, not willpower, may be the secret to successfully changing your eating habits — especially in situations ripe with temptation, like the office.

Published in the British Journal of Health Psychology, the study used detailed questionnaires to examine when and how participants ate healthy foods (fruits and vegetables). Over three weeks, more than 200 people described their eating habits, their intentions to eat healthy foods, their thoughts on how their health would be impacted if they ate more fruits and vegetables, their plans for meeting their goals, and their strategies for overcoming obstacles.

Who wanted to eat more fruits and vegetables? The people who understood the benefits of doing so, and felt confident that they could do it. However, the study found that the actual consumption of the healthy foods was optimized by people who had ideas in mind about how to deal with tricky situations and obstacles. Planning ahead, not confidence or willpower, was the difference-maker.

As the study’s lead author, Cristina Albuquerque Godinho said, “We found that having strategies in place to deal with a range of eating situations that could undermine good intentions is very important, and helps people to regulate their daily dietary choices.”

What does this mean for the workplace? We all know that between birthday cupcakes, candy bowls in the break room, and pizza delivery lunches, it can be all too easily to slip up and “cheat” on our good intentions. The key to eating healthy at work, according to this study, is to have a plan in mind for how to deal with these obstacles when they come up.

Here are just a few ways to plan ahead for office diet obstacles:

1) Set specific goals. A blanket “no fatty foods” ban is hard to follow, and will make you feel like you’re depriving yourself when the rest of the office orders pizza. Instead, strive to stick to only one slice piled with veggies, and a hearty serving of salad.

2) Ask for accountability. When you know a birthday celebration is coming up, share your goal of limiting sweets with a coworker ahead of time, and ask her to split a cupcake with you on the day of the party. Her support will make it much easier to stick to — and enjoy guilt-free — one small serving of an indulgent treat.

3) Know your takeout options. Do a little advance research and scope out the nutrition info from your office’s favorite delivery spots. Choose a go-to tasty yet healthy takeout option from each menu, and let the person in charge of ordering know your preferences. That way, when someone decides “Hey, it’s Mexican day,” you’ll be all ready to order up a black bean bowl with avocado instead of a cheesy burrito.

4) Request changes. Don’t be afraid to ask your office manager to swap the candy bowl for a fruit delivery, or at least to add some healthy snack options to the break room. The research is on your side: workers are more focused when they have brain-boosting foods like nuts or whole grains rather than sugary treats.

5) Keep records. Whether you use old-fashioned pen-and-paper or a sleek mobile health app, food diaries were another factor in the study that helped participants meet their food goals.

When it comes to eating healthy at work, you may have no better ally than Waiter.com. Customizable online ordering and regular meal deliveries mean you can always plan ahead to meet your diet goals — and as you now know, that’s the key to healthy eating!

If your takeout order typically arrives in a paper bag practically seeping grease from the bottom, you may want to rethink your delivery routine. You won’t even need to convince your coworkers to try the new health food place or refuse to partake when the boss orders pizza: just a few small adjustments can turn your lunch into a satisfying, delicious, and healthy takeout meal. Here are tips on how to navigate the most common takeout options without compromising your health.

Chinese food: The easiest way to reduce your Chinese takeout calorie intake? Order an entree with grilled chicken or shrimp instead of fried (hint: avoid any dish with the word “crispy” in its name). Next, swap brown rice for white: not only does it have fewer calories, but its higher fiber content keeps you feeling fuller throughout the day. Finally, ask for reduced-sodium soy sauce instead of the saltier stuff.

Pizza: When it comes to pizza, think thin — or at least hand-tossed. Thinner crusts have significantly fewer calories and refined carbohydrates than deep-dish or stuffed-crust, which can lead to a rise-and-crash of blood sugar and energy levels shortly after eating. Pile on veggies instead of sausage and pepperoni, and order a side salad with vinaigrette instead of breadsticks or cheesy toast.

Sandwiches: Ordering in from a gourmet sandwich spot? Cut your carbohydrate load by opting for a cup of broth-based soup (like a vegetable or chicken noodle) and a half sandwich. Choose mustard instead of mayo, or skip both and add avocado to your turkey sub for creaminess and heart-healthy monounsaturated fats.

Mexican food: It’s hard to beat a burrito for convenience (you can eat it with one hand!), but they can also pack in upwards of a thousand calories per serving. Next time you order in from the Mexican place, try a burrito bowl: with a little brown rice, a hearty serving of vegetarian black beans, and loaded with fajita veggies, you’ll have a protein and fiber-packed lunch that will keep you full until dinner. Plus, eating with a fork will usually slow you down, which means you’ll be more likely to stop eating if you’re satisfied halfway through.

Sushi: When it comes to sushi, you’re already off to a much better start than burgers and fries. To take full advantage of sushi’s health benefits, stick to rolls without creamy sauces (sorry, spicy tuna) or tempura-fried toppings (we’re talking to you, spider roll). Choose heart-healthy fish like salmon and tuna, both rich in omega-3 fatty acids, rather than the faux-crab mayonnaise mixture found in California rolls. Opt for brown rice instead of white, or spring for sashimi instead of rolls. The one downside of sushi is that it’s notoriously easy to overeat. Start your lunch with a cup of miso soup to help you feel fuller faster.

Italian food: Between breadsticks, rich pastas, and copious amounts of cheese, it’s hard to imagine an Italian takeout meal that’s good for you. Salads are usually the go-to option, but if your greens aren’t satisfying, chances are good you’ll just be dipping into the leftover garlic bread an hour after eating. Instead, cobble together a delicious Italian lunch by combining a few side items: a green vegetable like broccoli raab sautéed in olive oil, polenta topped with a touch of Parmesan, and a cup of minestrone soup. You’ll feel satisfied without being laden down by a heavy pasta dish, and your palate will be pleased by the variety of flavors and textures.

One last tip: don’t eat your takeout lunch at your desk. Head to the break room to chat with a colleague or do a crossword puzzle as you eat. Taking your time with your lunch means you’ll eat less, enjoy your food more, and have a much better afternoon.

No matter which cuisine you choose, getting a delicious lunch during the work day doesn’t have to be difficult. With easy online ordering and customizable options, Waiter.com makes healthy takeout a no-brainer!

It’s not a crime to fall prey to turpitudinous delights like cheesecake or a triple fudge brownie once in a while, but they do more than just affect your waistline. However, as a legal professional, your brilliant mind is your tool and while you may be crazy for chocolate, eating too much junk food dulls your razor sharp thinking.

Remember the “Twinkie defense”? Eating a Twinkie now and again never killed anyone, or caused anyone to kill, but they can be an artery clogging disaster. It could also signal that you need to de-stress and feed your body and mind something nutritious.

I’ve worked with a lot of attorneys and I’ve discussed cases over lunch and dinner. Maybe it is an occupational hazard of people who put in ten or 12 hours a day, but healthy food was rarely on the menu. I’m not surprised that a typical attorney diet consists of coffee, more coffee, and whatever is handy.

The Legal Community Champions a Healthy Lifestyle

There are plenty of challenges when it comes to practicing law and healthy eating habits, but you can do it. According to the Center for Creative Leadership, a study showed that 64 percent of the lawyers surveyed wished that their law firm would be more supportive of health and wellness initiatives, including providing healthier meals. Having healthy food delivered to the office allows you to plan your meals in advance, which can save you from making spontaneous choices that may not be the most nutritious.

According to Healthylawyers.org, an initiative to promote healthy living for those in the legal profession, the top two killers for lawyers are heart disease and cancer. Both of these may be prevented by leading a healthier lifestyle. When your well-being is on the line, it’s time to make better food choices a top priority.

If you really want to know all you can about living a healthy lifestyle, you should check out their website and attend the Healthy Lawyer conference in Los Angeles on March 9, 2014. Some of the leading nutritionists and doctors will be speaking at the conference. Seminars include topics with fascinating titles like,  “Vitamin D Deficiencies: A Misdemeanor that Can Turn into a Felony –Reversing it Naturally”.

Leading Attorneys Share Their Tips for Healthy Meal Planning

Luckily, this dangerous trend is already beginning to change. More and more law professionals are opting to make healthy food choices a central part of their lives, as evidenced by the number of lawyers taking time to blog about food in their minimal free time.

Josh Camson is a criminal defense attorney with Camson Rigby, LLC, in Washington, PA, who blogs about the challenge of eating healthy meals at Lawyerist.com. Attorney and best-selling author Michael Finley loves those special family meals, but he has tips on healthy food choices for the holidays, and Mary Johanna McCurley of the firm McCurley, Orsinger, McCurley, Nelson & Downing in Dallas, Texas also provides tips on healthy eating in Family Lawyer Magazine.

 

Create a Healthier Lifestyle Today With Waiter.com

Take a cue from these fellow lawyers and start making healthy changes today. Skip the steak and go veggie for a day with a Baja Fiesta Salad full of wonderful ingredients like papaya, avocado, roasted corn salsa, cucumber, cilantro, tortilla strips and ginger-papaya vinaigrette. Try a bowl of vegetarian chili if you want something more substantial.

If your assistant has the local pizza place on speed dial, maybe it is time to give her a new number to call. For healthier choices, turn to Waiter.com. They even have a Virtual Cafeteria Service so that each individual in your practice can choose their own meals for regular delivery. If the person designated with ordering the food is running out to file documents or do research, they can also stop and order from our app.

Bring your work family together over a meal of fresh and enticing food delivered to your lunch room. Waiter.com is the premier on-line restaurant ordering service serving the San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Dallas, Chicago and Raleigh regions. We collaborate with over 1,300 restaurants to deliver a variety of dietary choices and ethnic feasts.