5 Ways to Make Sure Your Food Delivery Orders Serve Up All-Day Energy

Posted by on Thursday, April 10th, 2014 with Comments Off on 5 Ways to Make Sure Your Food Delivery Orders Serve Up All-Day Energy Comments

During an especially busy workday, the last thing on your mind may be what you eat for lunch… and that’s if you even take a lunch break at all.

The office is doing a takeout order? Sure, put me down for a burrito or something, I’ll have ten minutes between meetings around lunchtime.

Is that pizza in the break room? Great, I can eat that at my desk while I approve these reports.

tired coworkers in an office

Does your office need a lunchtime energy boost?
Image source: Flickr user 10 10

Convenience is king… but would you believe that taking a few extra minutes to choose a healthier food delivery order could make a huge difference in how productive you are the rest of the day?

Read the full article…

5 Seasonal Spring Vegetables to Add to Your Business Lunches

Posted by on Wednesday, April 9th, 2014 with Comments Off on 5 Seasonal Spring Vegetables to Add to Your Business Lunches Comments

Seasonal, local, farm-to-fork cuisine: whether you consider it common sense, an overrated trend, or gospel, there’s no denying that many restaurants have embraced the idea of changing their menus depending on what’s available each week at the nearest farmer’s market. Seasonally-driven menus have even infiltrated good, old-fashioned business lunches right in the office, from catering companies to restaurant delivery reflecting the demand for locally-sourced ingredients.

fiddlehead ferns and chicken breast

Fiddlehead ferns may look a little strange, but they’re a hidden gem of spring eating.
Image source: Flickr user John Herschell

While seasonal menus might drive some diners a little stir-crazy in February (please, not another kale salad!), as temperatures warm and variety increases in April and May, they become a downright delight. The only catch is that some of the more locavoracious (yes, that’s now a word) restaurants and catering companies may be featuring some less common vegetables that can leave the less adventurous diners in your office a little… wary.

Read the full article…

Why Are Optimists Healthier Eaters — And How Can Food Delivery Promote Positivity?

Posted by on Tuesday, April 8th, 2014 with Comments Off on Why Are Optimists Healthier Eaters — And How Can Food Delivery Promote Positivity? Comments

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.

takeout bag with smiley face

How does your diet affect your outlook at the office?
Image source: Flickr user Brendan Lynch

Read the full article…

4 Tips to Help You Avoid the Secret Sugar in Your Everyday Office Meals

Posted by on Monday, April 7th, 2014 with Comments Off on 4 Tips to Help You Avoid the Secret Sugar in Your Everyday Office Meals Comments

Want to cut back on sugar? Good for you! Research shows that’s one of the best moves you can make to reduce your risk for chronic diseases like obesity and heart disease, as well as maintaining good mental health and cognitive abilities.

The bad news? Sugar is insidious. Reducing your sugar consumption to nutritionist-approved levels doesn’t just mean avoiding cupcakes in the break room or skipping your afternoon soda — sugar is everywhere in our daily diets, from ostensibly healthy breakfast foods to takeout lunches that we would never think of as sweets. Worst of all, since sugar adds flavor without fat, many so-called “diet foods” are actually higher in sugar than their less-processed counterparts.

coworker eating giant gummy bear

Sugar in the office isn’t always this obvious.
Image source: Flickr user StolenGolem

Still, cutting out sugar is a very worthwhile goal, and one that can be easily met once you know where to look for the sweet stuff. And there may be no better place to start than by examining what you eat at the office every day: making small changes to your daily routine can add up to a big difference in the amount of sugar you eat.

Read the full article…

Admin Assistance: Order These 5 Tasty Sandwiches to Switch Up Your Business Lunches

Posted by on Friday, April 4th, 2014 with 2 Comments

When busy  administrative assistants are tasked with ordering business lunches or meals for meetings, it’s easy to fall into a comfortable routine: deli meats, turkey clubs, tuna salad. And while sandwiches are the perfect meeting food — crowd-pleasing and portable — these “classics” can quickly become ho-hum.

Make sure your clients or coworkers are actually looking forward to their lunch breaks during a busy day — after all, taking a genuine break is key to maintaining energy levels and productivity for the rest of the afternoon. Give business lunch attendees a meal that will break up the monotony of the day, and orchestrate a twist on the usual sandwich standards by ordering one of these unexpected options:

tortas

Spice up the lunch table with tortas.
Image source: Flickr user Robyn Lee

Read the full article…

Instagrammers May Be Onto Something: How Rituals Can Make Office Meals Better

Posted by on Thursday, April 3rd, 2014 with Comments Off on Instagrammers May Be Onto Something: How Rituals Can Make Office Meals Better Comments

If your coworkers are constantly snapping photos of their Thai takeout orders, don’t be annoyed. Pay attention. You may not understand why sharing yet another office meal on Instagram is a worthwhile use of time (or Internet bandwidth), but they may be on to something. A recent study suggests that people who indulge in rituals (like taking photos of their food) before eating find their meals more satisfying… the food actually tastes better!

girls taking photos of food

There’s more to food photography than meets the eye.
Image source: Flickr user Chris Tse

Read the full article…

Indian for Beginners: Make Your Next Food Delivery the Tastiest Ever!

Posted by on Wednesday, April 2nd, 2014 with 2 Comments

Ordering Indian food for beginners can be a little intimidating… even if you’ve been to one of the ubiquitous buffets spread across the U.S. While Indian buffets can be wonderful — you get to try a lot of different dishes without committing to a whole portion of something that might turn out to be too spicy for your taste — you might not remember what your favorite dish is called, and have no idea how to order the next time you go to a non-buffet restaurant!

When it’s Indian food delivery day at the office, don’t default to the most familiar-looking item on the menu: the following list includes some delicious yet approachable dishes to broaden your horizons outside the buffet.

tandoori chicken

Tandoori chicken may look hot, but it’s a milder Indian option.
Image source: Flickr user raymondtan85

Read the full article…

Laziness May Be Key to More Productive Employees (and Healthier Corporate Catering)

Posted by on Tuesday, April 1st, 2014 with Comments Off on Laziness May Be Key to More Productive Employees (and Healthier Corporate Catering) Comments

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.

table of bags of chips and fruit

Don’t let unhealthy snacks be the most convenient!
Image source: Flickr user Mike Pickard

A new study published in Appetiteand 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.

Read the full article…

Ordering Healthy Office Meals: Use Google’s New Nutrition Comparison for Quick Dining

Posted by on Monday, March 31st, 2014 with Comments Off on Ordering Healthy Office Meals: Use Google’s New Nutrition Comparison for Quick Dining Comments

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.)

Screenshot of Google nutrition comparison

It’s easy to choose a healthier lunch option with Google’s new nutrition comparison tool.
Image source: Sara Gates

Read the full article…

Thai Food for Beginners: How to Order More Exciting Office Meals

Posted by on Friday, March 28th, 2014 with Comments Off on Thai Food for Beginners: How to Order More Exciting Office Meals Comments

Bursting with bright flavors and fresh ingredients, Thai food is incredibly diverse and delicious — no wonder it’s one of the top cuisines ordered in for office meals. If you’re new to the wide world of Thai food, though, it can also be quite intimidating! Does something called Pad See Ew actually taste good? What’s the difference between Massaman and Penang curries? And what, exactly, is Larb?

row of Thai takeout boxes

There’s a wide world of Thai food waiting to be discovered!
Image source: Flickr user calamityjane

If all you ever order is Pad Thai, read on. Thai food for beginners can be confusing, but we’ve picked out a few delicious (yet still approachable) must-try dishes for those who want to explore this adventurous cuisine! This guide is also handy for admin assistants who might need to please a variety of palates (or even picky eaters). So next time your office orders Thai food delivery, consider one of the following:

Read the full article…