Healthy food has gotten a bad reputation in the past for being bland, boring, and sometimes downright gross. In recent years, however, there have been a ton of advancements in how we view and consume healthy foods. Your catering menu choices are no exception, and serving healthy food can actually benefit your company. Nutritious meals help keep your staff healthy and able to work hard. We’ll go over some of the healthy (and tasty) foods you can incorporate into your catering menus.
What Is Healthy Food Catering in the corporate setting?
Healthy food should be nutrient-dense and low in saturated fats and refined sugars. In a corporate setting, that means your catering should have those qualities. If you’re looking to maximize your nutritional potential, you should have healthy snacks and catered lunches as well. The important thing is to make sure whatever you serve tastes good or else people won’t eat it.
Benefits of Offering Healthy Food Catering
Healthy food helps your staff maintain a consistent level of productivity, mental clarity, and overall wellness. In a study done with approximately 182,000 people, it was found that diets with a variety of vegetables, fruits, and protein were associated with increased grey matter in the brain. When you fuel your employees with nutrient-dense foods, they’ll be at their best, and so will your business.
Popular Healthy Catering Menu Ideas
If you’re ready to start planning your next catering menu, we’ll help guide you through some popular healthy dishes. Each menu item mentioned is delicious, packed with nutrients, and things your staff will love.
Build Your Own Salad
Salad bars are popular for a reason. Offering a variety of greens, vegetables, dressings, and whatever else you can think of gives your employees the chance to create their ideal healthy meal.
Mediterranean Salad
Mediterranean food has a tendency to be health-forward while maintaining maximum flavor. Instead of a typical salad, a Mediterranean salad has olives, onions, feta, tomato, cucumbers, and many other veggies. This salad is great for people who have trouble with the traditional leafy green salad base.
Poached Salmon Bowl
Salmon is known for its health benefits as it’s rich in omega-3s, the “good fat”. Paired with gorgeous greens, this is a great dish to serve if your staff is looking for something high up there in terms of health content and flavor.
Poke Bowls
If you’re a fan of sushi, poke bowls are the perfect way to maximize the health benefits while getting the same rich flavor. Fish, as we mentioned before, is high in omegas, and combined with delicious fresh vegetables can keep you going through the day.
Bibimbap
Bibimbap is not only visually appealing, but the protein and veggie content is great for a healthy afternoon lunch. Including fermented vegetables means you get the added bonus of probiotics as well.
Chicken Satay
You can’t go wrong with grilled chicken, and chicken satay brings the flavor. Since it’s typically eaten with vegetables on the side, this is a great popular dish for its health benefits and because it’s delicious of course.
Build Your Own Bahn Mi
Bahn mi’s unique qualities are its French bread and pate, but don’t let that stop you from piling yours with tofu and vegetables. This is a great option for people who have trouble incorporating veggies into their diets.
Incorporating Healthy Snacks and Beverages
There are plenty of options for delicious healthy foods these days. Depending on what your employees are in the mood for, you can give them a variety of options that’ll keep them moving throughout the workday.
Acai Bowl
Acai bowls are super customizable and packed with nutrients. The acai blended with fruits and vegetables is enough to give you a healthy snack, but adding things like granola, coconut, and whole fruits can add even more fiber and vitamins.
Mezze Platter
“Mezze” essentially means ‘appetizers’, and this platter is packed full of vegetables, fruits, hummus, and a ton of other nutrient-dense snacks. This is the perfect grab-and-go snack for a busy office and it’s super healthy.
Fresh Made Smoothies
Smoothies are great for those who aren’t a huge fan of vegetables and can be an easy vessel for other add-in nutrients as well. The yummy fruit taste is perfect for masking the taste of raw spinach, and your health-forward employees will already know how to maximize their add-ins for their perfect healthy smoothie.
Avocado Toast
Avocados are packed with healthy fats and the perfect filling treat for a busy morning or afternoon. You can add pickled shallots for added gut health, an egg for more protein, and the mild taste of avocado allows you to season it in a variety of different ways.
Healthy Catering for Special Dietary Needs
The CDC estimates that around 17% of adults over the age of 20 have a special diet. 52% of Americans reported following a specific diet or eating pattern in the past year as well, so it’s important to provide healthy options for those who have different dietary needs.
Brunch Bar
Brunch offers a variety of options for a lot of different dietary needs. You can have eggs and sausage for your keto employees, chia pudding and granola for your vegan employees, and so on. Remember to assess the allergies within your staff too to avoid cross-contamination risk.
Veggie and Tofu Sandwiches
Marinated tofu and veggie sandwiches can be a luxurious vegetarian and vegan option for your plant-based staff. We’ve underestimated how good vegetables can be. You might be able to convert some of your non-plant-based staff as well.
Kebab
Kebab and falafel are versatile options most people who have allergies can enjoy. If you eat a low carb diet, you can customize your food to have no bread. Falafel is a delicious vegan treat, and if you take note of allergens, you’re likely to avoid the top 9 allergens as well.
Health-Conscious Catering for Corporate Events
When you’re at a corporate event, fast food or greasy foods can slow you down. Corporate gatherings are the perfect opportunity to cash in on a health-centric catering menu. Food can help fuel your eventgoers to ensure people are feeling clear and focused.
Power Lunches for Productivity
A strategic power lunch can help propel your team into the next half of your event. By the time it’s lunch, people are often tired from their morning coffee and ready to be done for the day. Healthy catering options can give them the boost they need to focus and continue the momentum of productivity. Breaks can reduce fatigue by 30%, so if you want to maximize the benefits of a power lunch, healthy food is the way to go.
Healthy Snacks for Meetings
Healthy snacks before or sometimes during a meeting ensure nobody’s feeling hangry going in and that everybody’s ready to focus. When people eat, their cognitive function increases, meaning you’ll have more productive meetings and the creative juices will be flowing. Don’t underestimate the power of a snack.
Mindful Eating for Employee Wellness Programs
Healthy eating should easily go in tandem with employee wellness programs. What we put in our bodies matters quite a bit, so along with the great healthcare benefits and gym discounts you offer, don’t forget to maximize wellness with healthy eating as well. You can have catered wellness education events, food education content, and incentives to participate to help your staff increase their mindful eating literacy.
Trends in Healthy Food Catering
According to the World Economic Forum, Americans of all ages are interested in healthy eating. Healthy foods are only going to get tastier as time goes on, so this isn’t a trend that’ll be going away anytime soon. Especially with the documented benefits of how eating healthy benefits a company’s productivity as we talked about here, you can expect to see much more healthy catering options in the future.
How to Choose a Healthy Food Catering Service
If you’re ready to start helping your staff make healthy choices with your corporate catering options, Zerocater makes it easy for businesses of all sizes. Regardless of your budget, we can bring you the tastiest healthy meals in your area. Your staff can even rate how they liked your previous catering order and we’ll use our AI to help tweak your menu suggestions to perfection. Go ahead and send us a message with a little bit about yourself and we can help transform your corporate catering experience.
