Nutrition
What’s nutrition all about?
We all know we need a healthy diet. After all, we’ve heard it enough times.
But why? What purpose does a healthy diet play? And as caterers, what can you do to ensure your customers benefit from a well-balanced diet?
It may seem a little obvious, but a well balanced diet is essential for healthy living. Good nutrition helps reduce the risk of a large number of diseases, from diabetes through to heart disease.
The balancing part comes from eating (and serving, if you’re a caterer) a range of foods that deliver a range of key nutrients. Because no single food contains all the essential nutrients the body needs to be healthy and function efficiently.
The nutritional value of a person’s diet will vary according to the overall mixture, or balance, of foods eaten over a period of time. It will also be governed by the needs of that individual. So the simplest way to ensure an adequate intake of key nutrients is by eating a variety of foods.
Which is where we come in. At Birds Eye Foodservice we’ve developed our range to deliver a selection of those key nutrients that help form part of a balanced diet. Whether it’s our Soya Beans or our Chicken Dippers, served as a part of a wide mix of different ingredients our products will help deliver key nutrients to children and adults alike.
So as a caterer, you can stay safe in the knowledge that you’re only serving high quality food.
For more information, visit the British Nutrition Foundation website: www.nutrition.org.uk
What do we know about nutrition?
Well, quite a lot, as it happens. Healthy food is at the heart of everything we do here at Birds Eye Foodservice. (We like to think it keeps us in good shape.)
After all, we’ve had a long-standing commitment to producing healthy, nutritious food long before it became the fashion statement it is today. You could even say we’ve been leading the field for some time now.
How? Well, our company nutritionist sets the standards and levels for the amount of certain nutrients in our food, to ensure we meet government-set standards wherever possible. For many products, we’ve even devised our own standards that exceed any official industry recommendations.
In essence, we see it as our role to provide information on the nutrients in all of our products, as required by external authorities, including the School Foods Trust.
And as part of that role, we carefully monitor and determine the following elements in all our food:
- The amount of fat
- The amount of saturated fat
- The amount of salt; and
- What counts as one of five fruit and vegetables
Why does nutrition matter?
So why is the issue of nutrition so important? And as a caterer, what should you be doing to ensure your menus deliver a nutritious proposition (whilst showcasing your tasty, attractive dishes)?
Well, a little knowledge can go a long way. These are the key areas for concern amongst consumers and industry bodies:
1) Obesity
The government’s Foresight Report* predicts that 60% of men, 50% of women and 25% of children will be obese by 2050. Now, most chefs (with the exception of school caterers) will expect customers to indulge a little. But that shouldn’t stop you including a range of healthy, low fat products on your menu.
2) Salt Content
It’s widely recognised that too much salt can be harmful and is associated with high blood pressure. The Food Standards Agency recommends that adults should be eating no more than 6g of salt a day, but it estimates that in the UK, 85% men and 69% women eat too much salt.**
3) Children’s Healthy Development
Children need a constant supply of vitamins, minerals and protein to grow into healthy adults. Any children’s menu should be well-balanced, delivering fruit and vegetables, minerals such as calcium, iron and zinc, as well as protein – from chicken and beef through to fish and soya beans.
*Government Office for Science, Tackling Obesities: Future Choices, October 2007
**Food Standards Agency, Eat Well, Be Well, www.eatwell.gov.uk
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