Food as Fuel: Recharging Your Mind & Body
Eating at a Meeting Podcast Episode 43
Just like your car may need premium gas, your body needs premium fuel – real delicious food!!
To be as productive and effective as possible during your day, you may want to ask yourself if the food you’re eating is the right fuel for your mind and body. Just like your car may need premium gas, your body needs premium fuel – real food!!
Dr. Sabrina Falquier Montgrain feels we have lost our ability to know how to cook and we are paying a high price as far as the declining health of our society. Her goal is to empower people to come back to the kitchen and to know how to do this in a delicious way, that is also fantastic for their body.
What do safe, inclusive & sustainable food and beverage experiences look like to you?
The first thing that comes to mind is knowing the full trajectory of the food: the source, ideally buying from a local farmer, utilizing as many parts of the plants to reduce food waste, creating meals from simple, peak of flavor ingredients so the ingredients can shine and don’t have to be overly cooked/smothered to give flavor. Same thing w/ beverages. using REAL ingredients to optimize the beverage experience. To have people experience what simple, delicious, nutritious food can look like without loss of food enjoyment or flavor. This, to me, is the best way to inspire change. If we are being served food at an event, let’s have that food reflect the mission/vision of the company/group. Also, to create meals that can be varied easily for different dietary and taste buds.
Do you have an example of a situation that negatively effected you and/or other individuals or groups’ food and beverage experience?
As a physician who truly believes empowering through knowledge and by example is key – The standout is the food that is served at medical staff meetings and conferences. One example which involves more family-friendly conferences: often the kids table at most conferences/events – all chicken tenders and fries and perhaps a fruit salad off to the side. How about interesting varieties of what is at the adult buffet? What is this teaching kids – the equivalent of the kids menus. I love how in Europe there are often no kids menus – you learn to eat the same food for all ages. Different portions, yes, real food with nutrients for all, yes!
What is a best practice you use/or have seen to create safe and inclusive F&B experiences?
I have thoroughly enjoyed how conferences I am attending are shifting to labeling items, and giving more choices of creating your own flavor profile – so having, for example, the roasted vegetables, the whole grain, the protein choices, the toppings, all separate and you build your own flavor and plate related to your own desires and needs. It seems so obvious in many ways. Happier people, less food waste, and many times people will explore a little of this and a little of that. Also, having the catering department/chef work with someone from the organization so, as stated earlier, the food reflects the vision/mission of the company/group. I have had the opportunity to be involved in these discussions and it is fantastic how with communication and forward thinking it can really make a different for all involved.
What do you wish people knew about what you do?
Sensation Salud, LLC, my new company, is about empowering people towards culinary literacy, in English and Spanish, so they can move the needle toward better and more sustainable health. It is about knowing the effects (good or bad) of certain foods on the body and then taking that knowledge and applying it with culinary skills regularly. I have worked with doctors, medical groups, children, families, non-profit organizations. I love how varied my audience is. How, no matter the education, income level, country of origin, language spoken at home, it is the same information being sought out. I love having people learn that healthy can and should be delicious. That it is not stripping your culinary upbringing, it is finding how to use the spices and flavors that you love in a way that promotes health, rather than impede it. We have lost our ability to know how to cook and we are paying a high price as far as the declining health of our society. My goal is to empower people to come back to the kitchen and to know how to do this in a delicious way, that is also fantastic for their body.
Links:
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