Whilst the craze for a healthy lifestyle is still on the rise, it can be hard to encourage this positive behaviour during events when they can be seen as an opportunity for indulgence.

Our most recent recruit, and former 8 Northumberland Avenue intern, Leanne, has returned from her travels across South East Asia. Picking up a taste for the fresh and healthy cuisine, she has offered her advice to providing nutritional and enticing event catering.

EXPLAIN THE BENEFITS

People like to know what they are eating and why. It, therefore, makes sense to provide your guests with as much information as possible to promote your healthy dishes. If the benefits are clearly listed, then people will be more inclined to eat this nutritious food as their knowledge is enhanced.

At our most recent promotional event that focused on wellbeing, each dish had descriptions of its qualities and benefits. The homemade peanut butter bagel, for example, explained how it contains magnesium which powers over 300 chemical reactions in the body.

From the information provided, people were far more inclined to try new and adventurous dishes which would hopefully continue into their personal lives.

USE SUPERFOODS

From chia seeds to beetroot, superfoods have an abundance of health benefits and solutions. Include these magical ingredients in your catering and their reputation will do the rest.

Their status alone will be enough to encourage participants to join the hype and indulge in your healthy treats.

In addition, food containing these ingredients is also great for concentration and will keep guests lively and attentive for longer.

REVAMP OLD CLASSICS

As creatures of habit, we like what is familiar to us. The comfort of old classics, such as a full English, will often draw people in as a safe option. Instead, spice up traditional recipes with a healthy twist; this is easily done with typical event catering.

For breakfast, add seeds and nuts to porridge bowls and replace jams and preservatives on bagels with avocado and chilli. For lunch, swap white bread for a healthier alternative such as wraps or pitta and ditch the crisps for beautiful salads.

We guarantee that they’ll be just as popular but with the added health benefits.

MAKE THE PRESENTATION INTERACTIVE

The final, and most effective, way to promote healthy eating at events is to make the presentation of the food engaging and interactive. If guests see a food station that catches their eye, you already have their interest which is half the job done.

At our wellbeing event, we constructed a smoothie wall to display all the beautiful drinks. We also had a ‘make your own tea’ station where guests could create their own tea concoctions. These were both huge hits and enhanced the whole event experience.

Not only do creative displays encourage the consumption of food but also the promotion of it and your company. Beautifully thought out, interactive and ‘instagramable’ stations will have your guests posting across social media to show off what they are experiencing.

The potential for this is huge as 98% of people claim they will be inclined to post on social media during experiential events such as these. This grassroots promotion is invaluable, so put effort into your presentation in order to enjoy the results.

For some healthy advice for your next event, contact Leanne from the events team now.