Author: josh

The end of August signals to many Auburn employees that summer is almost over, but there is still time to enjoy August’s best tasting and healthy fruits and vegetables. Summer, in general, is a great time to slow down, relax and enjoy the warm weather. And delicious food is usually not far behind. Whether it’s grilling out or picking fresh fruit and vegetables from the garden or local farm, healthy options are abundant.

Before the busy fall season begins, it is important to bring back or develop new, healthy habits, and that includes eating enough fruits and vegetables.  According to nutritionists at ChooseMyPlate.gov, adult women should consume between 2 and 2.5 cups of vegetables per day and between 1.5 and 2 cups of fruit per day. Men should consume between 2.5 and 3 cups of vegetables per day and about 2 cups of fruit per day. 

To meet those guidelines consider adding any of the following eight healthy, late-summer fruits and vegetables to your diet.

Tomatoes: Big, red and juicy often describes ripe tomatoes in the summer. Full of water but low in carbs, tomatoes are known for their beta-carotene or vitamin A and vitamin C. Beta-carotene converts to vitamin A and combats the effects of free radicals, improves cognitive function and may protect against common eye diseases. 

Bell Peppers: The summer harvest of bell peppers offers a variety of different tastes from the most bitter, green bell peppers to the sweetest, red bell peppers. High in water and fiber but low in calories, bell peppers offer a variety of health benefits from a boost in immunity to improved eye health and heart health to a decreased risk of anemia.

Tomatillos: Although tomatillos may appear to be small green tomatoes, they are closely related to South American Cape gooseberries and are full of healthy boosting vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Among its many benefits, tomatillos can reduce the chance of diabetes, boost the immune system and reduce the risk of some cancers.

Summer Squash: Two of the most well-known summer squash are zucchini and yellow squash. Low in carbs but high in water, they are a great source of Vitamin A, B6, and C, folate, magnesium, fiber, riboflavin, phosphorus and potassium. These nutritional workhorses protect against heart and common eye diseases as well as boost immunity and bone strength. 

Grapes: While grapes contain important nutrients for bone health and protect against certain bacteria, viruses and yeast infections, the skin of red grapes contain high amounts of anthocyanins, an antioxidant. Anthocyanins protect heart health, improve blood flow to brain, lower blood pressure and protect against damage caused by free radicals.

Peaches: Another delicious summer fruit, peaches provide good amounts of fiber as well as Vitamin A, C and numerous minerals. A variety of antioxidants protect against cancerous cells, help prevent chronic health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, and boost the immune system. 

Nectarines: Like peaches – high in fiber, low in calories and without the fuzz, nectarines also help improve digestive health and resist obesity-related diabetes and heart disease. Nectarines also offer numerous B vitamins which are important for the metabolism of carbohydrates, protein and fat and in the formation of red blood cells.

Cantaloupe: Offering more beta carotene than apricots, grapefruit, oranges, peaches, tangerines, nectarines and mangoes with same amount of vitamin C as a small orange, cantaloupes help fight free radicals in the body as well as support hydration, eye health, the production of red blood cells and the immune system.

Supporting employee consumption of healthy fruits and vegetables while at work helps support Auburn employers too. Healthy employees are more creative and productive and have fewer sick days. Whether it’s hunger or thirst, employees will be able to stay on-site when they need something to eat or drink. 

Automatic Food Service would like to work with your organization to customize a refreshment menu that delivers a variety of options and draws employees to the break room. Add an extra benefit by offering office refreshments at a reduced or zero cost and increase the appeal. For more information or to schedule a tasting appointment, please call Automatic Food Service at (334) 264.7336.

Coffee, tea and energy drinks will never look the same. Change up your employees’ energy-boosting beverage routines with three new mashup trends.

A mashup requires at least two separate ideas or, in this case, beverages and combines them in new, unusual and exciting ways. Today’s new beverages include ingredients that appeal specifically to Millennials, the largest generation in the U.S. workforce.

Coffee Plus Sparkling Water, Juice and Plant-Based Water

The first trend highlights how coffee, a popular energy boost, can be combined with unlikely partners to create healthier beverages with new flavor profiles.  

• Sparkling Water: A healthier option than traditional carbonated beverages, sparkling water has been combined with ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee, resulting in a low or no sugar, carbonated and energy-boosting beverage.
• Fruit Juice: Traditional juice has gotten a bad rap over the past few years, but that is about to change. Mix a blend of cold-pressed fruit juice and cold brew coffee with light carbonation and discover a delightful, caffeinated blend that is bubbly and naturally sweet.
• Plant-Based Water: Flat bottled water comes in a variety of options including plant-based waters like coconut water, watermelon water and maple water. Mix coffee with maple water and enjoy a naturally flavored and sweetened RTD coffee.

Tea, Energy Drinks, RTD & Cold Brew

Tea has long been known to be a healthy beverage with long list of health benefits. Unfortunately, tea hasn’t always been at the top of Millennials’ most-favorite beverage list. To remedy that, drink manufacturers are incorporating tea into energy drinks and sparking beverages as well as using new brewing methods.

• Cold Brew: Just as with coffee, tea can be made using the cold brew method. The final beverage packs a punch with 75 percent more caffeine than a typical RTD iced tea.
• Ready-to-Drink: Speaking of RTD teas, new options have been made using sparkling water instead of traditional, flat water.
• Energy Drinks: Depending on the type of tea leaves used, such as guayusa, green tea or matcha, tea has become a viable option to enjoy instead of traditional energy drinks.

“Clean” Caffeine Sources

Just as with clean snacking, many health-conscious, Montgomery employees are looking for “cleaner” energy drink options. Several new beverage choices get their caffeine boost from guayusa or green tea plants, offering both the energy benefits of caffeine and the health benefits of tea. To add to the number of choices, another beverage combines green tea with sparkling water and L-theanine, an amino acid, which offers a clean caffeine boost without the crash that happens with caffeine sources lacking L-theanine.

Montgomery employers can add any of the above options to the break room beverage menu, and their employees will have one more reason to stay on-site during the workday. Encouraging employees to find their refreshment on-site can lead to an increase in productivity as less time is spent in transit and more time is spent collaborating and working.

Does your break room micro-market or vending machines offer the snacks, beverages and fresh food your employees are looking for? How about traditional coffee and espresso-based beverages? 

It’s time to reevaluate your refreshment services program, and Automatic Food Service would like to help. We offer a variety of options and will customize the perfect menu that delivers the choices your employees are looking for. For more information or to schedule a sample tasting, please contact Automatic Food Service at (334) 264.7336.

Blueberries are a delicious healthy snack that are often enjoyed by themselves or as an ingredient in something else. This time of year, blueberries can be found almost everywhere from farmer’s markets to pick-your-own farms to the grocery store. July is especially important for blueberry lovers; it’s National Blueberry Month!

Some blueberry related healthy snacks or mini meals that Montgomery employees might enjoy during their day include blueberry breakfast bars, blueberry muffins, blueberry yogurt or parfait, blueberry smoothies, a fruit salad with blueberries or a dark green salad with blueberries and nuts. Choosing to eat multiple mini meals or snacks during the day can help employees meet nutritional requirements, control blood sugar, and maintain metabolism. 

And that is true whether or not Montgomery employees choose to enjoy blueberries. It is important for everyone to consume enough fruit in their diet. According to ChooseMyPlate.gov, the recommended number of fruit servings per day depends on the individual, but the CDC “federal guidelines recommend that adults eat at least 1½ to 2 cups per day of fruit.”   

Reading the ingredient list on the packaging of a healthy snack is a great way to see if that snack contains any fruit. If blueberries are a primary ingredient, they will be listed toward the front of the list as ingredients with the largest amounts are listed first followed by the others in descending order. The nutrition panel on the package is another place to find information about a snack. It lists the serving size, how many servings in the package, calories per serving and other nutrients.  

For blueberries, 1 cup (148 grams) of fresh blueberries contains 84 calories, 0.3 g fat, 0.0 mg cholesterol, 1.0 mg sodium, 21.5 g total carbohydrates, 14.7 g sugar, 3.6 g fiber and 1.1 g protein. There is also 9 mg of calcium, 9 mg of magnesium, 0.4 mg of iron, 18 mg of phosphorus, 114 mg of potassium, 14.4 mg of vitamin c, 9 µg of folate, 80 IU of vitamin a, and 28.6 µg of vitamin k.

Learning about nutrients is important. Some – like saturated and trans fats, cholesterol and sodium – can be very unhealthy when consumed because they increase the risk of developing certain diseases. Healthy nutrients do the opposite; they can help reduce the risk of developing some diseases, and healthy employees are much better for Montgomery businesses.

Employers have the opportunity to contribute to the health and wellness of their employees by offering healthy snacks, food and beverages in their break room vending machines or micro-markets. Employees only need to take a quick trip to the break room instead of going off-site to find a healthy option.  What healthy choices does your Montgomery break room offer? To learn more about healthy refreshment options, and how you can turn your break room into a great employee benefit, call Automatic Food Service at (334) 264.7336. 

Bottled water has done it again. “For a third year in a row, bottled water is the No. 1 packaged beverage in the United States,” according to Jill Culora, IBWA’s vice president of communications. Bottled still and/or sparkling water is also 72 percent of Americans’ preferred non-alcoholic beverage, an increase of nine percent over 2018. For those who prefer bottled water, taste is the most important feature (98 percent) followed by quality (98 percent), and safety (90 percent).

With 84 percent of Montgomery residents trying to drink more water, and the hot summer season upon us, let’s take a step back and look at fun summer beverages that often began as flat or carbonated water.

• lemonade: water, lemon juice, and a sweetener, to taste
• iced tea: water, tea, and a sweetener, if desired
• fruit/veggie/herb-infused water: water plus any combination such as strawberry & lime, lemon & basil, strawberry & basil, lemon & raspberry, and cherry & lime

If none of those flavor combinations sound appealing, consider choosing one or more of the following fruits and vegetables that are in-season in the Montgomery area: mint, blueberries, apricots, kiwi, cherries, cucumbers and peaches. There are also a number of different ways to infuse the water with the flavors of your choice. 

You might try squeezing a bit of the juice from citrus fruit (ex. lime, lemon or orange) into a glass or pitcher of water and enjoying. Depending on the size of the container, sliced or chopped fruit can be placed at the bottom of a pitcher or glass and soaked overnight (pitcher) or for a couple hours (glass). Berries can be mashed and placed at the bottom of a glass, and the glass filled with water. For herbs, such as mint leaves, tear up the leaves, cover them in water, and let the water steep. 

The number of flavor combinations and preparation methods are limitless, but not everyone will have the option or want to prepare a water-based beverage. 

While almost three-quarters of Americans voted bottled water as their first choice, don’t forget about other popular beverages. Sixty-one percent of those polled ranked coffee in second place and soft drinks in third with 59 percent. In 2019, Montgomery employees have a lot of healthier options available including natural and organic sodas and carbonated juices. 

Automatic Food Service would like to help Montgomery employers provide their employees with healthy beverages and snacks in their break room vending machine. Hydrated and satiated individuals have more energy and are more focused. For more information or to schedule a product sampling today, call Automatic Food Service at (334) 264.7336.

Auburn residents and employees are on the hunt for new beverages that meet a variety of wellness-related needs. To stay current and keep up with growing demand, beverage manufacturers are continually offering consumers new and exciting options to explore. 

Functional beverages, as a group, are a segment within the rapidly growing nonalcoholic beverage market, which is expected to grow to $1.6 trillion in sales by 2025. The fastest growing category in the nonalcoholic beverage market, functional beverages, includes ready-to-drink (RTD) coffees and teas, and relaxation, hydration or energy drinks.

Christina Wood, Sales and Marketing Director at OptiBiotix Health Plc, recently spoke about the expected demand. “Whether vitamin or ‘enhanced’ water to fend off illness, energy drinks to combat fatigue or sports drinks to aid exercise, they [functional beverages] provide the multipurpose value expected by today’s informed [consumers].”

And those consumers also expect to be able to easily purchase their preferred choice at any time of the day.  it’s easy to make sure that Auburn employees can access different functional beverages in their break room vending machine or micro-market. 

RTD Cold Teas

Enjoy a variety of healthy and organic teas made with Fair Trade ingredients. There is an option for everyone from unsweetened to sweetened teas made with organic sweeteners and tea with or without fruit flavors.

Enhanced Fruit Drinks

The term ‘juice’ takes on a new meaning when it comes to enhanced fruit drinks. Today, these beverages are made from unique ingredients like the coffee fruit and have no artificial sweeteners, flavors or colors.

Fruit Infused Flat or Carbonated Bottled Water

Bottled flat or carbonated water with fruit infused flavors offer the benefits of plain bottled water without any diet sweeteners or sugars. They are zero calorie, zero preservative, vegan, gluten-free and kosher.

Sparkling or Flat Mineral Water

Mineral water offers additional health benefits when compared to traditional bottled water. As mineral water’s name suggests, there are extra minerals such as calcium and magnesium in the water that Auburn individuals need. 

Coconut Water

Coconut water is a new, healthy choice for staying hydrated. It’s naturally gluten-free, lactose-free, and dairy-free beverage with potassium, magnesium, sodium, calcium, and phosphorus that hydrates.

Not sure which functional beverages your Auburn employees might enjoy? Try offering a beverage taste testing event. If everyone knows a bit more about what is available and how it tastes, they are likely to be more comfortable purchasing it. 

And don’t forget to pair your beverage offerings with a variety of snack options. Make it easier to grab a bite to eat or drink without having to go off-site. Hydrated and satiated employees are likely to be more productive and creative. For more information or to schedule a product sampling, please contact Automatic Food Service at (334) 264.7336.