Healthy Eating for the Attendee

Business travel is hard on the body, mind and spirit. The traveler/attendee is sleeping in an unfamiliar bed, exposed to a lot of new germs on the airplane, dehydrated and exhausted. Help battle these travel symptoms and improve retention by providing healthy meal options.

Breakfast options can always include oatmeal, fruit and yogurt. Low sodium, low sugar, high protein snacks can be available throughout the day instead of candy or chips. For lunch and dinner, all salad dressings and cream based sauces can be served on the side.

Most people do not eat dessert on a regular basis, so why do all conferences have dessert on the table for lunch? It is extremely tempting to eat the brownie, cake or pie that is sitting right in front of you.

Baked potatoes and steamed vegetables can always be served in place of mashed potatoes, French fries and sautéed vegetables, all loaded in butter and salt. When possible, selections should be served dairy free or dairy optional.

Here is a great sample menu:

Breakfast:

• Oatmeal
• Sliced Fruit
• Yogurt
• Egg White Sandwiches

AM Break:

• Whole Fruit
• Trail Mix to include almonds, dried cranberries, dried mango’s, cashews and sunflower seeds
• 4 ounce fruit smoothies

Lunch:

• Create your Own Salad Bar with hot protein items such as grilled chicken and tofu
• Composed Salads Mango and Sweet Potato or Quinoa
• Hot Vegetable sides such as grilled asparagus
• Soup
• Sliced Fruit for Dessert

Taking some extra steps to create a healthier menu will promote higher levels of energy throughout the day for the weary traveler and attendee, which will ultimately generate higher information retention.