Why Food and Drink Really Matter atCongresses: The Science thatDetermines if Your Menu Strategieswill be Successful or Disastrous.

48th ICCA Congress & Exhibition

10th November 2009

Ian Marber

The Food Doctor

London

What can the right diet do for you?

Cardiovascular disease

Obesity

Immune system

Ageing

Inflammation

Stress

Digestion

Energy

Skin

Sleep

Food or nutrition?

The role of food at a conference.

• To feed, nourish, impress and delight delegates

• Not to educate or preach

What do the delegates want from the food at conferences?

• Flavour

• Ease of eating

• Choice

• Variety

• Speed

• Service

The primary aim for catering at events.

• Flavour

• Quality

• Freshness

• Style

• Imagination

• Versatility

• To impress

Delegates Caterers

• Flavour

• Easy to eat

• Choice

• Variety

• Speed

• Service

• Flavour

• Quality

• Freshness

• Style

• Imagination

• Versatility

• To impress

Factors to be aware of for caterers.

• Availability of ingredients

• Special diets

• Cooking facilities

• Storage facilities

• Cost per delegate

Extract from a menu with nutritional information.

• Vitamin B 2 – Riboflavin works with other B vitamins to promote healthy growth and

tissue repair, and helps release energy from carbohydrates. It also makes our skin

healthy and has a role in the production of Red Blood Cells (RBC).

• Choline serves as a major role in the brain, and helps in the structure of cell

membranes, protecting our livers from accumulating fat.

• Vitamin B 1 – Thiamin helps the body convert food into energy, and aids the

function of the heart, cardiovascular system, the brain and nervous system.

• Carbohydrates Carbohydrates are used for energy both instant and sustained. They

fill numerous roles in living things, such as the storage and transport of energy and

structural components. They also play major roles in the working process of the

immune system, fertilization, blood clotting and development.

• Vitamin B 9 — Folic Acid or folate works with Vitamin B12 and C to help the body

digest and utilise proteins.

Applied to individual dishes.

• Paneer - Makhani or Palak [V] Cubes of Fresh Cottage Cheese in Tangy

and Creamy Tomato or Spinach Gravy . (Rich in protein, calcium &

phosphorus)

• Nizami Subz Korma [V] Farm Fresh Vegetables in Rich Cashew Gravy

(Rich in choline, calcium & phosphorus)

• Dal Makhani [V] Slow Braised Black Lentils Finished with Cream, Tomato,

Spices (Rich in thiamine, phosphorus & calcium)

• Toover Dal [V] Yellow Lentil Tempered with Onion, Garlic, Cumin, Chilli,

Tomato, Coriander (Rich in protein, calcium & iron)

• Chicken Butter Masala Tandoor Roasted Chicken Tikka in Creamy Tomato

Sauce (Rich in thiamine & niacin)

Does this add anything to the experience?

Why not?

• The nutrient content simply doesn’t matter in

this context.

• When ordering food, how often have you made

a decision about what to eat based on the

nutrient content?

What do you think of when you see a raspberry?

• Vitamin C – collagen, immune cells

• Folic acid – DNA, homocysteine

• Vitamin B2 – anti-oxidant, White blood cells

• Magnesium – bones, DNA, stress, glucose

• Manganese – antioxidant, clotting, cholesterol

• Anthocyanins – antioxidant, cell aptosis

• Omega 3 – cell membrane, hormones

• Ellagic acid – liver function, antioxidant

• Fibre – digestion, cholesterol

• That looks nice, I’ll eat it.

So what nutritional information is important?

• In time it is likely that caterers will be obliged to supply

calorie and fat content of dishes.

• It’s the aim, not the information that is important.

• To supply consistent energy that your delegates are

awake, alert and interested.

Basic biochemistry

Glucose and insulin

• The role of insulin

• Random nature of insulin

• The consequences of a sharp

downturn in glucose levels

Illustrations by Lucy Vigrass

The key? Managing levels of glucose in the blood.

What raises glucose levels?

• Stress

• Simple carbohydrates

• Sugar

• Caffeine

Benefits of keeping it even

• Energy

• Concentration

A typical breakfast?

• Coffee

• Tea

• Juice

• Toast

• Cereal

• Croissant

• Muesli

Highs and lows – glucose/insulin rollercoaster.

• .

The Principles of The Food Doctor approach

1.Eat protein with complex carbohydrates

2.Stay hydrated

3.Fuel up frequently – offer snacks

4.Eat breakfast

5.Avoid sugar

Eat protein with complexcarbohydrate

• Make sure you eat good quality protein with every

meal, including breakfast

• Avoid refined carbohydrates such as white bread,

white pasta

• Eat complex carbohydrates such as brown rice,

brown pasta, fresh fruits and vegetables

• Ensures a slow release of glucose, preventing excess

production of insulin, and thus avoids energy slumps

How much to eat?

Stay hydrated

• Drink at least 1.5 litres (3.5 pints) of filtered / bottled

water a day

• Fruit and herbal teas count towards this total

• Fizzy drinks, tea, coffee or alcohol do not

• 2% loss in body water can reduce energy levels by

20%

Eat little and often, combining the food groups.

• Eating a favourable ratio between protein and

carbohydrates will promote even levels of glucose

and thus energy,

• Eat every 2/3 hours throughout the day. Have

breakfast, lunch and dinner and include a mid-

morning and a mid-afternoon snack

• By actively working to avoid the insulin rollercoaster

you will feel less hungry, tired and vulnerable to food

cravings

Breakfast is essential

• Skipping any meal lessens your chance of success,

and by far the worst meal to skip is breakfast

• As with all other meals you need to include protein

and eat complex not refined carbohydrates

• Beware of breakfast bars and cereals as many are

sources of simple carbohydrates and sugars usually

offering little or no protein

Avoid sugar

• Sugar rapidly affects blood sugar balance and will

contribute to fat production and weight gain

• Avoid sugar in all its forms: sucrose, mannitol,

glucose, honey, fructose, sorbitol, corn syrup, malt,

malt extract, maltose, rice syrup, rice extract,

molasses, invert sugar, golden syrup

Summary

HOW?

• Glucose levels can be managed;

By eating little and often

By always combing the food groups

By reducing or avoiding simple carbohydrates, sugar and

caffeine.

Delegates will be awake, alert and well nourished leading to

a more successful outcome for them and in turn the

conference organisers.

Some questions for you to consider.

• Whose role should it be to educate delegates about how to eat

and drink appropriately?

• Should meeting planners take more care to brief caterers on

what their delegates require?

• How can you turn this knowledge into competitive advantage for

your business - do you need to change the way you deal with

caterers if you're a meetings manager, should you change

menus if you're a venue representative?

• How can you help delegates make the right choices?

Any questions?

And speaking of questions…..

Thank you!

48th ICCA Congress & Exhibition

10th November 2009