Health and flavor: The big balancing act

We’ve all seen it: The customer who orders a salad and an ice cream sundae, or a double cheeseburger with a diet beverage. There’s always been a push-pull between health and indulgence when it comes to eating, between simple fresh food and serious flavor cravings. The key is providing a balance of both.

According to the Technomic 2014 Healthy Eating report, both health and indulgence are important to consumers when dining away from home. Moreover, definitions of what’s healthy vary by individual, and rather than follow rigid diets, consumers favor a balanced, nutritious approach that supports a personal, holistic path to health and makes them feel good both emotionally and physically.

This is particularly true among college students—young adults who are striving to pull off a balancing act in their own lives and need all the help they can get to make it happen.

Jose Martinez, senior executive chef, Residential Cal Dining at the University of California, Berkeley knows this about his customers. “Our students want tasty, authentic, fresh, well-executed food, not just healthy options,” he says. “If it’s made-to-order just for them, even better. Healthy’s not good enough. It’s got to taste great too.”

That’s the feedback that led Cal Dining to convert its popular Café 3 dining commons into a venue that will appeal to all students, whether they’re seeking healthy options or traditional comfort food, a light Mongolian noodle stir-fry or a hearty serving of roasted herb beef and red potatoes from the carving station. Café 3 also meets the needs of kosher and halal students as well as the growing cohort of vegans and vegetarians. Students can decide for themselves what and how they want to eat.

Healthy ingredients such as grains, plant-based proteins, fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats and seafood set the underlying tone of food that students can feel good about, without having to worry about what they should order. “With our volume and time constraints, there’s only so much scratch preparation we can do,” he explains. “Fortunately, the manufacturer community has developed many new healthy-profile products that are easy for our cooks to work with and which can be enhanced with fresh ingredients, sauces, condiments and other distinctive touches.”

While Martinez and his staff have worked hard to provide selections that are low in fat and cholesterol but high in protein and fiber, the menu is also optimized for flavor and indulgence. For instance, treating a burger made with ancient grains to a topping of fresh spinach, tomato, Swiss cheese and Thousand Island aioli creates the fan-favorite Oski’s Burger, both satiating and healthy.

Global flavor cues also help create excitement and craveability, from Coconut Tofu and Moroccan Freekeh with Chickpeas to Chicken Vindaloo and ancho-crusted salmon. “The secret to healthy cooking is to provide authenticity and recipes that incorporate spicy, sour, and sweet flavor profiles—never bland,” insists Martinez.

Recipes that will be used in the new café concept, which opens at the end of August in time for the fall semester, have been tweaked and tested throughout the summer. “Every day this summer we have used our test kitchen to produce 40 portion batches of each recipe to serve to students and collect their feedback,” says Martinez. “We want to nail it with healthy food that’s authentic and full of flavor. Our students are more sophisticated every year, and Café 3 is the way forward for us.”

The all natural HORMEL® FUSE™ Burger delivers on today’s definition of a healthful product by combining lean protein with delicious whole grains and vegetables.

Serve these fully cooked, gluten free patties with other healthful ingredients such as whole-grain bread, fresh vegetables and sauces that are flavorful, yet sensible, for those looking to keep their fat and calorie intake in check. Or serve with other fresh, natural ingredients such as avocado, artisan cheese and flavor-infused spreads for those seeking a real, natural, delicious food experience.