When I was at university, it always baffled me as to why we would be fed snacks such as biscuits, crisps and fizzy drinks to keep us going through long lectures and revision seminars. Even though I wasn’t quite as passionate about healthy living then, I knew that these foods were making us all crash far quicker than much more wholesome snacks would. Often, we’d all benefit from a burst of energy straight after we’d munched on these high-sugar ‘treats’ only to pay for it later, about 20 minutes later when we’d all be yawning, texting, even sleeping… yes… sleeping!

So it makes total sense that Holiday Inn took a look at what they were handing out during their conferences in order to help people stay engaged for longer periods of time. After lengthy discussions and consulting nutritionists, the Food For Thought menu was born. For which, Holiday Inn has now been recognised for and awarded an accreditation  by Food for the Brain (industry experts in food and cognitive behaviour).

To make sure they were making the right move before they switched up their menus they conducted a study on students attending an all-day seminar. They fed half of the students the new Food For Thought menu and the other half the normal conference food they have been use to dishing out and monitored the students cognitive behaviour. Unsurprisingly perhaps, the study ruled in favour of the Food For Thought menu – which saw students much more engaged and focused and bursting with energy.

The Food For Thought Menu comprises of…

• Freshly Prepared Dishes – Using quality ingredients prepared in our kitchen by our chefs

• Nutritionally Balanced – Supporting work performance and aiding energy levels and concentration

• Responsibly Sourced – Ingredients from British producers or sustainable sources

• Clear Food Labelling – We’ve made it easy for our guests

• We Know Our Food – Coeliac, Vegetarian or Dairy free? Our staff know their stuff and are here to help you make the right choices

• Menu Balance – Plenty of choices throughout the day to suit everyone

The invigorating ‘Food for Thought’ menus have now launched across all 57 IHG Holiday Inn Company Managed Hotels in the UK.

For more information visit: http://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Business/Food-For-Thought-Holiday-Inn-benefits-from-healthier-conference-menu