You’ve been tasked with ordering office catering. They want delicious but healthy. So here you are researching yummy, yet healthy plant-based office catering options—and yes, they do exist. Think falafel wrap with all the fixings or a protein-rich salad and side soup. We’ve even compiled a list below of our top restaurant partners that offer plant-based dishes on their office catering menus in cities we deliver in across North America. 

But first, let’s talk about:

• What a healthy plant-based diet is (and isn’t) and why it’s good for you and the planet
• The difference between vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, and flexitarian 
• Ideas for how to follow a healthy plant-based diet in your office

What a Healthy Plant-Based Diet is (and Isn’t) and Why it’s Good for you

A plant-based diet is quite literally eating mostly plants. That’s vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, plant-based fats and oils, whole grains, beans, and legumes. Eating plant-based foods doesn’t necessarily mean that you don’t eat meat, fish, or dairy (sometimes). But you mostly choose foods from plant sources. For instance, you may have a grain bowl with fresh fruit and yogurt for breakfast, an avocado and chickpea salad for lunch, and vegetarian lasagna with a side salad for dinner. 

A typical healthy plant-based plate would be:

• ½ fresh vegetables and fruits
• ¼ whole grains 
• ¼ protein and fats (mostly plant-based)
• A glass of water to drink

A Quick Look at the Not-So-Healthy Plant-Based Diet

Not all plant-based diets are created equally. Just because it’s plant-based, doesn’t mean that it’s healthy and good for the planet. As one Harvard study found, it’s more nuanced than that. For instance, eating high-processed cereals with lots of added sugar and a splash of GMO soy milk alongside a sugary fruit juice is not a healthy, well-balanced breakfast, even if it is plant-based. 

The Benefits of Eating a Healthy Plant-Based Diet

In the Harvard study mentioned above, participants who ate “healthy plant-based had lower cardiovascular disease risk, and those diets had lower greenhouse gas emissions” than those who ate unhealthy plant-based diets. However, this research also reinforced the fact that “diets higher in animal-based foods, especially red and processed meat, have greater adverse environmental impacts than plant-based diets.”   

Healthy plant-based diets are well-balanced diets that provide all of the essential fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and proteins for optimal health and wellness. For example, vegetarian diets have been proven to increase lifespan and overall wellness, and decrease the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. 

Another great example of a healthy plant-based diet is the Mediterranean diet, which we wrote about here. 

Vegetarian, Vegan, Flexitarian, Pescatarian—What’s the Difference?

Within the plant-based diet world, there are a few key terms and differences that anyone following or ordering office catering should know:

• Vegetarian (VG): Eats plant-based foods and eggs and dairy, but no meat, poultry, fish, or seafood

• Vegan (V): Eats plant-based foods only and no animal products (including no honey)

• Flexitarian: Eats mostly plant-based foods and eggs and dairy, and occasionally meat, poultry, fish, and seafood

• Pescatarian: Eats mostly plant-based foods and eggs, dairy, fish, and seafood, but no meat or poultry

Tips and Ideas for Ordering Healthy Plant-Based Meals for Office Catering

Before we leave you to start ordering delicious and healthy plant-based meals for your office through Foodee’s corporate catering, here are a few guiding principles to follow:

1. Eat mostly vegetables 
2. Eat less meat and less often
3. Add healthy fats to your plant-based meals (like avocado, nuts, seeds, and oils)
4. Add whole grains to your meals
5. Add protein to your meals (mostly plant-based but sometimes eggs, dairy, fish, seafood, meats and poultry, depending on your diet)
6. Eat your greens
7. Build a salad or grain bowl as your meal base
8. Go for fresh fruit for snacks and dessert

Foodee’s Healthy Plant-Based Restaurant Options for Your Corporate Catering

Here are our top suggestions for Foodee’s local restaurant partners that have a great selection of plant-based menu items, including vegan (V) and vegetarian (VG) options, but not limited to them. 

Looking for more options? Our team has curated all the best vegan and vegetarian office catering options here:

Vancouver, Canada:

• Vegetarian catering – link
• Vegan catering – link

Toronto, Canada:

• Vegetarian catering – link
• Vegan catering – link

Silicon Valley, California:

• Vegetarian catering – link
• Vegan catering – link

New York City, New York:

• Vegetarian catering – link
• Vegan catering – link

Denver, Colorado:

• Vegetarian catering – link
• Vegan catering – link

Boulder, Colorado:

• Vegetarian catering – link
• Vegan catering – link

Chicago, Illinois:

• Vegetarian catering – link
• Vegan catering – link

Washington DC

• Vegetarian catering – link
• Vegan catering – link

Boston

• Vegetarian catering – link
• Vegan catering – link