American Vending LLC Blog

Salty snacks are here to stay. Warren and Detroit Area individuals will continue to find them at a variety of retail establishments, at home and at work. In fact, a recent report developed by Freedonia Focus Reports found that the demand for corn chips is expected to outgrow the demand for potato chips. But it’s not just the demand for traditional salty snacks that is on the rise. Individuals want to enjoy new salty product offerings that are healthier.

Saltiness like sweetness is one of those tastes that can cause Warren and Detroit Area employees to eat too much of it. The human body needs salt, but it is important to be careful how much salt one eats. Understanding how much salt is the right amount of salt for one’s body is challenging. It’s sort of like “Too little, too much, and just right.”

Let’s take a look at why the “just right” spot is so important.

Salt consists of sodium and chloride, and sodium and chloride play a crucial role in maintaining human health. Since the human body cannot produce sodium and chloride, an outside source is needed. That source is salt. A familiar example of using and replacing sodium and chloride in the human body is when Warren and Detroit Area individuals excrete sodium and chloride by sweating. They then replenish the lost sodium and chloride by consuming salt.

The components of salt are very important.

• Sodium is essential for nerve and muscle function, is involved in the regulation of fluids in the body and helps to control blood pressure and volume.
• Chloride, an electrolyte, regulates fluids, transmits nerve impulses, maintains the acid-base (pH) balance in the body, and is a crucial component in the production of stomach acid (HCl).

But too much salt is unhealthy.

• People who consume too much sodium may develop hypertension or high blood pressure, a condition that can lead to serious illnesses such as heart disease, kidney disease and stroke.
• When too much chloride is in the body, the high levels of acid in the blood can cause a condition called hyperchloremia to occur.

Warren and Detroit Area employees should take the time to figure out what their “just right” amount of salt is. Then, when the mood strikes for something salty, try one these better-for-you, salty snacks.

• multigrain or whole-grain tortilla chips
• whole grain pretzels, plain or in a variety of flavors
• edamame with sea salt
• baked sweet potato or regular potato chips
• veggie chips
• baked lentil or brown rice chips
• popcorn
• black olives

As a Warren and Detroit Area employer, remember to include a variety of healthy, salty snacks for your employees in the break room vending machines or micro-market. It will provide an on-site refreshment option and help your employees stay healthy and productive. And don’t forget to include cold beverages such as bottled water to balance the salt.

For more information about customizing the perfect combination of snacks, beverages and fresh food in your break room, call American Vending at (248) 895.2606.

Finding the right balance between healthy and not-so-healthy foods can be challenging especially if one’s current diet feels boring, but it doesn’t have to be. A variety of new food trends can be found throughout Warren and the Detroit area that will satisfy a healthy craving or offer a bit of silliness and hopefully, bring things into balance.

Healthy Food Trends

Turmeric Milk or Golden Milk: The primary ingredients in this beverage are cow’s or plant-based milk, turmeric, cinnamon, and ginger. Not only does this beverage contain antioxidants and powerful anti-inflammatory properties, but it has also been found to help form new connections in the brain and promote brain cell growth.

Gut-Friendly Foods: This group of foods includes sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, kefir, and pickles, all of which have undergone the process of fermentation or pickling. A short explanation of fermentation is that yeast or bacteria is added to a particular food and then feeds on the natural sugars in that food. The result is a preserved product that contains gut-healthy probiotics and other helpful nutrients.

Drinkable Soups: Easy to enjoy on-the-go or throughout the workday, drinkable soups are made with vitamin, mineral, and antioxidant-packed produce and are packaged in ready-to-drink containers. Similar in consistency to smoothies, drinkable soups offer a more filling, higher fiber, and lower sugar option that can replace a less healthy snack.

Healthy is super important, but we also need a little fun in our lives. Enjoying fun food trends (in moderation of course) is a great way to taste something new and have fun.

Fun Food Trends

Rolled Ice Cream: Part of what makes rolled ice cream so intriguing is its preparation method. Using a process that is similar to the one used to make a classic Yule log dessert, liquid ice cream is poured on a cold slate which freezes the ice cream. The frozen sheet of ice cream is then rolled by hand, sliced, and served with a variety of toppings. Yum!

Doughnuts with Customized-Fillings: ‘Boutique’ doughnut shops have been popping up across the U.S., and the options are endless. Unique ingredients include sweet and regular potato, pumpkin, and fruit jellies. Fillings and flavors such as custard, snickers bars, and banana malt and toppings like bacon, marshmallows, and cereal can also be found. There’s a flavor combination for everyone.

Instead of seeing your Warren and Detroit area employees always going off site to find something healthy or fun to eat, provide them with a reason to stay on site. Offer a balance of healthy and fun beverage, snack, and food options in your break room micro-market or vending machines. To create a customized menu for your organization, survey your employees about their preferences, but don’t forget to include coffee service options in your survey. Coffee, tea, and espresso-based beverages can also be fun and healthy.

Increase the odds that all of your Warren and Detroit area employees can find something in the break room with a custom break room menu designed by American Vending. We can help you create a space that is inviting, fun, and relaxing all at the same time. For more information, call American Vending at (248) 895.2606.

Everyone, well almost everyone, loves to enjoy chocolate as one of their daily snacks. Whether it’s dark chocolate or milk chocolate, the key ingredient is cocoa. Without cocoa there are no chocolate snacks in Warren and the Detroit Area. Frank Mars, board member of Mars, Inc recently spoke at the Fourth World Cocoa Conference about his concern about the future of cocoa, and that should concern all chocolate lovers.

According to Frank Mars, the participants at the conference need “to think differently and work harder together; not only on better [cocoa] plant varieties and farming practices and models, but also on pest and disease control.” Mars further explained that the current progress is not enough to make cocoa sustainable unless more change is made.

Sustainable Cocoa

So what exactly is sustainable cocoa? According to the German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa, sustainable cocoa is cocoa “produced according to economic, environmental, and social requirements, either through internationally recognized standards such as Rainforest Alliance or Fairtrade, or through sourcing comparable to those standards, which have been verified by an “approved method.” Put simply, cocoa farmers need to be able to produce more cocoa seed on less land with fewer pesticides. The increased cocoa yields would allow farmers to plant crops for themselves in place of less efficient cocoa trees thereby improving their own livelihood and quality of life.

Warren and Detroit Area Employees

Why should Warren and Detroit Area employees be concerned about the cocoa in their chocolate snacks? Because the quality of cocoa used to make chocolate snacks is impacted by the growing, harvesting, fermenting & drying (processing), roasting & grinding, and pressing methods used to make cocoa. Growing, harvesting, and fermenting & drying (processing) are also stages that are directly impacted by sustainable farming practices.

This is important because according to recent research by the Mars Center for Cocoa Health Science, “harvesting and processing of the cocoa seed determines the final cocoa flavanol content,” and “the cocoa seed has a unique combination of flavanols that is found in no other food exactly as it is found in cocoa.” Flavanols are beneficial for Warren and Detroit Area employees’ health. Not only do flavanols support heart health but they also positively impact cognitive function and circulation.

Healthy and mentally sharp employees are great for any Warren and Detroit Area business. One way to ensure that employees have access to snacks with chocolate made from sustainable cocoa is to offer those snacks in the break room vending machine or micro-market. The snacks are healthier, as long as there isn’t too much sugar in them, and easier to find since they are onsite. Don’t forget to offer other healthy beverages such as bottled water or coffee and tea in the office break room to enjoy with a chocolate snack — hydration is also important.

For more information about updating your snack options or customizing a new break room, call American Vending at (248) 895.2606. We look forward to working with you.

It may be summer outside, but don’t forget to include a bit of dark chocolate in your healthy snack. The key is to use dark chocolate made with a high-cocoa content, low unhealthy-fats, and very little sugar. A few different ways to enjoy a dark chocolate snack in the summer include: dark chocolate ice cubes, fruit dipped in dark chocolate, homemade dark chocolate ice cream, and dark chocolate pudding or mousse in addition to the traditional bar of dark chocolate.

Why dark chocolate? Because dark chocolate contains antioxidants, caffeine, endorphins, and serotonin which offer many health benefits. According to research presented at the Experimental Biology 2018 annual meeting, “consuming dark chocolate that has a high concentration of cacao (minimally 70% cacao, 30% organic cane sugar) has positive effects on stress levels, inflammation, mood, memory and immunity” as well as cognition.

Let’s take a look at how caffeine, endorphins, serotonin, and antioxidants play a role.

Caffeine

As many Warren and Detroit Area employees know, caffeine can provide an energy boost when one is feeling tired. But caffeine does more than just decrease fatigue. Caffeine offers a short-term mental boost, improves memory, and even helps decrease pain sensitivity in some individuals with chronic pain.

Endorphins & Serotonin

While endorphins are a group of hormones secreted within the brain and nervous system, and serotonin is a chemical and neurotransmitter, both have a similar effect. They can both improve a Warren or Detroit Area employee’s mood. Endorphins create feelings of pleasure, and serotonin elevates one’s mood.  

Antioxidants

Understanding the impact of antioxidants is a bit more complicated. There are many different types of antioxidants. Several of the ones that come into play with dark chocolate include flavonoids (flavanols, flavonols (source of the antioxidant qualities), epicatechin and procyanidins) and polyphenols. Flavonoids, a type of antioxidant, improve cognitive function, help absorb UV light, increase blood flow to the skin, improve skin texture, increase skin hydration, fight inflammation and oxidative stress—improving blood flow, improve cardiovascular health, reduce insulin resistance, and decrease cravings for sweet, salty, and fatty foods. Those are a lot of benefits!

The benefits from antioxidants are often seen in Warren and Detroit Area individuals when three to four ounces of dark chocolate made with 70 percent to 80 percent cocoa are enjoyed each day. Don’t forget to avoid dark chocolate made using processing methods such as fermenting, alkalizing, and roasting as they cause important flavonoids to be lost.

Can your Warren and Detroit Area employees find a healthy dark chocolate snack in their office break room? Offering healthy vending machine options is one way that your organization can support your employees’ health. For more information about adding vending services to your place of business, contact American Vending at (248) 895.2606. We look forward to working with you.