FOOD IS MEDICINE, BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO TASTE LIKE IT -SUPERFD

Performance Nutrition is their specialty and feeding Championship winning professional athletes organic, locally sourced superfood is their game. SuperFd, pronounced Superfood, the brainchild of entrepreneur John Cosgrove and chef Robert Wood is my MVP of the week. Born from sister company, Eco Catering, SuperFd started as a breakfast food stand inside the Washington Capitals practice facility In Arlington, Virginia and evolved into the performance nutrition industry leader it is today. At present, SuperFd, headquartered in Washington, DC has kitchens across the country in places like Philadelphia, New York, Atlanta, Seattle, San Diego, and Los Angeles with meal service to professional athletes and associated staff. The company serves other DC teams including the Washington Wizards and Mystics and recently signed on to support the Premier Lacrosse League. The measurable benefits that SuperFd brings to the table is what has professional sports teams requesting their food service. After all, the Washington Capitals won the Stanley Cup last year, only after eating daily SuperFD meals. 

So how does HAPPY HEARTS fit into this world? I was fortunate enough to spend a day last week shadowing the chefs and operational team working to feed the Washington Mystics. I met director of business development, Travis Eagleson at the main kitchen to kick off the day and prepare lunch service for the team. After exploring the kitchen and getting my bearings (meaning oooing and ahhhing and asking 1,000 questions about the commercial kitchen equipment), I jumped right in with the team to create! The sous chefs and team chefs were so passionate about their craft and genuine in their commitment to healthy nutrition. As I always say- healthy is a lifestyle and it is obvious that SuperFd is made up of employees who practice wellness. Chefs like Monty and Antoine prepare meals centered around gut happy ingredients while maintaining commitment to flavor. As I tell my clients, small changes can have BIG results and this is true when cooking as well! For example, SuperFd is using healthy oils like coconut and olive rather than traditional commercial kitchen staple, canola oil. Garnishes of fresh cilantro and parsley graced the tops of vegetable and whole grain dishes, adding both health benefit and beauty. Shelves in the on-site team kitchens were filled with varieties of healthy nuts and seeds to add quick crunch and healthy fat to salads and side dishes. And back at the main kitchen, the commercial refrigerator was a rainbow of colorful organic produce such as dark leafy green veggies and bright seasonal berries.

Feeding a women’s basketball team seems straightforward enough, right? Give them all the carbs and they’ll have the energy to execute on the court, but Executive Chef Robbie has upped the ante in terms of his culinary art and taken performance nutrition to the performance nutrition OPTIMIZATION level. These athletes are getting whole grains, lean proteins, fruits and veggies, healthy fats, anti-inflammatory and superfood ingredients at each meal. In addition, their meal service is targeted for optimal athletic performance and curated based individual team training and performance schedules. This commitment to targeted nutrition and the ‘food is fuel’ mantra is what sets SuperFd apart from its competition. 

Meal service is broken down into three categories:  game prep, pre-game, and post-game. Each meal is purposely crafted catering to the nutrient and energy needs of the athlete for the subsequent athletic event. For example, the game prep meal, served the night before game day, offers complex carbohydrates, paired with lean protein to enhance glycogen storage in muscle. Vegetables and fruits are added to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress that is to come on the following day. Add in some ginger and turmeric and you have a super charged, superfood, nutritionally optimized feast. From a dietary standpoint, the concept is so simple and very straightforward, but no one else in the food service industry is doing it. As the health and wellness movement continues to gain momentum and consciousness shifts towards preventative healthcare, athletes and teams are requesting SuperFd to provide nutrient dense mindfully crafted meals. The consumer has spoken and the business of being WELL is here to stay! My HEART IS so HAPPY that optimized nutrition and wellness are at the forefront of athletic minds! 

PS: my MVP moment was seeing HAPPY HEARTS and faces after the team drank my unique post-meal anti inflammatory juice shot. It included:

Celery for hydration, folate, potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin C and K. 

Carrots for vitamin A, beta carotene.

Pineapple for anti inflammatory Bromelain, vitamin C, manganese, thiamin.

Apple for dietary fiber and vitamin C.

Lemon for digestion.

Turmeric for anti inflammatory Curcumin. 

And a black pepper grind to activate the Curcumin. 

This sweet post-meal treat serves as a hydration infusion, a vitamin shot, and an anti-inflammatory boost all rolled into one delicious sip!