What’s healthy, tastes good, and keeps you fit

Nutrition is a major topic worldwide – for many people due to a lack of it and for others, due to excess. We all know that improper nutrition can lead to illness. And one of our greatest unsolved problems is how to provide the world’s growing population with a healthy and sustainable diet in the face of limited natural resources.

The recent Creavis Lounge looked at this topic as it also plays a key role in Evonik’s innovation strategy and is a current topic at Creavis in the Food Solutions Innovation Fields. Risumalt®, a sugar substitute with many advantages, has been developed in this unit. According to Evonik, there is high demand for sugar substitutes in Asia. “Obesity and diabetes are becoming an ever-greater problem in the region,” explains Jan Wolter, head of the Innovation Field. Risumalt® has been developed to counter these effects.

Everybody knows that excessive consumption of sugar is unhealthy. Less well known is exactly how much sugar is contained in which foods. The approximately 70 internal and external participants in the Creavis Lounge were given a vivid demonstration of the situation. They also had the opportunity to test for themselves just how tasty healthy food can be. Holger Stromberg, chef and nutrition expert, supplied the recipes for the catering.

In a moderated discussion, Stromberg and Wolter talked about their views on healthy and sustainable nutrition. For Stromberg, nutrition is an extremely personal matter. “There are a few principles that we need to keep in mind. But ultimately, each of us must determine for ourselves what is good for our bodies,” says Stromberg. With regard to sustainability, he recommended using primarily regional, and preferably natural foods.

His expertise has been availed of in the most recent well@work initiative. In all Evonik company restaurants, the concept “Cooking for the best team” is to be introduced step by step—after all, good nutrition plays a key role in human performance. Top performance is expected at work, and on the field of play.

The Creavis Lounge participants enjoyed the live World Cup match broadcast, table soccer games, and a target shooting game to round off the day.

The Creavis Lounge was established to promote collaboration and dialog both within the company and with customers, trade associations and universities and, as a result, to broaden its own perspective. The event was one of a regular series which focuses on the overall topics of future, sustainability, and creativity.