HEALTHY FOODS BUSINESS

What's for lunch?

Whatever it is, for most people, it comes from a to-go box. The same goes for breakfast and dinner. According to the Restaurant Association, 80 percent of people surveyed agree that going out to a restaurant is a better way to use their leisure time than cooking and cleaning up. Add to the mix the constant diet craze and the fact that 57 percent of consumers would use delivery to their home or office if more restaurants offered it.

The market largely has been dominated by giants companies , but many small-business owners have found an edge by offering freshly prepared meals that are delivered locally. People who are looking to kick the unhealthy habit of dashboard dining and cubicle take-out have more options than ever when it comes to prepared meals delivered to their home or office.

Here are three of the current trends in food delivery services that are making mouths water and keeping entrepreneurs satisfied.

Raw Dishes
Raw dishes consist of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds that have never been cooked or treated with heat above 115 degrees. Like most diet crazes, the raw food diet was first introduced to the mainstream via celebrity devotees, but it was innovative culinary wizards that turned this fad into a bona fide movement with creative dishes that mimic cooked favorites. When you cook food, it destroys about 80 percent of the vitamins and minerals and about 100 percent of the enzymes, so eating raw is really about getting the most out of what you eat.

Kids Food
School cafeteria food has always gotten a bad rap, first from kids forced to eat the "mystery meat," and now from parents who've wised up to the lack of healthy, nutritional food options hitting their child's plastic tray. Over the past three decades, childhood obesity rates have more than tripled for children aged 6 to 11 years and doubled for adolescents 12 to 19 years. By offering a food delivery service that lets busy parents plan up to a month's worth of lunches and have them delivered to their child's school every day is a good business opportunity. By using healthy foods such as organic fruits and veggies, hormone and antibiotic free meat, and offers meals that are low in fat, sugar and salt is a good move to start with.

Seeing Green
The other option is a delivery service that's completely green. The health of the planet is really a top priority. The use of pesticides on our products and the use of hormones and antibiotics in meat and poultry are not only detrimental to the health of the planet, it's also detrimental to the people, for those who are consuming it. Try some green recipes to the customers and you will see the impact.