Celebrating Local Seasonal Food

27 Jun 2019

Dr. Joanna McMillan, Nutritional Scientist

ICC Sydney recently sat down with nutritional scientist, Dr Joanna McMillan to talk about the venue’s Feeding Your Performance culinary philosophy since its inception in 2016 and why it’s all about finding balance.

Eating well is about more than simply gaining the nutrients you need. So often, popular diets are focused on how much fat, carbohydrate, sugar or other nutritional attributes the diet contains, that the big picture is lost. Ultimately, there are many ways to eat well, but all healthy diets share a foundation of real, whole foods.

This is why I love, and so highly value, ICC Sydney’s commitment to using quality ingredients from local producers. The team’s menus truly celebrate the balance of enjoying good food and eating well.

When you look at the healthiest diets in the world, they may vary in terms of their nutrition, but they are all based on real, minimally processed foods that are readily available in that region.

Two prime examples are the Mediterranean and Japanese diets. If we look at these respective diets through a nutritional lens, they seem to be at opposite ends of the spectrum. The Mediterranean diet has a relatively high-fat content, derived from the healthy fats in extra virgin olive oil, nuts, seeds, avocado and oily fish. In contrast, the Japanese diet is very low in fat and has a relatively high carbohydrate content.

If you look at the foods more closely rather than strictly just the nutritional attributes,

both diets celebrate the ingredients of their respective regions and they eat according to the seasons.

This is exactly what ICC Sydney does with its Feeding Your Performance philosophy, which features seasonal menus packed with healthy, high-quality ingredients from regional producers, all designed to fuel both the bodies and minds of visiting delegates.

ICC Sydney’s culinary team also shares a mutual respect for food and the wonderful role it plays in our lives, recognising that food is about more than the nutrients it contains. Food is part of our culture and underpins social connections – we are unique in the animal kingdom in terms of finessing the art of preparing and cooking our food to give us greater pleasure in the meal.

ICC Sydney is a hub of innovation and connection, hosting tens of thousands of international, national and local visitors every month. Meals served at its events are designed to showcase our amazing local produce while nourishing the culinary soul of every attendee. Delicious food served around the table at ICC Sydney brings people from all backgrounds together and encourages the social connections that sharing food naturally fosters.

Travelling and attending a conference, exhibition or show can be a tiring experience. The ICC Sydney team have worked hard to design a menu collection that helps counteract this.

The Feeding Your Performance philosophy is a rare, refreshing approach that aims to ensure every delegate feels their best, keeps their energy levels up and is able to concentrate and gain the most from their event.

ICC Sydney’s approach simultaneously showcases Australia as a leader in food, cuisine, and nutrition on a global stage which should make all Australians proud.

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