Food! Or shall we say Nutrition! Eating well in the Alps

26th April 5 minute read We've contemplated the wealth of well-being gold the mountains have to offer over the last few weeks. Today, it's a deep dive into what the alpine diet has to offer. First up I asked Louise Ritchie, Nutritional Therapist, what she had to say about food and nutrition in the alps. She was pretty on the button with her first comment .. “When you think of ski holidays, nutrition isn’t probably the first thing to spring to mind, after a day on the slopes it’s more about raclette with a bottle of beer or a full bodied red!” But went on to say... "However you’ll probably find most resorts source their produce locally and use seasonal ingredients, which makes it fresher and more nutritionally dense, with higher levels of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, to refuel your body after lots of exercise. So on your next ski holiday, take a closer look at the menu and make choices which have more vegetables and fruit, your body will thank you for it and it may just improve your performance on the slopes too!!” Sound advice there from Louise. And I agree, a skiing holiday is not one for skimping on the calories. You need them for those energetic days out on the hill.

My personal view is that a skiing holiday is all about living well and eating well in every sense of the idea. Not a time for restraint. But eating the local cuisine for sure. The Culture Trip has done a great round up of classic traditional French alpine food including a recommendation for Le Refuge in Méribel as the place to go for the best Savoyard Fondue.

I seem to remember Le Refuge being a top tip foodie destination from Chalet Company Chef Heather in our profile piece on her. She also provided some luscious snaps of some of the very special and scrummy ski holiday staples she's rustled up this season. Which is now sadly coming to and end; but that just means the joy of dreaming up menus for next season! We take a joyful attitude to our in house catering too. You can read all about ‘Food! Our take … on the quickest way to your heart.’ here 😊 We are not about super ‘fine dining’. You can treat yourself to a more fancy menu in one of the many restaurants around town. We pride ourselves on lipsmackingly delicious home from home (but a bit more special) menus. Take a look at one of our sample le menus here.

We are of course all about the kids too and you can see how we go about catering for the younger palate here.

  Vegetarian and vegan catering is something we enjoy offering at the Chalet Company and you can see an example of our imaginative and mouthwatering options here. Being vegan in the Alps is admittedly a challenge. It is however achievable. You can read about one Saisonnaire’s mission to do ‘Veganuary’ a few years ago in this Living The Veggie Life blog post. Well done Anon – no name! But some nice snowboarding snaps as well as some good alpine vegan menu steers. To round up this series of health and wellbeing posts, I want to signpost you to work and research from the consultancy SPRIM, headed up by the renowned Docteur Frédéric Saldmann. This is an overview of the way mountain life contributes to our health and wellbeing. It is a French is the result of of 150 medical and scientific research studies looking at how the altitude and biodiversity of the mountains contribute to a reduction in stress, improved cardiovascular function, weight loss and an improved immune system. Doctor Frédéric Saldmann, cardiologist and nutritionist known for his work on preventative measures to ensure a long and healthy life, concluded ‘l’étude a révelé tout le potentiel de la destination montagne. La montagne est un endroit formidable pour venir se recharger, toute l’année’ I’ve left it in French because, to me, hearing it in French is a further source of wellbeing. Just love the language. But here’s a translation in case you weren’t paying attention in your French lessons … Never had any - No judgement! ‘the study reveals all the potential goodness mountainside destinations have to offer. The mountains are an incredible environment in which to reboot and recharge all year round’ @Freepik prostooleh Looking into Dr Saldmann a bit more he looks like an interesting man with sensible advice. My research led me to good old Waterstones and this appealing read: You Are Your Own Best Medicine - A Doctor's Advice on the Body's Natural Healing Powers. No, not on commission from Waterstones, just stumbled across this.   Our wellbeing work continues on as the winter season comes to a close, and we begin to see the hopeful shoots of spring emerge. Summer season in the Alps is just as good for you as the winter. Bit of grass skiing anyone? Perhaps we’ll look into that for a post soon. Or ... want to stay with winter snow wellness? Head to the southern hemisphere. Sister brand Snowskool run ski instructor courses in New Zealand for folk who aspire to back to back winter seasons ... If not for you, maybe your gap year children, grandchildren pre or post uni? Or maybe you are one of those lovely young folk! Or maybe you are older and fancy doing the thing you've always dreamed of but never had the chance. But, I digress ... While you contemplate summer in the Alps and / or snowskool instructor courses, get booking your next catered skiing holiday with the Chalet Company. We’ve got lots of inviting options ... Once it’s in the bag you can start looking forward to the wondrous wellbeing you and your friends and family have scheduled to mitigate against the UK grey and drizzly winter doldrums … Have something to look forward to is just as good for you as the elixir of actually doing it when the time comes! Nurture those endorphins. They are good for you and your life expectancy! Want to talk about it? Contact us any which way you like. Tel +44 (0)1962 899017 Email lyndsey@thechaletcompany.com WhatsApp +44 (0)7760 905559 Live Chat facility from our website Instagram Facebook Prefer self catering? Cook your own? Sister brand The Ski Company offer lots of lovely options across the Three Valleys.