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Dallas Running Club: a fruitful collaboration!

ORCHARD At The OFFICE, the largest office fruit delivery service in the Dallas / Fort Worth and Houston, is proud to announce that we have teamed with the Dallas Running Club to provide all the bananas for their races!

Chris Buchanan smiles with Sean Jett of the Dallas Running Club
Chris Buchanan smiles with Sean Jett of the Dallas Running Club

A Fruitful Partnership

Since 2010, ORCHARD At The OFFICE has been delivering fresh fruit to businesses throughout North Texas. Our mission is to assist in the health and happiness of our community, one bite at a time. There’s always been a special affinity for runners in our organization. Because Marketing Wiseapple Chris Buchanan’s wife, Chauncey, is a certified personal trainer who has completed several marathons and ultra-marathons, and Chief Banana Kevin Long’s wife, Amy, races regularly and has completed several marathons herself, we jumped at the opportunity to provide bananas.

Sean and ORCHARD At The OFFICE Chief Banana Kevin Long load up healthy goodness for dedicated runners.
Sean and ORCHARD At The OFFICE Chief Banana Kevin Long load up healthy goodness for dedicated runners.

 

Year-Round Racing

The Dallas Running Club is the largest all-volunteer running club in America. The DRC hosts eight races a year and sponsors the “DRC Half” – an annual 5K and half marathon. Runners come from all over to compete in these races, and after all those miles, they need lots of replenishment. So, that’s where ORCHARD At The OFFICE comes in. For instance, the February “Love the Loop” 5K/15K required 320 pounds of potassium for over 900 runners!

DRC Volunteers set out bananas for hungry runners at the February 2016 "Love the Loop 5K/15K" at White Rock Lake.
DRC Volunteers set out bananas for hungry runners at the February 2016 “Love the Loop 5K/15K” at White Rock Lake.

On Your Mark! Get Set! GO!

You can check out the upcoming race schedule for the DRC here. Register for races individually or become a club member for additional benefits! So, whether you’re starting your fitness journey or a veteran runner looking to PR, there’s a race for your schedule…and ORCHARD At The OFFICE will see you at the finish!

Click here to start your office fruit delivery subscription in the Dallas / Fort Worth Metroplex!

Runners at the DRC "Love the Loop" replenish after giving it their all with bananas supplied by ORCHARD At The OFFICE.
Runners at the DRC “Love the Loop” replenish after giving it their all with bananas supplied by ORCHARD At The OFFICE.
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Unpeeled: The Truth About Bananas

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North America’s favorite office fruit is actually…an herb? Yes, that’s right. A banana “tree” is actually classed as an herbaceous plant by botanists, making the banana the world’s largest herb. Here are some more facts about our friend, the banana, supplied by ORCHARD At The OFFICE, the Dallas/Fort Worth area’s largest office fresh fruit delivery service:

From the outside…

  • Bananas range in color, from the popular yellow banana (the sweetest of all) to the red bananas (with a slight raspberry flavor).
  • Plantains are a member of the banana family, but contain much more starch. They are not to be consumed raw, but are cooked into a number of West African and Caribbean dishes. They are longer, with a thicker skin, and are usually green.
  • The Japanese fiber banana has the shape of a coconut and doesn’t really resemble a banana at all. It’s inedible, but it is commercially grown to produce fabric. More proof of the versatility of the banana!

From the inside…

  • Bananas are radioactive! In all potassium that occurs naturally, you’ll find the isotope potassium-40. Since bananas are such a good source of potassium, it follows that there will be an element of this element in there.
  • One 100 gram banana provides more than 10% of the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance of potassium, 15% the USRDA of vitamin C, and 10% the USRDA of dietary fiber. It is very low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium.
  • The bulky nature of bananas will give you a “full-stomach” feeling to take away the hunger pains of the day. Ideal snacking: healthy, satisfying, tasty – and you don’t need vending machine change!

A little sideways…

  • Cavendish bananas (the yellow bananas we’re most familiar with) originated in the Indo-China area. It is mutated from hundreds of other varieties.
  • United States immigrants were given bananas when they reached Ellis Island in New York. As many had never seen one before, they didn’t know they needed to peel them, and ate them whole!
  • The Siam Ruby banana is a decorative plant which produces nothing edible. It is grown for its beautiful red fruit and leaves and is very rare. Originally from the wild areas of New Guinea and commanded prices as high as $1,500!

For all its complexity, don’t forget the banana basics: peel, eat, enjoy!

To get bananas and other delectable produce delivered to your Dallas/Fort Worth office, contact ORCHARD At The OFFICE!

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Bananas: choice of offices everywhere!

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Brightly-colored, neatly-packaged, full of flavor and packed with goodness, it’s no surprise that for fruit snacking in the office, the banana’s on top. In smoothies, salads, or solo, bananas bring a healthy sweetness that keeps a workforce happy and healthy. Go bananas!

A natural boost of energy…

Bananas have three natural sugars: glucose, sucrose, and fructose. This, however, does not make them “fattening”. What it does mean is that they provide a long-lasting energy surge. And since the sugars digest slowly (with a glycemic index between 30 and 60, depending on how ripe the banana is), a person enjoying a banana won’t feel those peaks and troughs in their energy level.

A fruitful multi-vitamin…

Bananas are an integral source of potassium, which we need in our diet to counterbalance our sodium intake. One 100g banana provides about 12% of the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance of potassium in our diet. This means a decrease in heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes. Important stuff!

Additionally, bananas provide roughly three times as much vitamin C as apples, and are a great source of vitamin B6, promoting the health of your skin and hair, and minerals like copper, magnesium, and manganese – all those things your body needs, but you’d never think about!

A regular “powerfood”…

Bananas are high in pectin, which is a soluble fiber. One banana contains three grams of fiber, in fact. Combined with its electrolytes, a diet which includes bananas can ensure proper bowel function and reduce risk of intestinal disease.

Bananas are “alkaline-forming”, which means they are a natural antacid. They work to stop heartburn and go a long way toward the prevention of painful stomach ulcers. If you’ve got a gut feeling it’s time to eat a banana, go with it!

If you celebrated too much the previous evening, a banana can help you with the hangover, which is the result of dehydration. The potassium and electrolytes of the banana can aid in one’s recovery. (This is not to suggest you won’t get a hangover if you only drink banana daiquiris, however!) So make note, weekend warriors: keep plenty of bananas on hand for Monday morning.

So go ahead: peel away! Your whole body will thank you.