Health and wellness have received an increased awareness amongst consumers in the past few years. We've seen diets such as vegetarianism, veganism, ketogenic, and more push people and food brands out of their comfort zones. The food industry is becoming increasingly aware of this uptick in people's opinions on health, and those who aren't hopping on the bandwagon will struggle to remain competitive.
Consumers are also becoming less tolerant of big food corporations' lies—making it evident people want to know what they're putting into their bodies more than ever before. This shift signals that restaurants and food brands need to put nutritional and ethical transparency at the forefront of their strategies.
For larger corporations and chains, there isn't much of a challenge (and thereby no excuse). Brands like Starbucks and Chick-fil-A make calories available to their customers since these major brands have the monetary capital and resources to make this happen.
But what about the smaller chains and local restaurants? They want to be able to provide their customers with what they're asking for, whether it is required by the FDA or not, because they know their customers want it. The challenge is that they don't have millions of dollars to go test their food in labs to extract these key nutritional facts.
I sat down with Sonia Couto, the founder & CEO of MenuSano, a leading nutritional analysis software for food services and manufacturing businesses, to discuss how she is paving the way for all food services, large and small.
"At first, MenuSano came to fruition once the epidemic of diabetes grew among consumers. A disease that is so highly dependent on nutritional consumption and the avoidance of carbohydrates, it only made sense to provide food services with the opportunity to cater to all customers (those who may be struggling to manage their diabetes and those who didn't consider nutritional health as a priority)," she shares. "I felt like MenuSano was a power tool for food services to put the power back into the consumer, giving them the opportunity to feel good and empowered about the choices they make when it comes to food."
Couto was later diagnosed with breast cancer, and from then on, her perspectives on her personal life, MenuSano's mission, and work-life balance were altered—for the better.
"Once I was diagnosed with breast cancer, which I was fortunate enough to have caught early, I made the decision to continue working," she says. "I was so lucky to have had the team that I had—they weren't afraid of me continuing to work. They didn't make me feel like a sick person. We had a symbiotic relationship of trust and also a willingness to step in when others couldn't."
She shared with me how work practically saved her life. It made her feel like she had a sense of purpose every morning—she was more than her disease.
"MenuSano was a blessing in disguise for me. My own journey with battling breast cancer made me realize that our mission could be expanded tenfold—looking past solely diabetes and realizing that we could help more people. Anyone who wants to be health conscious, whether it's a byproduct of a life-changing disease like mine or general prevention has the right to know what they are putting into their bodies."
Couto explained that work-life balance to her practically meant nothing anymore. Her experience working while fighting cancer made her disbelieve in the notion entirely—and this isn't an entirely out-there perspective. Some leaders have shared that reframing your mindset can make all the difference. By viewing your work self and personal self as two different entities, it will allow you to understand that you can be one hundred percent yourself within every piece of your life puzzle which can be empowering and promote a greater sense of self.
Once MenuSano was launched successfully (today, household name brands like Shake Shack utilize it) and Couto entered remission, a new chapter of her healing journey began.
Yet, while getting through debatably the hardest part (multiple surgeries throughout a couple of years), she explained how remission is where she felt the most lost. Both MenuSano and her health were succeeding, but on the inside, she felt an inexplicable sense of emptiness.
"The thing about cancer is, so many people talk about the battle—whether that is chemotherapy or surgeries—but nobody talks about the before and after. Early detection saved my life, and like many women's health concepts and information, there is not nearly enough awareness," Couto expresses. "I felt a numbness in my armpit which prompted me to do a self-check. I immediately felt a lump and went to the doctor the next day. I feel so lucky I had the intuition and knowledge to self-check—but what I learned throughout my diagnosis was that I was at high risk for breast cancer because I was taking birth control and never had children. Nobody talks about this, but women should know that even if they're younger than the standard mammogram age, they should be doing self-checks regularly."
She continues, saying, "The aftermath of my battle, remission, was the most challenging phase by far. I felt so alone. I thought my life was going to end, and when it didn't (thankfully), I felt so confused. Work made me feel like I had a slight sense of self, but it was hard. That's why I got involved with an organization and built a community of female survivors who were going through the same feelings as me. If there is anything you take away from this article, I hope it is that early detection is critical, work and purpose can save your life and remission is not a walk in the park. Leaning on your communities can be so healing."
To learn more about MenuSano, visit their website here: https://www.menusano.com/.
To learn more about Sonia Couto and her leadership advice, personal story, and podcast, visit https://soniacouto.com/ or listen to her podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/tenacity-with-sonia-c/id1715827155.
