The Superfood Snack That Really Packs A Punch

We sat down over a juice to chat with Alexandra Dudley, the young British wellness entrepreneur behind Punch Foods, about her plans to reshape London’s snacking culture, what it means to achieve a healthy balance, and why her mum calls her ‘Bird’.

Tell us how Punch Foods came to be…

I have always felt most at home and fully involved whilst experimenting in the kitchen. There’s nothing more satisfying to me than whipping up a tasty new concoction. I’ve been making ‘free from’ cakes and goodies for friends and family since my early teens.

A Londoner all my life I’ve lived the on-the-go lifestyle ever since I can remember, even more so during my student years. As a Fine Art student, I wanted to see every show in town and that meant a lot of whizzing around. But my on-the-go snack options were unfortunately limited due to a number of childhood digestive issues. I avoid dairy, wheat and gluten. Refined sugar also has a less than desirable effect on me. To my dismay, tasty healthy snacks devoid of wheat flour or additives proved extremely hard to find, especially when you’re hungry…

I made it a bit of a mental mission to bring some ‘punch’ (excuse the pun) to the snack food market. I truly believe that optimum nutrition should never result in a compromise on taste. This is something I stand by and so it has become a bit of a motto for Punch Foods.

Talk us through your first product, Superseeds, and the iconic silver bullet packaging?

The Superseeds have a bit of a funny story attached to them actually…

I’ve always tried to maintain a healthy diet without sacrificing my on-the-go lifestyle. This meant not being caught off guard without a delicious, nutritious snack to hand.

My fail-safe was my famous ‘emergency seed bag’: a ziplock bag I filled with seeds and carried with me wherever I went. I loved how I could just have a mouthful whenever I needed it.

My friends and family would roll in the jokes about how I was like a ‘bird’ with my healthy seed habits, but they all wanted some seed action when we were stuck in traffic jams for hours with rumbling stomachs.

The only disappointing thing about the ‘emergency seed bag’ was that they weren’t exactly foolproof and more often than not I would find seeds scattered around and gathered together in the corners of my handbag.

I began pondering on the hundreds of health-conscious people who, like me, had to snack on the go and how ridiculous it was that there wasn’t a convenient, sturdy and reliable travel snack available!

Enter our Superseeds tubes.

The silver tube branding was a ‘white light’ moment. It hit me while I was browsing around Wholefoods looking for inspiration (naturally). There were heaps (heaps!) of natural, country, wholesome-looking organic and vegan brands (many of which I loved and still do) but I wanted to show how organic and vegan food brands didn’t have to cater solely for earthy, ‘hemp-wearing’ types…

Good health has become quite trendy recently and it is time healthy food became trendy too! Initially, the tubes were, indeed, silver bullets in my mind — but that wouldn’t exactly be environmentally friendly.

All of our packaging is made from 100% recycled materials, and all of our ingredients are certified 100% organic and vegan.

Inside the tube, you’ll find our hand toasted Superseeds, in four amazing flavours: Feel the Heat, Meet Your Maca, Mega Omega and Raw Cocoa Boost. They are 100% organic, natural, high in fibre and protein, and completely vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and GMO-free. Superseeds are perfect as a snack on their own, or to sprinkle on your breakfast bowl, smoothie or salad.

Why do you think it’s so important to achieve balance in a healthy lifestyle?

I’m glad you ask! I am passionate about balance above all else. I lead a very clean, plant-based lifestyle and I steer clear of processed sugar 99% of the time, but I don’t believe in extremes. Like most people, my diet hasn’t always been ‘perfect’ yet I found myself most miserable when I was denying myself so called ‘bad’ foods. Instead of relying on a distinction between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods, we should focus on which foods our bodies need. Sometimes that might be chocolate, it is just about making healthy choices that feel right for you. We are all beautifully different. There is no one right way of eating for all of us.

I believe in small changes and real food. Home cooking is infinitely and always a safer option than pre-packaged food with its hidden sugars and unnatural additives, all of which put stress on our system.

However, eating strictly home cooked food can be a challenge with modern busy lifestyles. That’s where we come in.

My main advice to all is: steer clear of unnatural additives and try to eat a rainbow of naturally colourful foods every day. But if you fancy a bit of chocolate cake now and then, go ahead. Listen to your body. Let’s be fulfilled instead of deprived.

What is the big picture for Punch Foods?

I’ve got a lot planned for Punch Foods! It’s early days but you can definitely expect to see an extensive range of snacks from us. My dream is to open my own café too, with enough space to have a small gallery and incorporate ‘up and coming’ artists. I’m super excited about growing Punch Foods and hope to inspire more and more people to snack better and feel better.

How do you see Londoners’ attitudes towards health and wellness changing?

Thankfully the ‘wellness revolution’ in London is already well underway. There has been a health conscious shift in perspective, people don’t just want to be thin anymore, they want to be strong and well from the inside out.

It’s fantastic how much more attention is now placed on proper nourishment, which as people are beginning to accept, is fundamental to achieving their desired healthful glow. We are undergoing a collective awakening in this respect. Many health hubs, cafés and studios are opening up all over London. It’s wonderful to see so many inspired people making happy healthy choices.

The next stage is to ensure a healthy balanced lifestyle is encouraged at an early age. The time is now to teach our children how taking care of yourself on the inside, is the most important thing.

Superseeds are now available to buy at some of our favourite featured London locations; Transition Zone (Parsons Green), Paola’s BodyBarre (Fulham), Retreat Café (Parsons Green & Fulham), Lomax (Chelsea), Barrecore (Mayfair & Chelsea) and Frame (Shoreditch and Queenspark).

For more information visit www.punchfoods.com or follow on Twitter and Instagram @PunchFoods