Given the longer hours people spend working, eating healthy food at work is even more important than ever.
HEALTHY EATING AT WORK – Healthy eating is important to ensure that you are performing to the best of your ability and you are not endangering your health in any unnecessary way. You need to fuel your body with the correct nutrients to prevent the body becoming prone to disease, fatigue or under performance. Not only is it important to fuel your body with the correct energy sources but to only eat when your body needs to. One of the major causes of obesity is over eating, to avoid over eating it is important to ensure that your portion sizes aren’t too large and that you only eat when you are hungry.
What are the consequences of unhealthy eating?
The consequences are;
- a higher risk of cancer and heart disease
- lower mood, energy and self esteem
- higher anxiety and stress levels
- obesity
The Journal of Occupational Environmental Medicine published an article that states that extremely obese people are less productive then mildly obese people.
How does healthy eating impact the workplace?
Having a healthy work environment benefits both the employees and the employers, these benefits for the employers are:
- decreased employees attending work whilst unwell
- decreased sick leave and absentees
- improved employee relationships
- decrease frequency in workers compensation claims
- improved morale and motivation across staff
- improved productivity
The benefits of healthy eating at work for the employees are:
- better physical and mental health
- improved morale
- increase in awareness of themselves and their health
- greater capacity to enjoy life inside and out of the work environment.
How can I change my diet to make it healthier?
It is important to remember when changing your diet is to implement the changes slowly and to not cut all the foods in your regular diet out completely instead you should implement healthy options slowly, some examples of these options are;
- replace sweet items (e.g. cake, lollies etc.) for fruit
- try to have a source of dark green vegetables (e.g. broccoli, kale etc.)
- replace refined white flour products (e.g. white bread, pasta) with whole grains
- introduce lean meats and nuts into the diet for a great source of protein
- swap regular milk for lower fat milks (skim, almond soy etc.)
If you slowly adjust your diet to incorporate these products you will find you will be fueling your body with good nutrients and your diet will include less fat and sugar. You will feel more energized and will find that you don’t feel the need to eat as often which in turn will make you much more productive at work.