Five Actionable Tips to Implement Healthy Nutrition Habits in Your Workplace

Food is medicine. With a healthy diet people have been known to fight off and even overcome illness. For the health and productivity of your valuable workforce, we encourage you to focus on strategies to help your employees reduce unhealthy food from their diet and learn good habits that will last a lifetime. 

Birthdays  

We all love to celebrate. Birthdays are a great team-building and mental health initiative wrapped into one. If food is expected, encourage a healthy option or salad bar and provide a fresh fruit and a veggie tray. When it comes to the cake, maybe consider an alternative option. Have you ever made a cake out of a watermelon? It’s fresh, delicious, healthy, and a fun challenge to ice with cool whip. You could also celebrate with an activity such as a group walk. Lastly, decorate the birthday honoree’s desk with balloons, personal notes, a big card for everyone to sign, or something else that represents their interests. Deep down, we all love a little embarrassment. 

Formalize a Health Food Policy  

If your company is spending time and money on a wellness program, providing unhealthy food in the workplace contradicts that effort. We are not saying people aren’t allowed to indulge every now and then, but the fact is unhealthy treats are available all too frequently; check the stats on obesity and lifestyle related diseases in your claims data. Make this practice easier by having a corporate policy asking any food provided by the company must be generally healthy. To see an example of this idea in action, check here to get you started.  

Nix the Vending Machines 

Vending machines promote processed and sugar laden foods and beverages, not to mention contribute to excess containers in our landfills. If removing vending machines is not an option, ask the vending company to remove processed and sugar laden foods and beverages. One complaint we often hear about including only healthy items is the additional cost. Consider subsidizing the cost of these vending items. Or, instead of vending machines, invest in kitchen upgrades like improved appliances, storage, filtered water, and quality reusable water bottles to promote water drinking along with free food. 

Free Food 

Everyone loves FREE. Supply fresh fruit such as apples and oranges that can last several days. Also, frozen fruit paired with a company blender can make for great smoothie treats for the mid-day stomach growl. Want people to eat nutritious whole grains? Provide an oatmeal bar including unprocessed oats, cinnamon, and agave. Not only is the employer offering a benefit, the employee creates a habit of grabbing something healthy. Every client of ours that provides free healthy food tells us their employees love it. 

Communication  

Remind employees that the company places great emphasis on the health and well-being of the employees and their families and to limit bringing in unhealthy food to share. Use your wellness committee to promote a monthly healthy food carry in or food tasting day. For example, Jicama is a fun and interesting veggie to try that would be a great item to feature on a food tasting day. Another way to boost communication is to post reminders of the company’s commitment to employee well-being. Also, tell your suppliers that employee well-being is one of your business goals and although you appreciate their kindness over the years, it is your hope they will support the company with this important goal. To help start with this communication there is a template for that too.  

There you have it. Five actionable tips. Remember, we spend most of our waking hours at work. As an employer looking to help employees improve their health, these are key opportunities to help them create healthy habits. To also put into place a formal employee wellness plan, reach out to the AssuredPartners Employee Benefits team today and ask them how to get started with wellness options.