|
November 2007: Making Healthy Food Choices Fun - And Profitable |
|
|
|
Making Healthy Food Choices Fun - and Profitable
Help your employees make healthy nutrition choices by providing good food alternatives, incentives and support.
By Sally Berry Brown
Health care costs are soaring and so is America's waistline. Even as workplace wellness programs increase, small business employees still eat a significant portion of their food away from home. Foods at cafeterias, restaurants and vending machines are not always the healthiest choices. It is estimated that more than $9 billion is spent annually in lost productivity associated with morbidity from diet-related aspects of coronary heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes.
You can prevent this loss of productivity by supporting workplace nutrition programs. Well-run nutrition programs can reduce your costs and improve employee health and morale.
Evaluate Your Employees' Interest
Any good nutrition program starts with an evaluation process. A survey can provide feedback on employee interest in various health-related topics. Your company can conduct a "health fair" to initiate nutrition programs and find what programs employees want. Nutrition assessments/questionnaires, cholesterol and glucose lab screening, or weight and body composition testing can provide employees with a look at their nutritional risk. You also can use a nutrition specialist to provide nutrition education and evaluation during a health fair.
Based on results of health screening and employee surveys, your company can provide nutrition programs or activities, such as group competitions, online goal setting and activities, food recording, support groups and individual sessions. You also can provide other options, such as healthy cooking classes, weight loss series of lunch and learns and contests. Here are a few activities to consider:
- Hold a weekly healthy lifestyle or weight management class at your business. The class can provide education sessions, goal setting and group support.
- Try a recipe exchange or contest to share healthy, quick-and-easy nutrition options. You might even include a taste testing along with the recipes.
- Provide a personal nutrition or body composition evaluation. Re-evaluate periodically for accountability.
- Start weight loss contests or teams to compete against each other.
- Bring in a local chef for a hands-on demonstration, or provide an opportunity for employees to participate in a class "field trip" to encourage healthy eating.
- E-mail activities with weekly incentives attached to quick educational messages.
- Bring in a "lunch and learn" speaker on a popular nutrition topic.
Promote Fitness and Weight Management
A workplace environment that promotes healthy fitness habits also promotes weight management. Allow employees time to work out before or after work, during lunch hour, or at other times. Consider giving rebates on gym memberships or sponsoring employees in community fitness events.
Provide Incentives
Incentives can drive motivation to change. A payback in health makes a great reward and motivates change. You might offer a discount on insurance or a discount on clothes or running shoes at a local sporting goods store. Incentives such as event tickets, massages, spa-day events or time off can reward personal self-care. Offer a tuition reimbursement for attendance at nutrition classes.
Other incentives could include worksite exercise equipment, chair massages, additional free work site health screening (e.g., more inclusive blood panel, bone density, mobile mammography), or a wellness retreat, such as a half day of speakers and activities.
Different Learning Styles
Provide different learning opportunities for different learning styles. Weight and body size can be a sensitive and private topic that coworkers may not want to share. A resource library of wellness books and journals gives self-motivated learners the opportunity for more knowledge. Online-based monitoring/incentives may help with confidentiality. Another option is to have an outside contract to administer programs. Off-site nutrition programs may be more comfortable to some employees. Be sure to provide options.
Healthy Eating Environment
Make a work environment that promotes healthy eating habits.
- Designate a space where employees can eat away from their desk. A breakroom gives employees the ability to seek healthy options or bring food from home.
- Promote healthy celebrations and potluck food events. Avoid breakroom leftovers that sabotage healthy eating.
- Take out vending machines with snacks and soft drinks.
- Encourage healthy choices. Provide an opportunity for purchase of food from a "garden market" or similar programs and recipe exchanges.
- Offer healthy beverage alternatives.
- Post a list of healthy carryout options from local venders.
- Meeting food needs to be healthy.
- Fresh fruit instead of breakfast rolls
- Vegetables, low-fat dip, whole grain crackers, non-sugared drinks and yogurt.
- Smaller portions of baked or grilled meat, poultry or fish.
- Smaller portions of meeting foods, such as mini-sized bagels.
8. Use the buddy system. Employees can encourage each other to take healthy steps.
9. Encourage walking breaks instead of a snack break to clear the mind and energize work productivity.
Use these ideas and come up with more of your own to give your employees the gift of health and wellness.
Sally Berry Brown, M.A., R.D., CSSD, is the president of Bodyfuel Inc. She provides nutrition consultation to individuals and groups through her office in Overland Park. Visit her Web site at www.ebodyfuel.com.
|
