Health and quality of employees diet, attractive and effective way to increase productivity?!

 According to a new belief in productivity management, healthy employees offer wider benefits and services to the company and their managers. They are more productive, less stressful, and take fewer days off work due to illness. This is the key factor to express the importance of healthy of employees diet, and for this reason, the diet of employees should be appropriate and nutritious.

 We’ve all heard the saying, “You are what you eat,” and that can be especially true in the workplace. What your employees eat fuels their energy throughout the day at work. If you want your employees to feel energized, focused, and productive, you need to make sure they have a nutritious, balanced diet that meets their essential needs. When employees have a healthy diet and healthy eating habits, they help their brains and bodies function better. Read more about good nutrition and its effect on employees and their work performance.

The importance of good nutrition on employee performance

 A healthier heart: An employee’s diet, which is low in high-fat, sugar, and salt foods, reduces the risk of heart disease.  Eating healthy and useful fats, such as those found in almonds or salmon, is effective in lowering blood pressure and lowering bad cholesterol levels.

 Prevention of chronic diseases: Eating good food prevents all types of chronic diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer‘s and obesity. When employees eat healthy food, they increase their “good” cholesterol levels and lower their unhealthy triglyceride levels.

 More energy: Vitamins and nutrients in the diet of employees are very necessary to provide energy to the employee class; because the lack of these essential nutrients can cause serious problems such as dizziness, extreme fatigue and shortness of breath.

Better brain function: Eating a variety of healthy foods can increase your memory, concentration and overall brain function. Also, the food you eat has a direct effect on your mood, attitude and memory.

 Mental health: Researches have shown that healthy and balanced diets cause less depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder.

 Quality sleep: What you eat affects the quality and quantity of your sleep! Nutrients in healthy foods help employees get the right amount of rest and have better sleep quality. Fatty and sweet foods can have significant effects on people’s health by negatively affecting the characteristics of a good sleep.

 Stronger immune system: Eating good food strengthens the immune system and protects employees from colds and flu.

Healthier employees: Employees with healthy eating habits are generally healthier people, spending more days a year in good health and getting sick less often than their co-workers.

 Higher productivity employees: Employees who eat healthier are more productive. Many essential nutrients boost brain power and help employees feel productive and energized throughout the day.

 Better mood: Many healthy, useful and nutritious foods boost mood and make people have more productive interactions with others in their work and living environment. Healthy foods like salmon, spinach, and almonds are full of mood-boosting properties (see Food for Your Mood: How What You Eat Affects Your Mental Health).

 Better performance: Employees who eat nutritious foods have better cognitive functions;  Including concentration, memory efficiency and more creativity.

Studies conducted on the importance of employees diet

 According to scientific researches, unhealthy diets, smoking and lack of exercise reduce the progress of employees during the day. On the other hand, having a proper diet leads to a healthy life and more productivity. According to studies, employees whose diets are unhealthy are about 66 percent less productive than those who regularly eat whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

Also, 13 days of increased fruit and vegetable consumption leads to more creativity, curiosity and well-being among employees;  Hence, employees who eat better are more productive. On the other hand, those who eat junk food the night before work are more likely to avoid work-related situations. They are also less likely to help or go above and beyond for their teammates and supervisors, and are less productive.

The International Labor Organization has stated that obesity, which is one of the results of poor diet, reduces productivity by 20%. Obese people are more prone to cardiovascular diseases and musculoskeletal disorders (due to exposure to vibrations, etc.). They often face discriminatory treatment, are more sensitive to work-related stress, and may have lower self-esteem. Also, obesity can cause slow work activities, premature fatigue and problems in identifying symptoms;  Therefore, obese workers are more likely to have work accidents and may face some limitations in fitness assessment.

Nutrition is an important factor in the health of employees; however, sports cannot be ignored. Employees’ diet and regular exercise help them be healthier and happier both at work and outside of the office. When you’re busy at work, an employee diet can help spark creativity in your mind and is necessary to keep your body functioning properly. Nutrients in food can help repair cellular damage.  They also provide your body with vitamins and minerals and strengthen a healthy immune system.

Practical tips to maintain employees diet

 Prepare meals in advance: To avoid buying lunches and snacks at the last minute, which are often made from poor quality ingredients, try to prepare your meals the day before or on the weekend. Try to use high-quality plastic containers for storing food in the fridge or freezer that can be easily transported to and from work (although this will cost money initially, it will be a worthwhile investment in the long run).  Meal prepping allows you to control what ingredients go into your meals and choose the healthiest options. Try to add a variety of vegetables to your meals and use them in your diet at least 5 days a week.

Don’t skip breakfast: Skipping breakfast can cause blood sugar to drop and make you hungry and tired.  Your body needs metabolism to function properly, and if you don’t eat, your energy levels will be low.  Also, if you skip breakfast, you are likely to eat more food at the next meal or meal.

 Create a meal plan: If you’re constantly craving snacks, creating a meal plan may help you avoid overeating. You should eat three main meals a day with a few snacks.  Sometimes you may be very active or very tired, but it is very important to try to stick to the meal plan you have chosen as much as possible during these times.

Avoid eating sweet foods and drinks: It is very easy to eat sweet foods during the day; especially on occasions when you can have fruit instead of biscuits/cakes. Fresh fruit is a delicious and healthy option. You can also use other options such as dates, which strengthen your immune system and keep you in good health due to the combination of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins. Also, avoid drinking carbonated drinks in the diet of employees; because they can lead to obesity, high blood pressure and heart diseases.

Drink water, not coffee: Minimize your caffeine intake and try to drink more water throughout the day.  Drinking enough water helps your brain cells communicate with each other. Also, water removes toxins and waste materials that disrupt brain function. It also carries nutrients to your brain to keep it healthy.  If you have little desire to drink water, try adding fruit slices for flavor.

Detox water is in today’s diet trends and is actually water flavored with fresh fruits, vegetables or herbs.  You can make detox water in different ways at home and use the combination of fruits and vegetables that you like. This drink has very few calories and is a good alternative to sugary drinks such as soda and juice. Detox water can help with weight loss, improve digestive health, improve mood, increase energy, and improve immune system function.

No matter where you are: in the meeting room, in the car or on public transport, always carry water with you to stay hydrated. If you drink one or two cups of coffee a day, it might be better to replace one of them with a glass of water. Another thing that can be a useful help for you is using apps to remind you when to drink water. Such programs can be found with a simple search on the Internet.

Promoting healthy eating in the workplace: a guide to implementation

 Your most productive working day of the week is the day when you had enough quality sleep or had a nutritious lunch the night before. When we think about the factors affecting the work performance of people, the diet of the employees is the last option; especially for those people who are struggling with office work such as emails, meetings and deadlines.

Benefits of promoting healthy eating in the workplace

Our bodies convert almost everything we eat into glucose, or the energy our brain needs to stay alert. If our brain does not receive enough glucose, we lose our concentration; of course, not all foods are converted to glucose at the same rate; for example, foods like pasta, bread, and soda release their glucose quickly, leading to a burst of energy and then a drop in blood sugar. Foods like cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets release their glucose more sustainably, but the body has to work harder to digest them.

These types of unhealthy lunch options in the employee diet that release glucose too quickly or make our bodies work harder to digest it are unfortunately both cheaper and faster than healthy food options, and unfortunately both options during a busy work day can be an extremely attractive option for any employee. 

Recent studies show that healthy foods can not only provide the energy our body needs, but also make us happier and more creative throughout the day; because foods such as fruits and vegetables contain nutrients that enhance the release of dopamine; a substance that plays a key role in arousing the need for experience, curiosity, motivation and interaction in the body; so you need awareness and actionable plans to break unhealthy eating cycles and foster greater productivity and creativity at work.

Start changing the employees diet

 Before making changes, it is important to evaluate your current habits and attitudes. If you are an employer reading this article, this is also true for you. You should be able to assess the habits of your employees in order to use a variety of healthy eating methods more easily. A great way to start is to use a health risk assessment that asks about employees’ habits, lifestyle, and readiness for change. The report collected in this case will show you whether employees need help to change their eating habits and whether they are willing to do so in principle.

In the next stage of the employee diet, to determine who you can call health champions, collect a set of important questions and answer them to make a proper assessment of the situation. These questions can be things like the following questions:

• Why are people interested in a healthy eating plan? For example, do they want to lose weight, improve their mood, or treat a specific disease?
• Are people interested in general information that they can use to make their own decisions, or do they prefer to have programs that guide them step by step?
• Do people prefer the program to be offered to them for some seasons or do they tend to benefit from it all year round?

By answering these questions and fully understanding where to start, you can develop a plan to promote employee diet and nutrition in your workplace. When developing this program, it is important not to impose new ideas on your workforce.

Effective methods of training employees to change food style

 Once you’ve started a wellness movement by building a network of wellness champions, you can advance your program with ongoing training for your staff. About 80% of consumers are confused by conflicting recipes that recommend what to eat and what not to eat. At this time, the main drivers of their purchase are taste, price, familiarity and health, but having the right information and education can become a powerful driver to make changes in their eating habits.

In fact, many consumers often change their eating habits after speaking with a health care professional. Here are just a few examples of effective and engaging methods that HR can use to educate their employees about healthy eating and encourage good and healthy eating:

•  Organize a healthy eating lunch event and implement it at your place of residence.
•  Invite a nutritionist for a cooking class or workshop at your workplace; You can even find a nutritionist in your area.
•  Holding a health exhibition with various sellers who teach their healthy foods in these exhibitions.
•  Start a healthy eating challenge or contest.
•  Put together a monthly newsletter with healthy tips.
•  Create a bulletin board in a high-traffic area to display employee nutrition and diet information in public.
•  Sign up with a local culinary school to offer discounts for your employees to attend their classes.
•  Contract with a local health center organization to provide discounts to your employees if they wish to use the consulting services of a nutritionist.
•   Offer healthier food options in your workplace cafeteria.
•   Add healthy food options to vending machines and snack bars.
•   Provide healthy snacks for company meetings and events.
•   Offer mindfulness sessions or meditation breaks for employees. This helps them learn about, understand and become more in tune with their bodies.
•  If your employees work in the office and are not telecommuting, make healthy snacks easily available to them, or if they are working remotely, send these snacks to off-site and remote employees. This will help your people replace afternoon cravings with healthy options.
•   Offer a meal allowance or gift card to help employees plan healthy meals before busy weeks.
•   Send new company-branded water bottles to employees to encourage them to stay hydrated throughout the day.
•   Promote mental health days so that employees know they can take advantage of this option if they need to rest and take time for themselves.
•   Educate your employees and post content on foods they can eat to boost their immune systems.

Effective changes in the workplace to change the employees diet

How to achieve a healthy diet that increases your productivity? Employee health and diet are clearly related to productivity. For this purpose, you need to take realistic and achievable steps. After all, long-term diets are hard to follow. Here’s how to make sustainable changes to a healthy diet:

1. Ease of doing it: No one expects you to empty your fridge of all junk food overnight. However, changing quickly will throw off your balance. Instead, try to gradually replace some of your regular meals with healthy foods throughout the week. In the following weeks, increase the number of meals you replace with healthy choices. In the end, you eat more healthy food.
2. Gradually add fruits and vegetables to your diet: More than any other food group, fruits and vegetables are packed with vitamins and minerals that strengthen your body and mind.  However, some people do not like all fruits and vegetables; So as employees move toward dieting, they add small amounts of each to their regular meals. For example, a hamburger with a side salad of coleslaw, roasted carrots, and sliced ​​strawberries can be healthier. Finally, you can replace the hamburger with something healthy; For example, ingredients like apples, berries, tomatoes, celery, and onions can reduce body inflammation if included in your diet.
3. Don’t go it alone: ​​Following a healthy diet alone can be difficult; Hence, you can set up a health and wellness program for all employees. You can even pair it with the best employee monitoring software to see who is actively making healthy changes in their lives. Since meals at work can improve productivity, organize healthy communal lunches and encourage your team to eat healthy and follow your habits along with theirs. Share your triumphs and struggles to help and inspire each other. A permanent change in employee health and diet can benefit everyone.
4. Cheat sometimes: Eating a healthy diet doesn’t mean you can’t have a piece of chocolate cake every once in a while. Eating sweets occasionally will not destroy your health, but you should not overdo it.
5. Know your body: Everyone’s body is unique; That is, foods or diets that are effective for another person may not be useful for you. Write down how your body reacts to certain foods and how you feel throughout the day.
6. Try eliminating certain foods: Eliminate processed and sugary foods from the employee’s diet for two weeks and gradually introduce healthy foods into your diet one at a time. Also keep a food diary where you write down how each new food makes you feel. If eating a certain type of food again has a negative effect on your mood or energy level, remove that particular food from your employee’s diet for good.
7. Strengthen your immune system: Fight viruses and diseases by strengthening your immune system. Try a diet rich in nutrients like vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids (salmon, walnuts, and chia seeds), and vitamin B12. Focus on foods like these; The following protect your immune system.  Your immune system is also boosted by consuming fermented foods that contain probiotics, such as sauerkraut, yogurt, and kombucha.
8. Watch your habits: Pay attention to your eating habits when you are stressed or depressed.  Do you eat more or less than usual during these times? It’s good to know that when you’re stressed eating, you’re more likely to crave processed or sugary foods. Keep nutritious and energy-dense snacks on hand so that everything you eat is good for your body. One of the most useful food items in the employees’ diet at this time are dried fruits and nuts.
9. Plan your meals: When you’re busy and unfocused, you don’t often eat healthy. If you know you have a busy or stressful week ahead of you, try planning your meals in advance. Buy healthy ingredients, prepare meals during your downtime and freeze them so they don’t spoil. That way, you always have something healthy on hand for quick weeknight dinners.
10. Keep healthy snacks available: Many of us love salty foods and sometimes crave sweets, but it’s important to have good alternatives available for these times.
11. Replace processed sweets with fruits, chia seeds, and berries in your employees’ diet.
12. Reduce salt intake. Remember that salt can damage your blood vessels, heart, kidneys and even your brain over time. Try substituting hummus and veggies for salty snacks, and replace your salt seasoning with other spices, herbs, and low-sodium alternatives like sunflower and pumpkin seeds.
13. Keep your body hydrated: Water helps your body flush out toxins and deliver oxygen throughout your body. Often times, when you feel hungry, your body is actually dehydrated.
14. Clear your mind of negative thoughts: While monitoring your food intake is helpful, obsessing over counting calories or writing down everything you eat can be stressful. Instead, calmly focus on the changes in your body and the ways food affects you. Relax and enjoy your meal as much as you can. Remember that our eating habits are directly related to our physical, mental and emotional health.
15. In general, use nutrition standards to promote employee diets to ensure that foods served in the cafeteria and at meetings are higher in nutrients and lower in fat, sugar, and salt. Consider adding salads and other healthy snacks so attendees can have a healthy plate for themselves. Also, teach them how to make a healthy plate by offering prepackaged meals. Ask the vendors/restaurants whose menus you use for company meetings if they have healthier options instead of the usual chips and cookies. If you want, many of them can substitute fruit for their recommendations. Another way to encourage employees to make healthier food choices is to use financial incentives or lower costs for healthier foods. Research shows that by increasing the choice of fruits and vegetables at work by 30% and by reducing the cost of fruits and vegetables by 50%, the purchase of healthy food increases by 300%.

Summary

 An employee diet can lead to less illness, more energy, better mental clarity, and higher productivity; because food directly affects people’s mood, energy level and metabolism. According to the report of the World Health Organization (WHO), the main risk factor for chronic diseases worldwide is high blood pressure, followed by high cholesterol and low consumption of fruits and vegetables.

These three risk factors together account for about 80% of deaths from heart disease and stroke. Also remember that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition. Each of us is unique and we all have different bodies, goals, backgrounds and tastes. In the meantime, employees must find ways to include healthy foods in their diets that suit their tastes, lifestyles, and moods.

It is suggested that one of the items mentioned on page 8 be implemented for the employees and employees of the group and a report about it be presented in the form of a news both on the site and in a video or series of stories on the company’s Instagram.

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