The Importance of healthy eating habits for the workplace

Have you ever been in a meeting or on a conference call and suddenly felt like you needed to eat something? Perhaps it was because your blood sugar dropped and you had a sudden craving for something sweet, or maybe it was because the food smelled so good from the kitchen that you just couldn’t help yourself. This is not uncommon, but here’s why eating healthy can be one of the best things for the office.

Many employees are affected by poor eating habits, which can lead to weight gain and other health issues.

Habits include:

• Consuming unhealthy food often.
• Eating at the work desk.
• Eating fast food because it’s convenient or cheap, not because employees want to!
• Eating the first thing you can find, because you’ve had a stressful day at work and it saves the hassle and you can just get back to your desk.    The downside to this is that it becomes a habit, and we begin to favour these foods even when we know that they are taking is one step closer to weigh gain, diabetes and heart disease.

It’s important to take care of your body through proper nutrition.

• It’s important to maintain a healthy diet so that you feel full throughout the day without consuming too many calories or causing weight gain over time – it may be helpful to keep track of what you eat each day with an app like MyFitnessPal, allowing accountability for the day.

Eating healthy doesn’t mean giving up the foods you love; all you need to do is make a few adjustments.

You don’t have to give up all your favourite foods. The key is making smart choices when it comes time for lunch or snacks at work. Instead of ordering a greasy burger and chips from the local fast-food place, try making your own at home and packing it in a container before heading out the door. This way, you know exactly what’s going into your meal-and what isn’t!

Another option is taking advantage of healthy options offered by some restaurants or cafes near work (or even better yet: bringing food from home). You might be surprised by how many places offer great tasting foods that are just as good as they are nutritious; or consider trying something new instead-perhaps an Indian dish? Healthy isn’t boring, so don’t hesitate to try something different occasionally even if it means experimenting with new recipes at home first before deciding whether it’s worth creating again.

You don’t have to starve yourself or cut out all your favourite foods to lose weight or live a healthier life.

You don’t have to deprive yourself of your favourite foods or cut them out altogether. There are plenty of options available that are healthier than their unhealthier counterparts, such as:

• A bagel with cream cheese instead of two slices of bread and butter
• Yogurt with granola instead of ice cream
• A turmeric-latte made with semi-skimed milk instead of a fizzy soda

You can still eat great-tasting food without sacrificing your health by making smart choices when it comes to lunchtime or snacks at work.

• Have a healthy nutritious breakfast. This is essential to starting your day off right and keeping your energy levels up.
• Avoid snacking before lunch if you can – but if you must then make it a piece of fruit.  Avoid the vending machine at all cost.
• Make sure you eat enough protein throughout the day: Protein-rich foods like eggs, chicken breast (without skin), tofu or beans are great sources of protein that can help keep hunger at bay longer than simple carbohydrates like regular breads do (sour-dough Is much better for you).* Focus on eating whole foods rather than processed ones: Whole foods are those that haven’t been refined or stripped down into simple carbohydrate forms by companies that want to create ‘cheaper’ alternatives to the real thing.  Their aim is to sell goods at higher prices without having any real value or nutrition. This means avoiding things like white breads made from bleached flour instead of whole grains.  Canned legumes, beans, lentils and tomatoes are usually cooked in the can and preserve the nutrition very well.

Healthy habits will improve your productivity at work and help prevent health problems later in life.

One thing is for sure, having a healthy lunch will keep you from being hungry during the afternoon and avoid a slump. This means that you’ll be able to focus more on the tasks at hand and get more done!

Additionally, eating healthy foods regularly helps prevent those non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, inflammation and other diseases associated with poor diet choices.

Finally, it’s important to remember that while there are some foods that aren’t considered “healthy” by most standards (like chocolate cake), if we make smart choices about what we eat every day then we can still enjoy great tasting food as treats and not give up those indulgent moments on holiday or sacrificing going our to favourite restaurant, In other words save your calories for ones that are worth eating not the rubbish

The bottom line is that there are many benefits to eating healthy. You’ll feel better, have more energy and productivity at work, and even prevent serious health problems later in life if you make these habits part of your daily routine. So why not give it a try?

Kumud Gandhi

Kumud Gandhi is a Nutritional Food Scientist bestselling Author, Broadcaster, and Keynote Speaker on the subject of nutritional health for productivity & performance in the workplace.  In 2010 Kumud founded ‘The Cooking Academy’ a cookery school that focusses on cooking for nutritional health and wellbeing.  Kumud regularly presents to international audiences on a variety of topics such as ‘Eating for Immunity and a Lifetime of Wellness’. She is an expert in the field of Wellness in the Workplace and works with organizations to create transformational change in employee health & well-being through nutrition and health coaching.