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22nd March 2022

Nutrition in the workplace đŸ„‘

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In light of national nutrition month, Give a Grad a Go looked into the impact of nutrition and health in the workplace.

Healthy eating in the workplace has proven to be very important to our health, but also to our productivity at work.

With the links between nutrition and productivity, it is worth investing in healthy food in the workplace for office workers and exercise schemes.

Nutrition Advice from Mindfulness Expert and Founder of StepInside, Charlotte Wiseman gives us some healthy eating tips which we can do to boost nutrition in the workplace:

“Don’t skip breakfast and don’t be followed into thinking a fruit smoothie is breakfast. Unstable blood sugar is one of the biggest stressors we face in the modern day so if you are skipping meals or having sugar laden snacks you are adding to your stress levels.”

 

When you’re needing to be prepared for the everyday stresses at work, it can be easy to forget to prepare healthy foods to eat every day as well.

It is important to remember the effect of a healthy diet on your general well-being.

In our guide to mental, physical and social health, Charlotte explains the impact that your physical health can have on your mental and social health.

She explains the science behind her healthy eating facts for the workplace:

“The latest research, published in 2019, also shows that if our gut bacteria is not balanced we become more emotional and sensitive to negative stress.”

 

Charlotte explains some examples you can incorporate into your diet to improve your workplace wellness and boost nutrition and productivity:

 

“Try eggs on toast or porridge with nuts/seeds for breakfast and then ensure you snack on protein rich foods throughout the day – eggs, nut butters, hummus, yogurts are all good option. so ensure you include fermented foods like live natural yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi and kombucha in your diet.”

Nutrition and productivity đŸ„ :

We know from Charlotte that our physical health and nutrition will affect our mental and social health, but what does this mean for your employees and their health at work?

Research shows a clear link between nutrition and work performance, so investing time in improving corporate nutrition for your employees is important as an employer.

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Productivity:

Eating a lot of carbohydrates in the morning such as bread, cereal or muffins can have a huge impact on your productivity.

This is because carbohydrates have an impact on your brain’s tryptophan and serotonin synthesis.

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Fruit:

Fruit has a huge influence on our well-being at work.

It has been shown that the more portions of fruit and vegetables eaten per day, the happier, more engaged, and more creative people will be at work.

In the Give a Grad a Go HQ in London, we have fresh fruit delivered every week for our employees to promote health and wellness in the workplace.

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Read up:

If you are struggling to find health and wellness ideas in the workplace, then it might be worth searching health and nutrition articles for some health tips for working professionals.

Reading wellness articles for employees such as 10 tips for good health and wellness  in the workplace is a great way to get some ideas for healthy office habits.

Hold a ‘nutrition week’ in the office as a part of nutrition month to boost nutrition at work.

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Hydration:

Drinking at least two litres of water a day is one of the simple health tips that makes a big difference.

Not drinking enough water can have a great impact on your attention span, as well as concentration and other cognitive and motor functions.

Side effects of dehydration can also include fatigue and headaches. Studies have shown that drinking just 300ml of water can boost attention by up to 25%!

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Timings:

Eating a big breakfast in the morning will be beneficial for you to burn energy during the day.

Try and resist the temptation to eat a big meal before bedtime. This will make you feel more tired and sluggish the next day.

Timing your meals can have a great impact when you’re taking care of your mind.

Because eating well improves your sleep, you will have greater concentration as a result.

When you’re rushing around all day for meetings, you might not have time to eat properly, so ensure that you organize your time to prepare meals so you can sustain nutrition at work.

It has also been suggested that waiting longer than 4 hours between meals can cause your energy levels to be lower, can add to low blood sugar levels and create a tendency to overeat at the next meal.

Healthy eating tips 🍌 :

If you aren’t sure how to eat healthy food every day, we’ve got some healthy nutrition tips on how to get your 5 a day at work and how to improve nutrition:

  • Offer wellness incentives at work: provide free fruit in the office or encourage your employees to walk or cycle to work. Share your health knowledge and tips from this article and share health and wellness ideas in the workplace.
  • Add some fruit to your breakfast. Have a banana or berries on your cereal in the morning or wake up early and add some mushrooms or tomatoes to your scrambled eggs.
  • Pre-plan your snacks. If you are having a busy week and know you will be spending a lot of time at your desk, try bringing in a bag of oranges or apples. Instead of your biscuit with your tea break – have a piece of fruit. This is a great tip for how to eat healthy on a budget.
  • If you are out for lunch or dinner frequently, request a salad for a starter, or replace your chips with steamed vegetables or a fresh salad is a great tip to improve health.
  • Meal Prep your lunches. Eating healthy plans such as making vegetable-packed soups can be an easy way to incorporate plenty of veg into your diet.
  • Pulses, lentils and beans also count towards your 5 a day. Chickpeas and Lentils make great curry bases for a delicious dinner idea or as a healthy alternative to a takeaway.
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