You are What you Eat: Food Tips for Healthy Bodies and Minds in the Workplace
The WELL Building Standard aims to elevate human health and comfort to the forefront of building practices and reinvent buildings that are not only better for the planet—but also for people. WELL has 7 concept categories including air, water, light, fitness, comfort, mind and nourishment.
Confused about healthy food choices? You’re not alone.
There used to be a time when you could walk into a grocery store and shop for food without having to worry about things like GMO’s, pesticides, preservatives, gluten and high fructose corn syrup.
Those days have come and gone.
Today, we are constantly bombarded with complex nutritional information, trendy diets, and ingredients most of us can’t even pronounce. The ‘villains’ of food and nutrition also seem to regularly change which make it harder to know what is truly healthy for one’s body (North America’s war on butter and saturated fats has actually lead to an increase of diseases such as obesity, metabolic syndrome and type II diabetes.)
Hectic schedules and busy lifestyles make it all the more difficult to find time to prepare wholesome, nutritious food that helps support our bodies and allow us to be more productive and reach our full potential.
Did you know?
- Eating unhealthy foods is linked with a 66% increased risk of loss of productivity.
- Adults with the greatest knowledge of nutrition are 25% more likely to eat a healthy diet.
- Greater fruit and vegetable intake is associated with a 27% lower odds of depression.
Here are some tips and tricks that any workplace can adopt to ensure fresh wholesome foods are available in the workplace that support healthy bodies and minds.
5 Tips for A Healthier Workplace Diet
If you can’t pronounce it, leave it on the shelf
Stick to fresh, whole foods like fruits, vegetables and nuts. Have a fresh bowl of fruit options out in a high traffic area during break times to encourage employees to make healthy food choices.
Choose whole grains
Whole grains have many proven health benefits compared to refined grains such as reduced risk of asthma, healthier carotid arteries, reduction of inflammatory disease risk, lower risk of colorectal cancer, healthier blood pressure levels and less gum disease and tooth loss.
Ditch the sugar
Studies show sugar is more addictive than heroin and has numerous damaging effects on the human body.
It’s been estimated that 80% of the U.S adult population goes through their day in at least a mildly dehydrated state. Being dehydrated by just 2% can impair performance in tasks that require attention, psychomotor and immediate memory skills, as well as assessment of the subjective state.
Everything in Moderation
Eating a variety of different foods in reasonable portions (WELL Building Standard recommends circular plates no larger than 24cm or 9.5 inches, non-circular plates total surface area does not exceed 452cm2 (70 inches squared), bowls are no larger than 296ml (10 oz), cups are no larger than 240 ml (8oz).
- Whole Grains – What are the Benefits?
- The WELL Building Standard Guidebook V1 – www.wellcertified.com
- 6 Graphs that show why the War on Fat was a big Mistake