Encouraging healthy food choices in the workplace can lead to good nutrition and reduced healthcare costs.

| 5 years ago

Food As Your Pharmacy: Good Nutrition in the Workplace

Encouraging healthy food choices in the workplace can lead to good nutrition and reduced healthcare costs.
Quick – think of three diets you’ve seen on TV or social media, or heard your employees or coworkers talk about in the past week. It’s probably tough to keep it to three, right? From low carb and no carb to vegan and gluten free, the list goes on and on.

What in the nutritional world makes these methods of eating seem so attractive? As an employer, how can you understand how healthy food options could impact employees? Many employers can provide nutritious food to employees during meetings and other activities.

Good nutrition can help maintain a healthy body weight, but it can also help reduce the risk of diseases including stroke, diabetes, heart disease, some cancers and osteoporosis -- all disease states that can cause an employer’s healthcare costs to increase.

If you’re considering introducing healthy food options in the workplace, food selection is just one part of the process. Once you’ve identified healthy foods, it’s important to consider how your program will impact employees. Employees may be secretly hoping for healthier options, but research shows people can be resistant to change if they suspect it’s being forced on them. One way to reduce this concern is to incorporate new, healthy foods without removing previously available, less-healthy meal options.

Atrium Health's Employer Solutions encourages employers to work with registered dieticians to develop a focus on healthy habits for their employees as a proactive way to approach healthcare. Educational information, starting with a concentration on nutrition-rich foods, will help employees prepare meals containing healthy fats, carbs, protein and fiber.

Taking time to understand the nutrients that fuel your day will increase the health of your employees while decreasing the costs of reactive healthcare.

Learn more about how Atrium Health's Employer Solutions can benefit your company at AtriumHealth.org/EmployerSolutions