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Tag Archive for: food for thought

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Six Simple Ways to Improve Nutrition As A Team

Julie Entwistle, C.Dir. (c), MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)

It is no secret that obesity is on the rise across North America.  In fact, a 2014 study shows that obesity now accounts for 8.6% of youth and 25% of the adult population.  (Després, Alméras, & Gauvin, 2014)   The leading causes of this “obesity epidemic” are sedentary lifestyles, lack of physical activity and poor nutritional choices.

With the stressful lives being led by our generation, taking time to prepare and bring healthy lunches and snacks to work is difficult.  Yet, without a healthy snack or lunch, the tendency is to purchase food that is not healthy, or to under-eat which, believe it or not, can also cause obesity as our body works to “hold onto” every calorie in fear of starvation.

Employers may ask “why do I care if my team is eating unhealthy”, but the answer is obvious:  a healthy workforce is a productive workforce and workplace absences for health-related problems (including obesity, heart disease, diabetes etc) are hugely disruptive.

Here are a few suggestions that can be implemented in the workplace to help improve the health of your staff and organization:

  1. Schedule Regular Healthy Pot-Luck Lunches — choose a day of the week and have each person bring in a healthy lunch item for a team-building activity.
  2. Bring a Colleague a Lunch — people are more likely to prepare healthy meals for others than for themselves, so capitalize on this and arrange for “bring a colleague a lunch week” and see the efforts people will go to in order to promote the health of a colleague.
  3. Recipe of the Week — each week choose a member of the team to share make their favourite healthy meal or snack and bring it in to share with the team.  Have them send each member a recipe via email for them to make on their own.
  4. Education Opportunities — bring in a nutritionist, dietician or health coach to speak to the team about how to create healthy meals and snacks to help fuel their day at work.
  5. Brown Bag Week — encourage the team to have a “brown bag” week.  Eating out can lead to unhealthy choices and lack of portion control.  Bringing your own lunch can help to ensure you are getting the nutrients you need and fueling productivity the entire day.
  6. Russian Lunch Roulette — like secret Santa, have everyone bring a balanced lunch and randomly select who gets what lunch.  It always tastes better to consume something made by someone else, so people should enjoy the surprise lunch they end up with.  Of course, plan ahead for any allergies/food requests and ask people to put sauces/condiments on the side to be added only if desired.

In the end, lead by example.  Employers have the ability to create opportunities that can help their workforce to engage in healthy habits.  Use the strength of your organizational alliance to bring people together to help them achieve healthy goals.  Everyone will benefit, including the organization.

 

Previously posted August 2015

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The Warm Weather Has Arrived: What’s in Season?

The warm weather is here and summer is officially around the corner.  It’s time to enjoy freshly picked delicious fruits and vegetables.  Eating foods grown locally and in-season can improve your health, your bottom line and help the environment.  Take a look at Foodland Ontario’s Fruits and Vegetable availability chart so you can plan for the season.  Enjoy!

Foodland Ontario:  Availability Guide

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Sports Drinks vs. Energy Drinks: Can You Spot the Difference?

Are you able to spot the difference between a regular “sports drink” like a Gatorade and an “energy drink” that is full of caffeine and sugar without looking at the nutrition label?  It might be harder than you think—and if it’s hard for an adult, think of how many kids might make the mistake.  Learn more about a concerning new study warning the dangers of “energy drinks” for youth care of CBC News.

CBC News:  U of C researcher warns parents about dangers of high-caffeine energy drinks

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Tips for a Healthier Dining Out Experience

Eating out for pleasure is always a treat, however, for the many who find dining out to be a large part of their work-life on a regular basis, restaurant dining can lose its appeal!  Although recently more restaurants have expanded menus to include healthier options, large portion sizes and high sodium levels can put the diners’ health at risk.

Learn some great tips on how to make healthier choices when dining out in the following article care of Forbes Magazine.

Forbes:  How To Eat Healthy In A Restaurant

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Meal Preparation: Tips to Save Time and Energy

Making healthy and satisfying meals takes a lot of time and energy.  For those living with injury, illness, or the effects of aging cooking can become something that easily zaps precious energy.  The following care of Tru-Therapy Kitchen, an OT website focused on promoting optimal function and independence in the kitchen, discusses 5 great “hacks” that can help save time and energy when making meals.

Tru-Therapy Kitchen:  5 Energy Conservation Tips for Meal Prepping

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Back to School: Make Ahead School Lunches

Packing your child’s lunch can seem like a daunting, never ending task, but with a little prep work you can suffer short term pain for long term gain!  With just over 10 days left before the big day, try some of these tips and recipes care of The Organized Housewife for lunches and snacks you can make ahead and freeze, which can save you some early morning stress in September and beyond.

The Organized Housewife:  50+ Freezer friendly lunch box food ideas