Cape Town - What we eat at our place of work has a huge impact on our overall diet and influences our productivity.(...)
Healthy eating in the workplace is the theme of this year's National Nutrition Week, which started on October 9.
Employees consume at least half of their meals and snacks during work hours, making this an important place to promote healthy eating, according to a press release from the Association for Dietetics in South Africa
Registered dietitian Alex Royal says that healthy eating at work can be a challenge as there are often too many temptations: the vending machine, the sweet trolley, colleagues who have bad habits that influence others.
“During a busy day we don't have time (or forget) to prepare healthy meals or even forget to eat. So blood glucose levels drop, resulting in an energy dip and potentially cravings, especially for highly processed and sugary foods. This fuels the cycle of unhealthy eating at work”, Royal concludes.
Cath Day, Registered Dietitian and ADSA spokesperson, also offers some tips for employees:
* Before grabbing a snack, first ask yourself if you are really hungry or if you actually need to take a break from what you are doing. Going for a short walk or getting some fresh air - may be all you need.
* Don't skip meals or healthy snacking between meals. Skipping meals and snacks results in dips in blood glucose (sugar) levels and thus you will be more likely to crave unhealthy foods.
Work lunchboxes go a long way in giving employees more control over what they eat during the day.
Registered dietitian Kelly Schreuder says the goals of a healthy work lunchbox include:
* Variety and balance of foods, providing a variety of nutrients, including protein, carbohydrates, fat and micronutrients.
* Real food, as opposed to processed snacks and those that are high in added sugar, excess salt and poor quality fat, and portion control.
And what about fluids - what should we be drinking while we are at work?
“The simple answer is that water should be the main beverage we are drinking while working but there are many other healthy options to choose from as well. People often forget that beverages can contain a large amount of energy (and many beverages contain too much sugar such as sugar sweetened beverages and fruit juice) so we need to be more mindful about what we are drinking”, say ADSA spokesperson Catherine Pereira.
Being active in the workplace is also important and employees should try to be as physically active as possible.
Durban-based dietitian Hlanzeka Mpanza says that it is not impossible to include some physical exercise in the workday. Use the steps instead of the lift; form an exercise club with colleagues and try to fit in a 15 minute walk during the lunch hour; wear a pedometer during the day to keep track of activity levels and as a motivator; and stretch your legs by walking over to your colleagues' desk instead of sending them an email.
What we eat affects our mood, how alert we are and our overall productivity.
We asked dietitian Maryke Bronkhorst why food influences us in this way. “Some foods contain nutrients that are used to manufacture certain brain chemicals that may enhance mental tasks like memory, concentration, and reaction time. Protein foods enhance the brain's production of dopamine, a natural brain chemical that helps one to feel alert. Large quantities of carbohydrates, on the other hand, result in the production of serotonin, a natural brain chemical that can cause drowsiness, but glucose in the bloodstream is the brain's main source of energy. So it's important that you eat at regular intervals and choose low glycaemic index options to prevent your blood sugar levels from dropping too low,” says Bronkhorst.
Lean biltong, a small handful nuts, a piece of fresh fruit eg blueberries, vegetable crudités with a dip like hummus and plain yoghurt flavoured with handful of berries are great 'go-to' snacks.
October 12 2015
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