Healthy nutrition for your employees’ well-being

Performance at work is closely linked to stress, fatigue and motivation, which the composition and quality of meals can influence. Healthy nutrition should concern employers and occupational health services, as it affects working conditions and workers’ health, safety and productivity.

Whether at work or home, well-being starts with the plate!

Working from home, new normality:

The rise of teleworking has shaken up lifestyles and eating habits. Flexible working hours, self-catering, and difficulty disconnecting are challenges the new working reality suggests. This form of work requires vigilance in terms of health. There has been a deterioration in eating and sleeping habits, an increase in sedentary behaviour and stress, with a negative impact on psychological health. Yet eating the majority of meals at home has become commonplace. However, eating a healthy and balanced diet is not always easy. Between the sluggishness, the low morale, and the stress leading to constant “small rewards”. This inevitably leads to the desire to snack. Certain nutrients are essential to maintain the body and to fight against a mental load and a higher sedentary lifestyle.

Here are some tips and tricks for healthy eating while teleworking.

• Move your workstation away from the kitchen to avoid temptations. Separating work and mealtime areas allows you to eat mindfully and give yourself a real meal break.

• Plan your lunches, just as you would for going to work. This technique allows you to manage your food better and free your mind about your meal. Always rely on a healthy plate with a mix of cooked and raw foods.

•  Stay hydrated throughout the day and outside of meals. The basic recommendations are 1.5l to 2l per day. Dehydration is often the primary cause of low energy, poor performance and headaches. Avoid sugary drinks, fruit juices and unlimited coffee, which often cause digestive problems and raise the anxiety threshold.

• Trust your food sensations. Eat when you feel hungry and stop when you are full. They are reliable indicators of the body’s need for energy and allow you to think mindfully.

• Allow yourself snacks, plan ahead and always take them out of the original pack, as this helps you manage portions. Snacks are essential to boost your energy during the day, especially if you feel hungry, and not to arrive hungry at the evening meal. Always opt for raw, healthy snacks: fruit, oilseeds, plain yoghurt, vegetables, hummus, etc.

Working at the office

Most employees eat half of their meals at work, so the pace, quantity and quality of meals should be a significant consideration to avoid nutritional imbalances. Meals eaten too quickly or skipped for lack of time, repeated snacking, and unlimited coffee. Employees’ eating habits are very often generated by stress at work. The influence of working conditions on eating behaviour is complex. According to a study published by the International Labour Office (ILO), a malnourished workplace diet can reduce employee productivity by up to 20%. (ref)

According to the Health Promotion Switzerland Foundation, the stress in the workplace is a growing challenge in Switzerland, with one in four Swiss employees feeling stressed by their work, struggling with burnout or suffering from time pressure imposed by their job. Directly linked to eating habits, stress is often the primary cause of the dietary imbalances mentioned above. If the body is not supported in the face of this stress, the imposition of additional stress follows! In addition, the time pressure inflicted at work leads to an explosion in demand for fast food, often of poor nutritional quality. An unbalanced diet of poor dietary quality can negatively affect brain function and lead to such problems as irritability, high risk of depression and anxiety, reduced concentration and creativity.

According to the study Food at work: solutions for malnutrition, obesity and chronic disease (the first study to examine workplace eating habits worldwide), better nutrition at work can increase production rates, and healthy meals consumed at the workplace can prevent micronutrient deficiencies, chronic disease and obesity, cushioned by fewer sick days and fewer accidents at work. In addition to stress, digestive disorders associated with poor eating habits at work are increasingly common: stomach acid, abdominal pain, transit disorders, risk of obesity, increased cholesterol levels and subsequent increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.

According to a survey of 723 employees in Switzerland on the subject of “well-being and performance at work”, 29% of employees feel little or no motivation at work,

81% have never received any information on well-being at work, yet 90% think that healthy nutrition education would increase their motivation. Companies must take into account the promotion of good eating habits in the same way as the prevention of other occupational risks.

Therefore, well-being at the workplace includes access to healthy food, whether at work or the home office. The brain requires 20% of our daily energy and nutrients: vitamins, minerals, fatty acids and amino acids in sufficient quantities. Eating a healthy and balanced diet during your working day can fill up nutrients that will help you manage stress and performance.

Allcook kitchen offers the possibility to combine fresh, healthy and seasonal meals delivered directly to your workplace (in your company or at home). Easy access to balanced meals with a variety of menus to suit your tastes or your type of diet. The food is carefully selected and cooked in such a way as to preserve all the nutritional benefits, thus optimising your health and performance.