news & trends

Tag Archives: employee wellness

Five healthy eating tips while travelling

Posted on
Reply

Lucia Weiler, RD, PHEc.

When you travel for work or pleasure do you find it tricky to stick to a healthy eating plan? You’re not alone! Most people find it harder to keep up their smart lifestyle choices when away from home. However there are benefits to maintaining a healthy lifestyle while travelling and a healthy diet can help keep up your energy, reduce stress and enjoy your time while travelling for work or pleasure.

We were thrilled to present our N4NN Workplace Wellness workshop to executives who really wanted to energize their meeting. Are you travelling for business or pleasure? Check out our Travel Tip Sheet for five dietitians’ tips on how to find good food that will help you stick to a healthy eating plan while away from home.

Travel Tip Sheet

Five ways to help you stick to a healthy eating plan while away from home:

  1. Carry on & carry out
    Pack some healthy foods, high protein snacks in your bags. Fresh fruit, nuts, seeds, or a granola mix are handy snacks to carry on board especially if you are travelling within Canada. When you arrive at your destination, if you can, go to a food market or grocery store to pick up portable traveler friendly foods to carry out to your hotel room. Some examples are nuts, seeds, fruit, veggies, and whole grain crackers. If you have a fridge in your room, yogurt, cheese hard cooked eggs and hummus are healthy options to keep on hand.
  2. Drink water
    Stay well hydrated and don’t drink your calories. Drink water regularly, which is a calorie free way to quench your thirst. Limit sugary drinks, energy drinks, syrup flavoured hot or cold beverages and alcohol. Calories from these types of drinks can add up quickly and undermine your healthy eating goals.
  3. Scope out foodservice options
    If you travel for work you may return to the same city regularly. Find a few places you can count on for healthy options and plan your meals there. Check menus online to find your healthy go-to preferences where you travel. In most chain restaurants, calories are listed on the menu which can be helpful to compare meals. Remember it’s not just the total number of calories that count but the quality of the calories matter too. Look for foods with less saturated fat, less sodium and less added sugars.
  4. Order mindfully
    When eating at a restaurant keep these tips in mind: double up on veggies, avoid deep fried foods and watch portion sizes (keep them small or ask for half portions). Always order sauces on the side so you can decide how much to add. If you’re watching your calories, skip the appetizers and dessert.
  5. ENJOY your food choices!
    HOW you eat is just as important as WHAT you eat so look for ways to enjoy your food. Improving your eating habits takes time and it can be especially challenging while travelling. Find a few tips that work for you and then build on them as you journey toward making healthier choices while travelling.

Want more tips and insights on building healthier people? We translate the science of nutrition and offer life-changing advice for healthy living. Contact us for more information.

Is Your Workplace a 4STAR Eating Environment?

Posted on
Reply

Four star food environment
Four star food environment - stars

According to a poll by Ipsos Reid, 45% of Canadians say that eating healthy meals and snacks while at work is challenging. A new healthy eating program called 4STAR offers a free tool kit to help improve food and nutrition choices in the workplace.

The 4STAR program aims to improve employee health and productivity, reduce costs and absenteeism associated with diet-related illness, and improve overall organizational performance. The concept and resources of the 4STAR program were led by Dr. Norm Campbell, who is Chair in Hypertension Prevention and Control Initiative, funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada in partnership with the CIHR Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health.

4STAR is built on the S-T-A-R principles which stand for:
– Staff-led policies – staff engagement and leadership is critical for the success of any workplace program
– Targeted, realistic improvements over time – with the aim to ensure that healthier food is available at the workplace for the long term
– Accessibility of healthy foods and beverages options – improved access to fresh fruits and veggies and reduced reliance on processed foods
– Reinforcement through promotional activities, communications and training – to help employees support and embrace the changes in the food environment

A workplace healthy eating program is a process, not an occurrence. Some of the known challenges of implementing such a program include inconsistent definitions of “healthy food”, large portions sizes and the fact that a positive food environment must be supported with employee education for successful behaviour change.

Not only does a healthy eating program improve employee health and productivity, but it also makes dollars and sense. As part of a workplace wellness program, a healthy eating program can save businesses up to four dollars for every one dollar invested.

Here’s what you can do to create a healthy food environment in your workplace:
– Start by taking the 4STAR quiz about healthy eating in your workplace
– Check out the resources from the 4STAR tool kit
– Contact us! Dietitian-led workplace wellness initiatives have been shown to help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by up to 60%, lower heart disease risk by lowering blood pressure, and improve healthy eating behaviours like increasing vegetable, fruit and fibre intake. With our experience in workplace wellness programs and healthy eating campaigns, we can help you at all stages from program planning to implementation and evaluation. Our team building workshops and seminars will complement your workplace policies to improve the health and well-being of your employees.