Healthy eating is often a top priority for wellness programs because many chronic illnesses are food- and diet-related. Despite this, more than 2 in 3 Americans are classified as overweight or obese, and more than 1 in 3 Americans are prediabetic. 

A study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) looked at the impact that worksite supports have on employees. Their findings included the following:

• Unsurprisingly, employees in workplaces that have a cafeteria, snack bar, or food service eat fast food less often and eat more fruits and vegetables.
• Foods labeled with calorie counts and signs that identify healthier foods in cafeterias, vending, and snack bars can have a positive effect on employee choices.
• Healthy food that is affordable and available to all employees, regardless of income, can have the most impact.

Ideas for action

• Ask! Consider surveying your employees on their nutrition and wellness interests, as well as changes they’d like to see. You may be surprised at the responses; be sure to share your survey results and implement requests if possible.
• Organize a potluck featuring healthy choices.
• Provide a way for employees to share healthy recipes and cooking tips; encourage recipes that represent different cultures.
• Promote alternatives to eating at fast food restaurants; provide refrigerator space for lunches.
• Promote this link to the American Heart Association's cooking skills website.
• Go beyond programs and campaigns and develop written guidelines and policies for healthy food and beverages to create a culture of wellness.

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Click here to read this month's E-tips for your employees: "Farewell to fast food?."

To share these E-tips with employees, you can:  

• Email the E-tips document to your staff as an attachment. 1) Click the link to download and save the E-tips to your computer. 2) Add your organization's logo in the bottom left corner. 3) Then send it as an email attachment to staff. 
• Print the document once you've added your organization's logo and post it in a common area in your workplace.
• Copy and paste the text into your organization's newsletter.

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