Two years have passed since corporate employees around the world made a sudden, mass exodus from their workplaces. Today, there is a widespread return – some are back to a full five-day week in the office, while others are implementing hybrid regimes. What everyone finds is that the culture, feel and rhythm of corporate life have been irrevocably changed.
The extended period of working from home enabled many to manage our health concerns and general wellness in our own time, in our ways during the working week. Many people reported an improved work-life balance, as well as getting more physical exercise and finding it easier to eat healthily.
Nelile Nxumalo, a Registered Dietitian and spokesperson for The Association for Dietetics in South Africa( ADSA) outlines the basics of what Corporate Wellness programmes can provide to enable employees to focus on healthy eating choices. She says, ‘Employees need to have lunch and tea breaks, and places where they can sit and eat with their colleagues, away from their desks. This avoids a rushed meal that could potentially lead to unhealthy eating habits such as skipping meals but over-consuming calories as you’re always snacking instead of eating a nutritious meal.’ Nelile advises:
- Canteen menus should offer healthy meal options incorporating salads, vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, whole-grains and high fibre or unrefined carbohydrates. Calorie dense meals including highly processed foods and unrefined carbohydrates should be avoided.
- Vending machines or tuck-shops should offer healthy snack options such as homemade popcorn, unsalted nuts, raisins, dried fruits, lean biltong and crackers as well as veggie crudites and a variety of dips like hummus and tzatziki, instead of chocolates, sweets and crisps only.
- Facilities should be available for staff to store meals or lunchboxes at appropriate temperatures to prevent spoiling.
- The Corporate Wellness programme can advocate for bringing healthy meals from home to work to avoid buying take-away meals. To support employees, it would help to provide microwaves or other kitchen equipment to warm up food. Home-cooked meals often have fewer calories and are more nutrient-dense than take-away or convenience foods.
No matter what your company provides through its wellness programme, healthy eating during workdays, in the end, is about the food choices you make each day. Registered dietitian, Jandri Barnard, says, ‘It’s important to avoid the pitfall of just grabbing something quick to eat for a rushed workday lunch, because all too often that’s likely to be highly processed or fast foods that are calorie dense but nutrient poor.
With planning and just a bit of time to shop and some preparation, you can set up an entire working week of healthy meals and snacks. Don’t focus only on foods though because what you drink during the working day counts too. Make a habit of leaving home with a water bottle – you can always add mint, cucumber or lemon for flavour. Limit your caffeine intake by choosing rooibos, fruit and herbal teas when you want a warm drink. Avoid energy drinks and sugary soft drinks.’
Jandri’s top tips for planning, shopping and preparing workday lunches and snacks:
- Planning, planning, planning! – plan meals for the week before going shopping and shop only for the ingredients you need
- You can consider making an extra portion of your evening meal as a leftover for your work lunch the following day. Remember to keep pre-prepared meals at appropriate temperatures to prevent spoilage
- Dishes that are cooked the evening before, such as breakfast porridge, soups, grain and lentil salads, pasta salads or leftover meals need to be cooled down properly and packaged in containers that can be reheated again, if necessary
- Pre-prepare lunches, and even breakfasts, beforehand on the weekends or in the evenings
- Smoothies can be prepared in the mornings before work but get the ingredients ready the evening before
- Pre-pack snacks such as whole-wheat crackers, bran muffins, unsalted nuts, seeds, lean biltong and dried fruit to pop into your bag for work
- Vegetable crudités or fresh fruit slices can also form part of your work snack box
- Keep water bottles filled and have extra herbal or fruit tea bags ready for your workday
- Sandwiches and wraps can be prepared in the mornings – or the evenings before if you have time constraints in the morning – but rather pack fresh produce such as tomatoes and cucumbers separately and add these later, as they can make the bread or wrap soggy and unappetizing
- Use whole-wheat or low GI bread, rolls or wraps rather than refined white flour products which will result in you being hungrier sooner in the day
- Remember that avocado turns brown due to the oxidation process when it is exposed to oxygen. To prevent this, add a sprinkle of olive oil or squeeze some lemon juice over your sliced or mashed avocado. Then you still have green avocado to add to your salad or sandwich at lunchtime.
Also see: The formula for winning at life
