Nutrition plays a major role in a healthy lifestyle. As such, employee wellness programs are far more effective if they take employee nutrition into account. Getting people to change their eating habits can prevent chronic disease and promote overall wellness far better than exercise alone.
But creating new food habits can be challenging. For most people, there’s a disconnect between what they should eat and what they actually do eat. We have been led to believe that healthy food is expensive, time-consuming to prepare, and uninspiring to eat. On the other hand, foods loaded with fat, sugar and salt are presented as cheap, fast, and tasty.
Changing behavior starts with challenging and changing these misconceptions. The following quotes can help inspire your company to make nutrition a priority.
Why Employee Health Makes Business Sense
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“We are embedding health and well-being at the heart of our business strategy because our people are our greatest asset, and we recognize that a healthy, happy and committed workforce is vital to our business success.” –Alex Gourlay, Co-Chief Operating Officer, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.
- “Good health IS good business.” –Paul Dreschler, Chairman, Bibby Line Group
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“Improving the health and well-being of our employees…offers a ”win-win” all around. Employees benefit from better support for their health. Companies benefit from less absence and improved productivity. And society benefits from improved public health.” –Steve Flanagan, Chief Executive, The Fremantle Trust
Key takeaways: Keeping your employees healthy isn’t just good for them; it’s good for the bottom line. The ROI of corporate wellness is realized in reduced healthcare costs, increased productivity, and more engaged employees.
Diet Is a Fundamental Driver of Health
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“Our food should be our medicine and our medicine should be our food.” –Hippocrates, Ancient Greek Physician
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“The doctor of the future…will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease.” –Thomas Edison, Inventor
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“People are fed by the food industry, which pays no attention to health, and are treated by the health industry, which pays no attention to food.” –Wendell Berry, Novelist and Activist
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“The reason lifestyle is such an important issue is 75 percent of all our chronic diseases are due to lifestyle issues. If you’re really not addressing lifestyle, you’re not going to move the needle in terms of health.” –Dexter Shurney, Chief Medical Director/Executive Director Global Health, Cummins Inc.
Key Takeaways: From the founder of the medical profession in ancient Greece to great thinkers in the present day, these quotes make it clear that health and diet are inextricably linked. While diet can’t cure every ailment, it can do a lot: A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that diet was the number one factor impacting health.
Culture Plays a Role in Determining Eating Habits
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“Want to be healthy? Cook. the food industry has done a great job of convincing eaters that corporations can cook better than we can. The problem is, it’s not true.” –Michael Pollan, Author, Journalist & Activist
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“In our fast-forward culture, we have lost the art of eating well. Food is often little more than fuel to pour down the hatch while doing other stuff – surfing the Web, driving, walking along the street. Dining al desko is now the norm in many workplaces. All of this speed takes a toll. Obesity, eating disorders and poor nutrition are rife.” –Carl Honoré, Author & Public Speaker
- “To a significant degree, we are an overfed and undernourished nation digging an early grave with our teeth.” –Ezra Taft Benson, 15th Secretary of Agriculture, Religious Leader
Key Takeaways: One major challenge to eating healthy is the societal and corporate forces aligned against it. It seems like we have to actively choose to eat healthy, while eating junk seems easy. In reality, eating well can be as convenient and delicious as the alternative. Changing this belief is key to changing eating habits.
Healthy Eating Is a Series of Active Choices
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“To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.” –Francois de La Rochefoucauld, Author
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“Those who think they have no time for healthy eating, will sooner or later have to find time for illness.” –Edward Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby
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“Our bodies are our gardens – Our wills are our gardeners.” –William Shakespeare, Playwright & Poet
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“Food is more than a commodity. It’s also a community. What you eat literally becomes you. Every bit connects you to the whole world.” Ocean Robbins, CEO, Food Revolution Network
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“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” –Jim Rohn, Entrepreneur, Author & Motivational Speaker
Key Takeaways: On average, people make more than 200 food choices every day. Many of these choices we make almost subconsciously, whether it’s in the employee cafeteria, in the grocery store, or at a vending machine. A successful employee nutrition program must aim to influence as many of these choices as possible, providing support and information from work to home to dining out, helping employees actively choose a better diet.
Zipongo is a digital nutrition platform that makes it simple to promote healthy eating habits. Learn more about how Zipongo works, or request a demo to see the platform in action.
