Workplace nutrition refers to the dietary habits and food choices individuals make while at work. It’s important to pay attention to workplace nutrition because what you eat during your workday can significantly impact your energy levels, concentration, mood and overall productivity.
Based on the social determinants of health concept, the workplace is one of the places that could affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks. It is strengthened by the WHO which describes a workplace as a priority environment to influence dietary behaviours, given that individuals can spend up to two-thirds of their waking hours at work.
Potential health problems among workers are work accidents, occupational illness, non-communicable diseases and communicable diseases. A good health status not only impacts an individual but also the workplace itself. Several strategies could be used for improving workers’ productivity including improving nutrition, sanitation, education, health promotion, healthy workplace, occupation-health and safetyand population health.
The impact of poor diet was found to be an important cause of reduced work capacity for the following reasons:
The body tends to protect itself against the lack of proper food by avoiding effort, the final results being lethargy and lack of initiative and drive.
Poor diet lowers the worker’s resistance to disease.
It leads to a considerable amount of absenteeism because of sickness.
Where workers are undernourished and tend to tire quickly, accident rates tend to be higher.
Food has a direct impact on our cognitive performance, which is why a poor decision at lunch can derail an entire afternoon. Just about everything we eat is converted by the body into glucose, which provides the energy the brain needs to stay alert. When we’re running low on glucose, we have a tough time staying focused and our attention drifts. This explains why it’s hard to concentrate on an empty stomach.
Nutrition intervention at the workplace is focused on overweight/obesity which was found to be the dominant factor of metabolic syndrome which is defined as metabolic disruption including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, central obesity, high triglyceride level and low HDL cholesterol level.
Nutrition interventions to maximise health and productivity at the workplace/at work
Consuming well-balanced meals: Consume low-fat dairy products, low saturated fat while avoiding trans-fat. More fruits and vegetables, whole grains, seafood, lean meats and poultry, as well as salt alternatives.
(Written by Sadhvika Srinivas)
