“OH my god … I AM HUNGRY!!!”
This is what we scream, midway through our day at office. This is when we think – now what, go to the canteen (if there is), grab the pack of chips or chocolate, call for pizza or burger or take out our lunch boxes.
A lot of us do take our food with us, (I would like to believe that) but that faces two problems, one very little options for food to carry and second how much can you carry, one meal is not enough for the whole day!!!
First take a look at some reasons given by International Labour Office, Geneva why worker’s nutrition is important-
• Adequate nourishment can raise national productivity levels by 20% (WHO, 2003a)
• When one skips a meal, hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar levels) can occur which shorten attention span and slow the speed of processing information (McAulay et al., 2001)
• Studies have shown that obese workers are twice as likely as fit workers to miss work ( Wolf and Colditz, 1998)
• Low iron levels (majority of Indians have it) are associated with weakness, sluggishness and lack of coordination.
• Workers meal programmes are good for workers, good for business and good for nations.
The above are just a few reasons.
The question is why work place??
Well because we spend atleast 8hrs a day there, many people can be provided healthier foods at the work place, it is a perfect environment to target adults (Hanna Aronovich, 2006) educate them, target intervention programmes as most of them are of the same educational background and have similar work concerns and also food helps people socialize, de-stress, bond with co-workers and most importantly move away from their cubicals and move around.
A lot of companies around the world have realized the benefits and provide meals etc, they charge nominal amounts for their services and they usually rent it to caterers, many companies in India give food vouchers, but the question here is, vouchers of what?? In all my knowledge they are almost always of fast food joints of places which anyway sell unhealthy food, so my friends the whole purspose of the policy is failed, because from an initiative taken to do something for worker’s health , it is now just a HR policy.
In India, the Factories Act of 1984 makes it mandatory that companies ensure that their workforce has access to quality wholesome meals, but how many employers follow it? It is a law which has been lost in the papers. There are a lot of firms eg, K. Mohan and Co., Bangalore who provide facilities (they provide a mess) so why should others not. The Health Promotion Agency, UK, has released an excellent small manual for employers who want to make some changes.
It is also not right to blame it all on the company, an individual effort is required, so for all you worker’s whose company might not be doing enough, take it in your hands, to keep your diet healthy because at the end of the day, it is your body, do not treat it like a dustbin!!
In this small article all these answers can not be provided, but it is just for you to start thinking, what why and how…
Will leave you with these links, which might help you find easier solutions to eating healthy!!
http://www.boston.com/jobs/galleries/healthy_at_work/
http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/7-tips-eating-while-you-work
A lot of things are possible a lot of plans and interventions are feasible the only thing required is the intention!!
Very useful tip!