There’s a growing awareness of how important it is to promote wellbeing in the office. Business owners and employees alike are beginning to realise the importance of an office environment that encourages a healthy lifestyle and a good work-life balance.
This isn’t just a new fad. Countless academic studies have reported the productivity benefits of happy, healthy employees. Healthier workers take less time off sick, which can result in significant savings over time. Taking active steps to promote a healthy workforce can also help to attract and retain talent. Research suggests that millennials are particularly keen to work for companies that value their wellbeing.
Why does healthy food matter?
Food is the fuel our bodies run on. The better our diet, the better we’re likely to feel afterwards. And the better we feel, the higher our concentration levels will be.
Fresh, healthy food provides us with energy, improves our mental health, helps our bodies to fight sickness and boosts our focus. Ultimately, if you eat well throughout the working day, you’re more likely to consistently produce great results.
Unfortunately, offices can often be high risk environments for unhealthy food. It’s not unusual for workers to eat junk food at their desk because they haven’t had time to go out to get anything else. Vending machines, biscuit platters in the boardroom and boxes of chocolate for the team can also be difficult to avoid.
Why not make a commitment to make healthier food choices at work? Resist the temptation to eat one of the cupcakes that your colleague bought for everyone, and instead indulge in some fresh fruit!
Business owners can help with this too. Changing up the refreshments you offer during meetings and work events can have a big impact here, as can ensuring your team members have enough time at lunch to eat a well-balanced meal. And instead of placing chocolate and sweets around your office across the festive season, why not offer mixed nuts and dried fruit instead?
Having access to food preparation facilities can often be overlooked too. Instead of buying a ready meal from the shop this means you can prepare something fresh, providing you with more nutrients. This is a real priority for us at Carrwood Park, and we offer high quality shared kitchen spaces for users of our serviced offices and co-working spaces.
12 productivity-boosting office snacks
Looking to boost your productivity at work? Why not replace your office sweet cupboard with some of these healthy snacks?
- Raw nuts
Nuts are packed with vitamins, minerals and essential fats like omega-3s, which provide healthy fats for energy, mitigate stiffness and joint problems and help to regulate mood.
- Carrot sticks and hummus
Carrots can be a great low-calorie snack, containing lots of vitamins and minerals, and not many carbohydrates. Combine this with hummus and you’ll get a nice balance of minerals, protein and fibre – and an extra-delicious snack!
- Fibre-rich fruits
High fibre fruits, like berries and apples, are ideal for a mid-morning snack as they can make you feel ‘full’ sooner. Studies also suggest that fibre plays a part in improving your immune system, meaning you’re less likely to fall victim to the dreaded cold that’s going around the office.
- Coconut chips
Packed with healthy fats, coconut chips can serve as a sweet replacement for your normal packet of crisps or popcorn.
- Roasted chickpeas
Like nuts, chickpeas have a low GI (glycemic index), which means they release energy slowly so are great for maintaining productivity. Delicious served straight from a can or as the key ingredient in hummus, this versatile food can also be served roasted as an alternative to nuts.
- Green smoothies
Have you noticed more people drinking green juices recently? There’s a good reason for that! By blending leafy greens and vegetables into a smoothie, you can easily hit your five-a-day. Blending from fresh means you retain vitamins often lost in cooking processes, and the liquid format means your body can more readily absorb the goodness. Counteract bitterness by adding some ripe fruit like mango or pineapple. Here’s how to blend the perfect green smoothie…
- Greek yoghurt and honey
Honey has been used medicinally for centuries, for everything from a cold to lowering your blood sugar. Mix this with greek yoghurt, known for its digestion-aiding probiotics, and you’ll do a load of good for your stomach.
- Bananas
Slow release carbs, such as bananas and walnuts, can help you avoid the ‘3pm sugar crash’ – something that you may be familiar with if you tend to snack on doughnuts and sweets.
- Unsweetened dried fruit
Dried fruit is a great source of energy and fibre. It’s also a lot more office-friendly than fresh fruit as it is non-perishable, which means you can store it at work without worrying about it going off. If you often eat porridge or granola at work, why not add some dried apricots and raisins to it?
- Celery sticks with peanut butter
Research suggests that celery and peanut butter can reduce your chance of heart disease and diabetes. It’s also a lot more filling than some of the other snacks on this list. Although if you’re watching your weight, try not to go overboard on the peanut butter…
- Granola bars
Low in sodium and high in potassium, granola bars can increase blood and oxygen flow in your body. This means you’ll have higher concentration levels, and for longer!
- Vegetable crisps
Like coconut chips, these can be a healthy, low-saturated fat alternative to your average packet of crisps. For added health benefits, why not try making your own vegetable crisps at home?
What are your favourite productivity-boosting office snacks? Have we missed any out? We’d love you to share them with us on Twitter.
What else can you do to promote health and productivity in the office?
There are a wide range of techniques and initiatives that companies can explore in order to encourage better health and productivity among their employees. At Carrwood Park, we offer a range of perks to promote health and wellbeing, as well as attracting and retaining talent.
These include:
- Plants in the office
- An eco-friendly working environment
- Plenty of windows to boost natural light
- Sparkling facilities, cleaned daily
- Over 4,500 sq. ft. of breakout areas and third space
Do you want to benefit from a working environment designed with employee productivity and wellbeing in mind? Why not arrange a viewing at our luxury serviced offices in Leeds?
