In this third article where we discuss different aspects of your employees’ health and wellness, we will tackle the third of four pillars:
· Sleep
· Stress management
· DIET
· Exercise
We should all focus on these 4 core pillars every single day of our lives.
Everyone’s heard the maxim: YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT and this is so true.
However, there is so much conflicting information about nutrition out there, with different fad diets making the rounds, that is often difficult to decipher which are the best choices to make. Your best bet is to avoid the on-again off-again cycle of diets and instead aim for a healthy “lifestyle” that will focus more on the long-term benefits you can achieve. You should also listen to your body, as something that works for someone else may not necessarily work for you.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON’T EAT WELL?
When you don’t eat well, you are likely to feel sluggish and gain weight, leading to obesity. Being overweight puts stress on your heart and can lead to high blood pressure. Eating certain types of foods can lead to spikes in your insulin levels that can lead to Type 2 diabetes; additionally, high levels of trans fats can raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol.
High processed foods and poor diets can increase your risk of depression, and can lead to tooth decay and gum disease, and foods that are high in sodium can give you headaches and cause bloating.
Fatigue, lack of energy often result and in the long term, these can lead to memory and learning issues and increased risks of dementia and Alzheimer’s
On the other end of the spectrum, being underweight can lead to a weakened immune system, vitamin deficiencies and anaemia, osteoporosis and even fertility issues. Rapid weight loss is also not recommended.
SO WHAT DOES A HEALTHY FOOD LIFESTYLE INCLUDE?
A definite is to include a variety of ingredients that will give you a balanced diet. You should include fruits and vegetables, fish, poultry, wholegrains, nuts, seeds, and legumes. Avoid or limit sweets and sugary drinks, processed and highly salted foods which can lead to chronic diseases such as heart disease, obesity and diabetes.
SOME TIPS THAT CAN HELP YOU TO MOVE TO A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE:
Watch your portion size. The serving size in Malta is often considerable, and a healthy portion may be much smaller. If you are in a restaurant and are served with an oversized dish, don’t be embarrassed to stop eating and ask the waiter to box up the remaining food for you.
Eat more meals at home as this gives you a better level of control over the quality and quantity of what you are eating.
Prepping is THE key: we are all busy and if you do not pre-plan your food, you will tend to eat convenience food, which is often far from healthy.
You should plan what food you want to take with you to work, and a few healthy snacks such as fruit, nuts, seeds. When work stress hits, the temptation is often to stress eat. Being prepared with healthy food and snacks will reduce the temptation to indulge in those birthday doughnuts or buy a choccie from the vending machine, or to rush to the nearest pastizzi place.
When you get home, you are often tired and the temptation is to eat the first thing that comes to hand, or order a delivery. This is often not the healthiest choice, and here again, prepping will really come in handy. Spend some time at the weekend to draw up a plan for the week, choose recipes that are healthy but easy to make, and buy in the ingredients to ensure you are ready for the week – this is more than half the battle!
Did you know that your body can take up to 20 minutes to feel full? You should therefore eat slowly to give yourself time to get to that “full” feeling. Focus on your food and not on the mobile or TV screen, savouring the smells and taste as this will lead to a more satisfying eating experience.
Do not try to change all your habits in one go: make small changes and adjust as you go along. Moderation is important. Do not make choices that are not sustainable: if you hate a certain type of food, you are setting yourself up for failure if you force it.
Drink lots and lots of water. Sometimes when you feel hungry, your body could actually be thirsty. So drink up instead and wait a few minutes to see whether you still have the hunger urge.
Try to shift to healthier cooking methods such as roasting and baking instead of frying.
Make meal preparation a family activity. Apart from sharing the load, cooking together can be fulfilling and fun!
Once you get into the groove with your regular healthy food choices, your digestive tract will feel better, your mood is likely to improve, and you will also sleep faster and better.
From a management level, you may wish to provide healthy snacks at work to help your team indulge in a healthy way. Some companies may have an in-house chef, and it is important to offer healthy options in this case.
You may also encourage the team to eat healthily by investing in dedicated information sessions (group or individual) with a nutritionist. Do encourage sharing of healthy, quick and easy recipes, for example, by setting up an area on the Company Portal where team members can share such information, pix and advice. This can serve to create a sense of community while providing a valuable forum and sharing of information for your team.
Check out the first two articles in this series here:
If you would like support with your team’s wellness, we can help. We can provide you and your team with a Company Wellness Program. Do speak to us and we will help guide you and your team.
Contact us today on +356 21221355, 9985 2404 or send an email on info@clinipath.com.mt.
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