Worksites Eating Smart Programs and Activities
If employees at your worksite want to eat healthier but are looking for support and company of other co-workers, organizing some of the following activities may help them with their efforts to eat healthy.
Eat Smart Lunch Box
Choose a day of the week or month and encourage employees to bring a home made brown bag lunch to eat together with their co-workers. This activity can also be combined with another activity like a staff meeting or some other appropriate staff event. Provided below is a downloadable handout that can be shared with employees to give them suggestions for fixing a healthy brown bag meal.
Eat Smart Cafe
Employees who choose to eat out while at work can still do so in a healthy way. In a group employees can encourage and praise each other for choosing healthy menu options or can share meals to right-size their portions. Organize an out-to-lunch event where employees go out and order healthy lunches together. Many fast food places and other restaurants provide nutritional information for their menu on their websites. Such information can also be found at www.fatcalories.com or www.fastfoodfacts.info. By providing employees with this information and organizing healthy eating-out events, you can help employees at your worksite to make smart choices while eating in restaurants and fast food establishments. The Fast Food Survival guide below can also help employees to make every restaurant they eat in their own “Eat Smart Café!”
Eat Smart Recipe Swap
Sharing new recipes for healthier choices may help employees get motivated to prepare and eat healthy meals. Employees can also start an Eat Smart Recipe Swap where employees post their healthy recipes for other employees (on a bulletin board, in a notebook, or via an email listserv). Monthly themes such as "March of Whole Grains" or "Smart Snacks for August" may help employees get started.
What's Cookin' in the Eat Smart Kitchen
Providing the employees with hands on cooking classes and taste testing may help them to try and make healthier foods. These may be organized during lunch time or after work, whichever is a suitable option for your worksite. However, it is important to make sure that the person conducting the class has knowledge of healthy foods. Contact a registered dietitian from your local hospital or health department or the local cooperative extension agent and ask them if they offer cooking classes or know who in your area might offer such classes. Be sure to find out what your office should provide for the class. Some questions to ask include: Is there a fee for the class? Will you provide ingredients or should we provide them? Who should provide the cooking utensils (pots, pans, etc.). Make sure that your worksite has adequate cooking equipment for the demonstration/class (sink, oven, microwave, fridge, etc.).
Eat Smart Lunch n' Learn Sessions
Organize an opportunity for your employees to learn specifics of eating smart at a lunch n’ learn presentation conducted by a health professional in your local area or through a video presentation. Ask speakers to present for 20 minutes, leaving ample time for questions and answers (and also ensuring that those who take a 30 minute lunch will be able to take advantage of the program). Eat Smart Move More…NC mainatins a searchable database to help you locate health professionals in your community. Registered dietitians can be located by zip code at www.eatright.org, a website sponsored by the American Dietetic Association.
Eat Smart, Move More…NC maintains a searchable directory you can use to locate health professionals in your county.
