Healthy Eating: Promoting Nutrition in your Workplace

In This Issue

Quick Fact: The Benefits of Promoting Nutrition in your Workplace
Resources
Mark Your Calendars - Upcoming Events

Quick Facts:

The Benefits of Promoting Nutrition in your Workplace

You are what you eat!

Recent studies have shown that we are not eating right. In fact, most Canadian adults are not meeting the minimum servings recommended in Canada's Food Guide (2007) on a daily basis. Since on average most of us spend 60% of our waking hours at work, it stands to reason that the workplace is a good place to encourage healthy eating. (Region of Peel, Tools for Healthy Eating at Work)

Employees who eat well are employees who feel better, have increased energy and are more productive. Healthy eating makes you feel better about yourself and worry less about weight. Employees who try to follow guidelines of good nutrition will be less likely to be obese, have heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and some types of cancer. (Regional Municipality of Niagara, Healthy Eating in the Workplace)

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Resources

Healthy Eating in the Workplace

The Nova Scotia Public Service Commission has led the development of the Healthy Eating in the Workplace guide. The guide provides information, and a variety of tools and activities, making it a resource that can help managers and healthy workplace committees encourage healthy eating among employees and create health promoting work environments.

Healthy Eating At Work, Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety
This is a great resource for workplaces who are interested in starting a healthy eating program. It covers everything from snack tips to how to hold a healthy meeting.

Guide to Nutrition Promotion in the Workplace
This guide can be used to plan and carry out nutrition programs on their own, as part of a multiple risk factor workplace program, or with other established workplace initiatives. With step-by-step guidelines, this guide is intended to be a "how to" resource. Sample resources, such as workplace nutrition assessment tools, sample policies and program logic models, are also included.

Healthy Food Guidelines for Food Served at Workplace Functions
Looking for a healthier alternative to donuts or cookies for that morning meeting? Wondering what to order for a catered lunch networking session? The Healthy Food Guidelines can help you with examples of suitable foods that can be offered at workplace functions.

Healthy Eating Tool Kit
Making healthy food choices is easy when you have the right tools. On this page you will find the tools and information you need to make better food choices.

Workplace Physical Activity and Healthy Eating Clearinghouse
This on-line database allows you to search for workplace specific physical activity and healthy eating research, policies, programs, services and best practices. Simply use the search feature to view over 200 entries.

The Healthy Measures Program
Nutrition Services of York Region offers Healthy Measures, a program that promotes new ways to "measure" health and encourages employees to focus on healthy eating, being active and building positive self esteem. This program offers a wide range of educational and skill-building activities, such as health fair displays and workshops. The program also provides strategies to improve the "nutrition environment" of the workplace; for example, the food choices made available to employees in their cafeteria, vending machines and business functions. The food available at the workplace is an important contributor to an employee's overall eating habits.

Healthy Eating Checklist for Meeting and Event Planners
A checklist for meeting and events to ensure that there are healthy food choices always available.

Handbook for Healthy Workplaces: Healthy Eating
The handbook offers assistance with starting a healthy eating workplace program including goals, how to get started and workplace policy suggestions

Healthy Eating Choices Meetings and Vending Machines

Hosting Healthy Meetings

Eat Tracker

Eat Right Ontario

Eat Well Canadian Cancer Society

Healthy Eating Heart and Stroke Foundation

Take Back the Lunch Break

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Mark Your Calendars - Upcoming Events

Waterloo Region Prenatal Health Fair Tuesday, June 3, 2008, 5:00pm

If you are planning a pregnancy or already pregnant come join us at the Prenatal Health Fair. Health professionals, workshops, videos, healthy food and prizes are all a part of this exciting evening. Learn about healthy eating, physical activity, becoming a dad, car seat safety and much more. All under one roof!

Project Health Networking Session-Healthy Eating: Promoting Nutrition in your Workplace June 26, 2008, 12:00pm
Project Health is hosting a networking session for people in the workplace who influence health and wellness. The guest speaker is nutritionist, Ellen Curitti, who will cover key topics such as: why healthy eating is important, basic principles of healthy eating and strategies to promote healthy eating in your workplace. To register for this event visit www.projecthealth.ca or call the Project Health phone line at 519-883-2287.

SummerActive May 8 to June 20, 2008

The Government of Canada, along with the provincial and territorial governments, can help you get and stay on a healthy track. Through the SummerActive initiative, youll find the opportunities and information you need to get physically active, eat healthily, live tobacco-free and participate in sport opportunities.

National Sun Awareness Week May 26 to June 1, 2008
This summer protect your skin from harmful UV rays. In celebration of National Sun Awareness Week, May 26 to June 1, the Canadian Cancer Society is working with the Canadian Dermatology Association to raise awareness of skin cancer and the importance of sun safety.

Stroke Awareness Month - June 2008

Contact the Heart and Stroke Association for resources and information.

Ovarian Cancer Month September 2008
Contact Ovarian Cancer Canada for resources and information

Prostate Cancer Awareness week - September 19 to 25, 2008

Contact Canada Society for resources.

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For More Information

Check the website for more information. Project Health