Healthy Menus at work

Inadequate nutrition is directly linked to major health problems and lower performance, both in the home and at work. According to studies, the productivity of those who are malnourished may be reduced up to 20%. This performance degradation and the increased risk of preventable diseases could be prevented by developing educational and preventive campaigns.

Since a third of the day, at least, is dedicated to work, the workplace is, or rather should be, the more conducive to the success of the theory and practice of healthy eating in the same way that It is deployed in schools and school canteens. The working day is structured around snacks and meals: coffee break, lunch and snack. These moments provide an opportunity for the company to provide workers with access to a healthy meal.

However, the current offer to found the majority of workers is far from the meaning of a healthy diet, which explains that workers have difficulty achieving the necessary daily nutritional balance. Also, there is a tendency towards reducing the time spent on meals at work. To match as possible to these times, workers are forced to go to restaurants that are guaranteed 'fast food', but they often also represent the less desirable options for maintaining a healthy and balanced diet.

A large proportion of workers choose the daily menu offering bars and restaurants, although most of these menus suspended in dietary quality. One in three daily menus of restaurants are not at levels as good diet because they offer a choice of vegetables or salad, vegetables and fish in a convenient menu that follows the principles of balanced and healthy diet. Also penalized menus include protein and energy dense foods as a first course and the absence of side dishes varied in main dishes and fruit for dessert.

Furthermore, some countries are living quite normally the formal demise of meal times, while extending the phenomenon called SAD (an acronym for 'Stuck At Desk', glued to the table), which is not to leave working environment and have lunch at the work tables. Added to this is that vending machines are filled with drinks, crisps, sweets or industrial bakery, and many meetings and not provided without this kind of pastries to accompany the coffee.

Moreover, in certain sectors, like construction, is well entrenched in the habit of breakfast sausage sandwich or tortilla accompanied by wine, beer or soft drinks, coffee and sugar. The usual overload of fat, sodium and sugars for the body explains the higher prevalence of dyslipidemia, obesity, hypertension and diabetes in this sector workforce.

Preventive Diet

Certain industrial poisons, certain patterns of eating behavior, stress and improved working conditions themselves behave as risk factors that accelerate the onset of chronic diseases (cardiovascular, obesity, cancer or diabetes, among others). The role of diet in health is unquestionable.

The latest research focuses on the adequate intake of antioxidants like vitamins A, E and C, selenium and polyphenols. In this study argues for inclusion in the diet of foods rich in antioxidants, more abundant in brightly colored vegetables (citrus, grapes, peaches and apricots, purple plums, nuts, tomatoes, red peppers, squash, beet and carrot). Getting used to bring lunch, snack and even cooked food from home still a healthy habit and convenient if the food supply at work is not adequate.

These dietary advice to help make the first move individually, but not always possible to follow and, as usual, not every day Monday through Friday. This means that the food at work is a shared responsibility and that the same company should be proactive in implementing nutrition programs key objectives: to facilitate access to healthy food to workers and promote unhealthy behavior change as the alcohol consumption, smoking and physical inactivity.

From the International Labor Organization (ILO, in its English acronym) encourages companies to implement various health actions. These include:

- Daily menus in canteens including better quality food (fresh food like fruits, vegetables, fish or salads).

- Healthier Options at subsidized prices.

- Regulation of the contents of vending food and beverages in the workplace. Promoting healthy choices like fruit juices, nuts, vegetables and sandwiches, plus water. And fruit.

- Food vouchers for workers in restaurants that offer more balanced menus.

- Offer free fruit.

A national and international institutions and some private companies have launched initiatives to promote healthy health food and physical activity at work.