Is Your Workplace Working For or Against Your Eating Habits?

While I do believe in individual responsibility, we’re influenced by our surroundings. Most of us spend a lot of our time at work. If you want to eat healthy, it’s worth taking a look at whether your workplace is stacking the odds for or against you. And then doing something to change it.

Because let’s face it, when we’re constantly in meetings with junky food, and everyone eats fast-food at their desks for lunch, it’s really difficult to eat well. You and your salad in a jar stick out like a sore thumb.

I’ve influenced change in a number workplaces. I’ve learned how to make change without everyone hating you for being “the food police”. The best way that I’ve learned is to simply bring healthy, delicious food. As Ghandi so famously said: “Be the change you want to see in the world”.

What you want to stay away from is offering unsolicited feedback on what others are eating. Or, to ban unhealthy foods. My experience has been that people see this as an attack and they just dig in deeper into their unhealthy ways.

Here are some simple ways to change your work environment:
Bring healthy food to meetings and potlucks. My go-to foods are fresh fruit, raw veggies (what did you receive in your box this week that you could bring?), and raw nuts (if it’s not a nut-free workplace).

Have a bowl of fresh fruit on your desk instead of candies.

Start a b.y.o. lunch group. Gather in the lunchroom/ a meeting room to eat your lunches together. This will remove the temptation to mindlessly eat at your desk. And, it motivates you to pack a lunch (instead of hitting the fast-food joint).

Start a lunchtime walking group. Okay, this isn’t going to affect your eating habits. But getting some fresh air and movement in is healthy too.

If ordering food for long meetings, order a variety of herbal (non-caffeinated) teas. Place pitchers of water on the table, maybe even add some fruit or cucumber for flavor and visual interest.

I admit, when giant refined-flour muffins and those poor-quality squares are the office norm, I’ve been nervous to bring my healthy alternatives. But it never fails that people dig in to what I bring. And, almost always someone catches me later on and thanks me for bringing healthy alternatives.

People want to eat healthy. They just don’t want to do extra work, eat anything that tastes awful, or be scolded for their current eating habits.

Make a little effort and you can change your work environment to support your (and your co-workers) healthy eating habits.

** I’m proud to be a registered dietitian. March is #NutritionMonth – when dietitians across North America share our love of healthy eating! This article is inspired by the Dietitians of Canada's Nutrition Month Campaign Materials. Find more information about Nutrition Month at www.nutritionmonth2015.ca. **

For ideas of how to change what you’re eating, check out my free resource: How to Eat Healthy to Boost Your Energy: 10 Steps that Even Healthy Eaters Miss at www.KristenYarker.com/womens-nutrition (Guys: head over to www.KristenYarker.com/mens-nutrition)

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Preventing Commuter Cravings

Did you know that at the end of a busy work day, people’s food choices tend to be more impulsive, falling for unhealthy choices at vending machines and coffee shops during the commute home.

What’s your best way to prevent falling for these traps? As the Boy Scouts apparently say: “Always be prepared!”

Here’s the steps to being prepared:

Step #1: Don’t Go Too Long Between Meals and Snacks

When our blood sugar drops, we’re driven by our bodies towards high fat, high sugar, and high salt foods. Did you skip lunch and now you find yourself in the fast food restaurant on the way home from work? It’s because of a biological drive – not a lack of willpower. Don’t try to work against Mother Nature; you won’t succeed. Instead, eat when you’re just starting to get hungry. For most people this is approximately every 4 hours. Now this doesn’t mean all-day grazing. Plan and eat a healthy afternoon snack to prevent the lure of the vending machine.

Step #2: Pack Healthy Choices

As I mentioned in Step #1, eat a healthy afternoon snack when you’re just starting to get hungry. This means that you need to pack a healthy snack ahead of time. I pack something daily. And, I keep some healthy options on hand. That way on days that either I forgot to pack a snack (hey, no-one’s perfect) or days when I’m not in the mood for what I packed, I have a back-up healthy snack at the office. These can also be kept in the car for all you road-warriors. I was married to one for years so I know you too J

Some healthy snack ideas include:

·      Nuts and seeds (as long as your workplace isn't nut-free).
·      Dried fruit.
·      Fresh fruit. Apples keep well.
·      Energy bars. Look for ones with recognizable food ingredients.
·      Whole grain flatbread, such as Ryvita.
·      Unsweetened fruit purees. Applesauce and other fruit mixtures come in sealed plastic cups. I also know many adults who use the squeezie packs of organic baby fruit & veggie purees (you can even find ones with awesome whole grains like quinoa).
·      Individual tetra packs of milk or plant-based milk alternatives.

Step #3: Fill Your Water Bottle

Often it’s thirst, not hunger, that sends us into the coffee shop or to the vending machine. Even if you only buy a water (and not a drink containing sugar, artificial sweeteners, or caffeine), just going to the vending machine/coffee shop means that you’ll be facing tempting treats. Instead, fill a reusable water bottle before you head out the door. Voila – temptation avoided!

** I’m proud to be a registered dietitian. March is #NutritionMonth – when dietitians across North America share our love of healthy eating! This article is inspired by the Dietitians of Canada's Nutrition Month Campaign Materials. Find more information about Nutrition Month at www.nutritionmonth2015.ca. **

For ideas of how to change what you’re eating, check out my free resource: How to Eat Healthy to Boost Your Energy: 10 Steps that Even Healthy Eaters Miss at www.KristenYarker.com/womens-nutrition (Guys: head over to www.KristenYarker.com/mens-nutrition)

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Rushed Mornings? Overnight Oatmeal to the Rescue!

I’m sure that it’s not news to you that it’s important to eat breakfast. Everyone knows that – right? So why do almost 40% of Canadians regularly skip breakfast?

Time crunch. Rushed mornings.

What if I told you that you could eat a delicious breakfast made of real foods, without having to do a single thing in the morning?

Would that help you eat breakfast?

The solution: overnight oatmeal.

It’s so easy that you won’t believe it. I certainly was thinking “Where have you been all my life?” when I tried them for the first time this Fall. I’ve been eating them almost every morning since, mixing and matching the toppings! In fact, I’m writing this at 10pm and there are oats in my fridge, ready for tomorrow morning.

Here’s how to make your own overnight oats:

Oats:

• Combine equal parts rolled or steel cut oats with yogurt and milk (or plant-based milk alternative) in a bowl or the container that you’ll take this in to go (I carry mine with me in a mason jar). A generous adult serving is 1/3 cup oats, 1/3 cup yogurt, 1/3 cup milk. For kids, start with 1/4 cup of each ingredient and adjust from there depending on your child’s appetite.

Protein:

• Choose a protein that you like. Examples include hemp hearts (my personal favourite), chia seeds, chopped or sliced nuts, nut butter, pumpkin seeds. Add it to the oat mixture.

Fruit:
Choose a fruit that you like. What came in your Box this week? Examples include: chopped apples or applesauce, fresh or frozen berries, mango, melon, pomegranate, pumpkin puree, or dried fruits like raisins or chopped apricots. Add fruit to the oat mixture.

Refrigerate:
As the name of this dish suggests, prepare everything the night before. Place it in the fridge. The next morning, give it a stir and enjoy!

** I’m proud to be a registered dietitian. March is #NutritionMonth – when dietitians across North America share our love of healthy eating! This article is inspired by the Dietitians of Canada's Nutrition Month Campaign Materials. Find more information about Nutrition Month at www.nutritionmonth2015.ca. **

For ideas of how to change what you’re eating, check out my free resource: How to Eat Healthy to Boost Your Energy: 10 Steps that Even Healthy Eaters Miss at www.KristenYarker.com/womens-nutrition (Guys: head over to www.KristenYarker.com/mens-nutrition) 

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www.Facebook.com/KristenYarkerNutrition

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1 Step to Taker Before You Change a Single Thing You Eat

Food is fuel for our body. But it is also so much more! Food is an expression of love. Food is an expression of culture. Food is a source of pleasure.

In my opinion, one of the main reasons why “healthy” diet overhauls don’t work long-term is that they deny the breadth of the roles that food plays in our lives. And, they foster shame when we choose food for it’s pleasure, love, and cultural meaning.

Another way that we constantly deny ourselves the pleasure of food is not paying attention when we’re eating. It’s no wonder that over-eating is common when we almost never eat without also multi-tasking. How is our body supposed to register the pleasure from food when we eat while driving, while working at our desk, while we watch TV?

Taking note of what gives us pleasure, and taking the time to enjoy pleasure, is vital to our happiness. Food is no exception.

I find it very interesting that overweight and obesity are on the rise in France at the same time as they’re adopting the North American habit of eating on the run. While the research isn’t strong enough yet to determine a cause and effect relationship, I can’t help but wonder it if can really be a coincidence.

The first step to healthy eating is to stop mindless eating. Stop and enjoy your food.
Only after taking this first step, are you ready to make changes to what you’re eating (if you want long-term healthy eating habits).

For ideas of how to change what you’re eating, check out my free resource: How to Eat Healthy to Boost Your Energy: 10 Steps that Even Healthy Eaters Miss at www.KristenYarker.com/womens-nutrition (Guys: head over to www.KristenYarker.com/mens-nutrition) 
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www.Facebook.com/KristenYarkerNutrition
Twitter: @KristenYarker
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