This is a message to leaders, supervisors, managers, head honchos and the like who have a workplace where food is brought in either by caterers, restaurants, or employees themselves.
Right off the bat, I’m not suggesting you prohibit donut days, the monthly employee birthday cake celebration, or start any hardcore food rules in the workplace that interfere with the people’s right to choose how to live their lives.
However, I do want to spread a message for inspiring change and to encourage you to serve as a “food role model” in your office environment.
There’s no question that one’s food choices and patterns can make a difference in:
ability to concentrate
mood
energy level
weight management
risk for disease onset
management of current medical conditions or disease states (progression of disease, medical/medication expenses, medical procedures, etc.)
You may not have connected the dots, but all of the above can and does affect the productivity of your team. And you, as a leader.
Hey, I know it’s not all about the bottom line, productivity, and financials (thank you to Simon Sinek). Food certainly is a connector, a way to build and maintain our social connectedness. In the simple words of Monika Jiang, “Good food is valuable, important and, in particular: it creates a feeling of unity and belonging.”
So, what would happen if you made steps towards changing the food culture in your workplace environment? YOU. The leader. Could it change your team’s energy to put towards creativity and efficiency? What about a heightened sense of togetherness and of feeling valued? What about the potential to improve the health of your team, for the short- and long-term?
It all sounds pretty good to me. And the cool thing is doesn’t require weirdo office food rules or kale eating contests. It can happen with small changes that are fun, supportive, and best of all, tasty.
More on this topic to come. In the meantime, if you’re motivated to make change, kudos to you. Contact the Nutrition Mechanic and let’s do this.
-Dina
The Nutrition Mechanic