Creating a healthier work break room

Your office break room is where you and your employees go to relax, have a snack, or prepare their lunch. But the break room can be filled with unhealthy food choices that make it difficult to stay fit, healthy, and trim.

Why does it matter if your employees are healthy? Healthier employees have a great effect on your business overall than their unhealthier coworkers. When your employees are fit and healthy, they take less sick days, have higher productivity and better quality of work, and lowered insurance costs.

You can create a healthier work break room, and healthier employees, with a few of the following tips:

• Keep a refrigerator in your break room. A refrigerator is one way you can help your employees have a healthier work break room. This way, employees have a way to store their own lunch they bring from home. This discourages going out and getting fast food, which is unhealthy. A healthy break room should have a refrigerator for storing healthy snacks as well, such as fruits and vegetables.
• Do away with soda vending machines. One serving of soda has over 40 grams of sugar-more than most people should be getting in a day. Instead of putting a vending machine with soda in your break room, consider replacing it with a water cooler or filter, which is much healthier than sugary, fattening sodas.
• Stock your vending machine with healthy things. The majority of vending machines are jammed with chips, candy bars, bags of cookies, and other unhealthy treats. This does not make for a healthy work break room. Instead of vending machines with fattening treats, consider healthier options. There are companies that supply healthy options for their vending machines, which include options such as dry cereal and fruit, granola or fiber bars, dried almonds and other healthy nuts, and other healthier options.
• Get rid of your candy bowl. Many office break rooms have candy bowls for their employees. While this is a nice treat, it does not make for a very healthy break room. So instead of a candy bowl, replace it with a fruit bowl or other healthy snack bowl. Put apples, oranges, or other seasonal fruits in.
• Supply healthy options. If getting rid of the candy or the vending machines will cause a revolt in your company, then at least consider supplying healthier options. A membership to Costco or Sam's Club will allow you to purchase healthier snacks like fiber or low sugar granola bars, carrot sticks and low fat dip, almonds, or low calorie animal crackers, just to name a few. This is a good option because it allows the people who do want to snack healthy the opportunity to do so.
• Encourage healthy eating. Employees will be more encouraged to eat healthier if they are encouraged to do so and know the benefits of a healthy diet. Kick off your healthier break room with a class or seminar on healthy eating and weight loss. This can be motivational to employees who are having trouble giving up their sweets.

A healthier work break room means healthier employees. When your employees are healthy, they are more likely to be more productive, alert, and satisfied with their jobs. These are just a few things you can do to create a healthier work break room.