Healthy vending machines

In San Diego, the vending machine company, YoNaturals, is enjoying success in businesses and schools. They sell alternative foods in vending machines that promote a healthier lifestyle. Instead of Mtn. Dew, Coke, and Cheetos, people will find soy and veggie chips, protein bars, nutrition bars, juices, and teas. The healthy vending machine snacks have been well-received in San Diego and it has spread across California and other states as well. The rise in childhood obesity has sparked several schools to pull unhealthy snacks from their vending machines and replace them with nutritious ones. This is also true with employers that are finding their overweight employees are actually costing them more money in lost-production costs, sick leave, and medical insurance.

If you don't want to pay YoNaturals to come and install their vending machines, you may consider changing the food in your company-owned vending machines. Instead of offering regular soda, switch to diet soda. Most diet drinks taste relatively close to the regular soda without the extra 170 calories. The extra sugar people consume in soda will actually go straight to their waistline and give them a nice looking "beer gut". This is called adipose fat and it is extremely dangerous. It causes heart disease, diabetes, and an increased risk of cancer, not to mention a handful of other health problems.

Dried fruits are a great alternative to potato chips and other snacks. Several companies even offer meat snacks and soy snacks. These healthier alternatives will reduce the weight gain in the office (if consumed in moderation). By taking away the unhealthy snacks, you will reduce the risk of consuming them for all of your staff members. This can be extremely beneficial to employees that are just starting a diet and don't have the willpower to resist the vending machines. Trail mixes and energy bars are another healthy snack alternative you can offer. They both provide extra energy to your employees and they can be eaten throughout the entire workday.

You might also consider adding some nuts to your vending machine. Nuts contain a lot of protein and they are a great energy-booster. If you do sell nuts, make sure the packets don't contain more than one serving size. Nuts are loaded with calories and it can be easy to consume more than one handful. There are tons of low-carb snacks you can start selling in your vending machine. If you have staff members on a low-carb diet, you will do them a huge favor to sell these items.

Instead of selling energy drinks and sodas, offer juice and milk to your employees. Keep an eye on the expiration dates as they do tend to expire faster than other beverages. Even offering bottled water can really help your employees cut down on excess weight. Water does more than just cut down some extra pounds, it replenishes the body and it helps to keep the kidneys and other vital organs functioning properly.

When you have staff meetings, bring some fruit and vegetable trays over doughnuts. Try bringing in some meat and cheese trays and allow staff members to make their own finger-sized sandwiches for lunch or for snacking. Eating a small amount of cheese and meat in the middle of the day can boost your protein intake and it will help to increase concentration and focus on your work.

If you do bring cookies into the office, make sure they are sugar-free. Oatmeal raisin cookies are tasteful and they don't contain a lot of excess sugar and calories that will cause your staff to start getting chunky. There are hundreds of healthy foods out there that can be sold in vending machines and you can find them at Costco and Sam's Club.