Posted by
Sara on
Thursday, May 22nd, 2014 with
5 Comments
Workplace wellness programs are a true win-win: when done right, employees get healthier, which translates to lower health care costs and a more productive workforce for employers. Even morale and engagement can improve, as employees who feel like their companies care about and support their well-being may find greater meaning in their work. Of course, partaking in wellness-related perks, like healthy office meals, complimentary or reduced-price gym memberships, and even free flu shots, don’t hurt either.
So why is it so tough to get a majority of employees to participate in workplace wellness programs? Really, for all the same reasons it’s tough for any of us to get healthy when we know it’s good for us… it’s just plain hard to start a new habit (or break an old one).
Make it easy for employees to access healthy office meals.
Image source: Flickr user Lachlan Hardy
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Sara on
Wednesday, May 21st, 2014 with
Comments Off on Admin Assistance: From Snacks to Whole Grains, How to Plan Diabetic-Friendly Office Meals Comments
It’s the sad truth that by now, more than eight percent — almost one in ten — Americans are diabetic… and 35 percent of us have a concerning condition called prediabetes, with elevated blood glucose levels that greatly increases the risk of developing full-blown diabetes within the next decade.
Admin assistants can help plan diabetic-friendly office meals.
Image source: Flickr user Nate Grigg
So chances are, you have a diabetic or two in your office: a coworker who is trying to balance their diet and their insulin levels, and oftentimes their weight to maintain the healthiest lifestyle they can, all while navigating the office meals and business lunches that can undermine their best efforts. And it’s easy — so easy — to lend them a helping hand. Arranging workplace meals and lunches that are friendly to the diabetic lifestyle doesn’t mean serving a bowl of sugar-free candy and apologizing to everyone else. A few thoughtful choices and small extra steps can make office meals much more amenable to a diabetic diet.
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Sara on
Tuesday, May 20th, 2014 with
Comments Off on The Low-Fat Trap and Add-In Overload: 7 Mistakes Even Healthy Eaters Make at the Corporate Catering Table Comments
Nothing’s better than showing up to a meeting and spotting a great corporate catering spread. Yogurt and bagels for breakfast, a big salad bar for lunch, plentiful snacks and beverages throughout the day — it’s a healthy eater’s dream. Right?
Not all catering table pitfalls are this easy to avoid!
Image source: Flickr user mac morrison
Not so fast. Even the best intentions can be waylaid by a few small choices that add up to an unhealthy day of eating at work. Whether it’s a simple lunch meeting or a structured all-day training session, here are the seven mistakes that even healthy eaters make at the corporate catering table:
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Posted by
Sara on
Monday, May 19th, 2014 with
8 Comments
If you’re looking for a flavorful and creative cuisine to serve at your next business lunch, think Japanese — but this time, leave the raw fish out of it.
While sushi makes for a delicious lunch at the office, and is certainly the most famous kind of Japanese takeout food, there’s a wide range of other items that make excellent fare for meetings or a more formal business lunch. Like with any new cuisine, it can be tricky to know where to start, so here’s our primer for some of the most popular (and tastiest) items to consider for your first foray into the beyond-sushi world of Japanese cuisine!
Ramen is perhaps the best-known Japanese food outside of sushi, but it’s an incredibly diverse dish.
Image source: Flickr user xxHxx
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Sara on
Friday, May 16th, 2014 with
Comments Off on Hold the Mayo and Start with Soup: 10 Easy Swaps to Cut 200 Calories from the Next Lunch Meeting Comments
Eating healthy at work is hard enough when you have total control over what you order or bring for lunch each day. But when you’re stuck in a lengthy conference or headed to a pre-planned lunch meeting, it can be hard to know just how to stay satisfied and be social without wrecking your diet goals.
Rather than stressing about not being able to stick to your usual plan, just think about the healthiest choices you can make in the moment. We’ve put together a few surefire ways to cut 200 calories — and occasionally much more — from some of the most popular lunch meeting options you’re likely to come across. Whether you’re filling your plate at a catering table, grabbing a box lunch from a pile, or picking your own takeout meal as part of a group order, here are ten easy swaps to make your lunch a little lighter:
With a few tricks in mind, you can choose a healthier lunch even when you have limited control.
Image source: Flickr user Calvert Cafe
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Posted by
Sara on
Thursday, May 15th, 2014 with
5 Comments
Why are so many offices stuck in a pizza-and-Chinese-takeout rut? Partly because those two cuisines are delicious, but partly because they’re familiar crowd-pleasers: chances are, even the least adventurous eater in the office grew up eating pizza and Chinese food. And while it can be awkward to ask your coworker who always orders plain cheese pizza or sweet and sour chicken to try something new, it can also be incredibly rewarding.
Liven up your office lunch routine with Korean food delivery.
Image source: Flickr user Quinn Dombrowski
For companies that believe sharing meals can bolster teamwork and morale in the workplace, there’s something really special about gathering your coworkers around the lunch table to try a new cuisine together. Korean food is the perfect example. It’s at least vaguely familiar (mostly thanks to the now-ubiquitous Korean taco trucks in many cities), but since most of us didn’t grow up eating the cuisine, Korean dishes can lend an adventurous vibe to an otherwise typical workday lunch shared with colleagues.
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Sara on
Wednesday, May 14th, 2014 with
Comments Off on Admin Assistance: Summer Soups to Take Your Food Delivery Order Up a Notch Comments
When you’re a busy admin in charge of ordering group food delivery orders for the office, it can get tricky keeping things fresh and engaging. Especially when planning a business lunch for clients or arranging a special employee appreciation meal, it’s important to serve food that feels a little out of the ordinary — which means it’s time to think beyond predictable choices like pizzas, burritos, and box lunches.
Chilled melon soup is an incredibly refreshing and healthy start to lunch.
Image source: Flickr user cyclonebill
One way to liven up the lunch table and grab the attention of the guests of honor is to start the occasion with a summery soup. Chilled soups are refreshing, delicious, and most importantly, unexpected — the perfect way to set the tone that this lunch is something special!
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Posted by
Sara on
Tuesday, May 13th, 2014 with
2 Comments
Are you on the lookout for ways to celebrate your employees? Promote wellness in the workplace? Make your office a greener, more earth-friendly place? Then heads up: Friday is National Bike to Work Day, the culmination of a monthlong effort to promote two-wheeled commutes, and the perfect occasion for your next employee appreciation breakfast!
Celebrate National Bike to Work Day with a healthy office breakfast!
Image source: Flickr user Richard Masoner
The entire month of May is National Bike Month, this week (May 12-16) is National Bike to Work Week, and Friday is National Bike to Work Day. Not only does biking cut back on harmful emissions and help the environment, but it’s a wonderful way to create a culture of wellness in the workplace and promote biking as a positive physical activity that can help employees stay healthy (while boosting productivity and reducing health care costs).
If your office is in an urban, bike-friendly community, there’s no reason not to join the thousands of Americans who are participating in this year’s big event — and we have some tips on how to make sure your company’s Bike to Work Day celebration is the best in town!
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Posted by
Sara on
Monday, May 12th, 2014 with
Comments Off on Take a Cue from New York’s State Snack Saga: Official Foods to Inspire Office Meals Comments
It sounds like a dream come true for writers at The Daily Show: the New York state senate recently made ridiculous headlines for debating about whether to endorse yogurt as the official state snack. And while Jon Stewart and company took advantage of the opportunity to poke fun at lawmakers’ priorities (although certain questions from lower-ranking senators, such as whether the proclamation would offend lactose intolerant New Yorkers, were actually intended to be subversive), it made a lot of Americans pause and ask, “Wait — we have official state snacks? What’s mine?!”
Hometown pride is prompting New York to name yogurt its official state snack.
Image source: Flickr user Rich Roberts
It turns out that only four other states have designated specific snacks, but there are official state foods, state drinks, state pies, state berries — seemingly, any example of local agriculture (like New York’s dairy farms) can warrant inclusion. And while spending valuable taxpayer time debating the merits of yogurt as a state snack may seem wasteful, there’s no denying that locally-sourced food is important to many Americans… after all, it was one of the most frequently-predicted food trends of 2014.
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Posted by
Sara on
Friday, May 9th, 2014 with
2 Comments
With Mother’s Day just around the corner and visions of flowers and brunches dancing in our heads, it’s also important to remember the other role many mothers fill: a professional one. And despite all the discussions about leaning in and having it all, a lot of recent research shows that what working moms want the most is flexibility.
Working moms appreciate flexible policies that permit them to spend more time with younger children.
Image source: Flickr user U.S. Army
Flex time and telecommuting are growing trends for good reason. Employees who find a better work-life balance tend to be less stressed and more satisfied, which translates into higher levels of productivity and lower turnover for their employers. If your company wants to support working moms (and dads, of course) with more family-friendly policies, here are a few ways to start:
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