Healthy Snacks at Work - Healthy Workplace - Peel Public Health

Healthy Snacks at Work

Take a moment to look around your workplace and you may notice:

Vending machines packed with choices high in calories, fat, sugar, & salt
Muffins and pastries left over from a meeting or event
Cafeterias displaying chocolate bars and chips at the point of purchase
…and not surprisingly… expanding waistlines

Healthy snacking can be a challenge when you’re at the mercy of the choices at your workplace. Not to mention, many employees don’t have the time to have a snack during their workday. But when we eat healthy, we have more energy, are less prone to stress, and can be more productive at work. With a little planning, snacks can be part of a healthy eating pattern and a busy work day.

Healthy Eating can Benefit your Workplace

Addressing healthy eating within your workplace can lead to several benefits (PDF, 18-20 of 114) including:

Reduced absenteeism and sick time
Reduced medical costs
Increased productivity
Improved employee health and wellness

Promote Healthy Snacks in the Workplace

Here are some ways to make healthy snacks a part of your workplace:

Book a lunch and learn on healthy eating.
Add more healthy choices to your vending machines.
Provide healthy food choices at meetings and events.
Create and implement a workplace healthy eating policy.
Host a health fair with some healthy eating displays.
Form a wellness committee to promote healthy eating in the workplace.
Book a healthy eating consultation with a registered dietitian.
Invite employees to participate in a healthy recipe contest or a raffle using the Simply Great Food Cookbook as a prize.
Display healthy eating fact sheets, brochures or booklets on a bulletin board or pamphlet holder near your lunchroom or cafeteria.

Plan for Healthy Snacks at Work

Look for healthy snacks that will satisfy your cravings and are lower in fat, sugar and salt. Stock up your desk or workbag with healthy options or approach your employer/vendor about offering better choices at your workplace.

Are you craving…

Something sweet?

Something crunchy?

Something to drink?

Try:

Low fat yogurt or frozen yogurt
Fresh, canned or dried fruit
Low fat chocolate milk
Whole grain cereal bars (uncoated)

Try:

Rice cakes or melba toast
Baked chips
Whole grain crackers & Low fat cheese
Veggie sticks with low fat dip
Air-popped popcorn
Trail mix or unsalted nuts & seeds

Try:

Water
Low fat milk
Low fat smoothie with real fruit
100% fruit or vegetable juice (in limited amounts)

Want more snacking ideas? Visit Healthy Eating for Busy People.

Facts & Stats

Data collected in 2007 from 3,350 workers in Peel region:
- 54% were overweight or obese
- 15% ate high fat snacks on 3 or more days per week
- 71% ate less than 5 vegetables and fruit per day
- 75% were interested in improving their diet
Snacks consumed between meals, account for more calories than breakfast, and about the same number of calories as lunch.
Canadians get more than one-fifth of their calories from snacks falling outside of Canada’s Food Guide’s four major food groups.
Unhealthy weight gain can put an individual at greater risk for chronic diseases such as obesity, non-insulin dependent diabetes and heart disease (PDF, 27 of 122)
Obesity has been found to result in significant increases in both absenteeism and medical expenditures among full-time employees (Finkelstein et al., 2005).

Additional Resources