Employee Nutrition & Productivity

How much are your employees’ nutrition habits costing your organization?

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We often associate bad nutrition habits with increased employer health benefit costs that result from obesity-related disease and illness.

There is plenty of research that confirms poor nutrition is one of the top four health risk behaviors that lead to chronic disease and obesity [1]. But did you know that your employees’ nutrition habits cost an organization a lot more than just the cost of its employee benefits?

REDUCED PRODUCTIVITY

Studies have shown that bad nutrition and eating habits increase the risk of reduced productivity by 66%. Conversely, studies show that productivity increases by at least 2% and up to 20% when employees make healthier food choices and develop sound eating habits [1].

RIGHT FUEL OR WRONG

Food is the fuel that powers us throughout the day; when our bodies are fueled with the right nutrients, our brains function optimally, and our cognitive function increases, as does our concentration, energy, and mood [2]. It’s no wonder then that nutrition plays a huge role in a person’s productivity, energy, and mental state.

Have you ever felt like you can’t concentrate when you're really hungry?

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?

When our bodies break down food (digestion), a lot of our food is converted to glucose, which provides the fuel our brains need to stay alert and focused [2]. When we are running too low or too high on glucose, it physically affects the way our brains operate and actually reduces our brain power. These are the physical effects on our brains of the food we have (or have not) consumed. When we adopt good eating habits, we are fueling our brain to work at its highest potential.

MIND & EMOTIONS

Not only is our brain function affected by our eating habits, but so is our mental and emotional state. Our gut is responsible for producing about 95 percent of the serotonin in our body [3].

Serotonin is the hormone that affects our mood and is often known as the “feel good” hormone. So not surprisingly, poor nutrition also increases feelings of fatigue, lowers our mood, increases irritability, lowers energy levels, and heightens both stress and depression [4].

EFFECTS ON CULTURE

Poor nutrition isn’t only costing your organization in productivity; it also costs you in the areas of corporate culture, workplace relationships, and employee morale.

Have you ever considered how much your employees’ nutrition habits might be impacting your organization?

When we eat the right foods, we feel better overall, our energy remains constant throughout the day, and our mood is improved, all of which positively affect organizations in the key areas of reduced absenteeism, an enhanced culture, as well as reduced costs of employer benefits.

Sources

1. Gonzalez, R. (n.d.). Employee Nutrition - The Biting Impact on Your Bottom Line. Retrieved from Corporate Wellness Magazine: https://www.corporatewellnessmagazine.com/article/the-biting-impact-of-employee-food-choices-on-your-bottom-line-2#:~:text=Nutrition%20also%20has%20an%20effect,than%20annual%20health%20care%20expenses

2. Friedman, R. (2014, October 17). What You Eat Affects Your Productivity. Retrieved from Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2014/10/what-you-eat-affects-your-productivity

3. Carpenter, D. S. (2012, September). That gut feeling. Retrieved from American Psychological Association: https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/09/gut-feeling#:~:text=Gut%20bacteria%20also%20produce%20hundreds,both%20mood%20and%20GI%20activity

4. Dickinson, D. (2020, August 20). The Link Between Nutrition and Productivity in the Workplace. Retrieved from LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/link-between-nutrition-productivity-workplace-dave-dickinson-1f/