Nutrition Know-how. Do your employees really know how to eat well?

If your employees are like most Americans, they probably think they eat better than they actually do. A recent survey by Consumer Reports showed that 90 percent of Americans think their diet is healthy, yet according to a recent Centers for Disease Control report, less than one-third of Americans manage to consume even two servings of fruits and vegetables per day! The goal is 5-9 servings each day!


Do your employees claim to know everything they need to know about nutrition? Have them take the Consumer Reports quiz. If they do alright on that one, have them try this one from Center for Science in the Public Interest so they can rate their own diet.  If your employees are interested in nutrition, try a few of these ideas from some of our clients:
- Set up a pot-luck healthy lunch
- Organize a "Salad Spinner" where each employee chooses a different salad ingredient to bring in (i.e. baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas, etc.)
- Invite a Registered Dietitian to present a "Super Foods" or "Diet Myths and Facts" seminar 
- Offer  the "Nutrition Price Is Right" or "Nutrition Jeopardy" game in your cafeteria
- Incorporate some healthy resources and links in your newsletters and on your intranet site
- Evaluate your cafeteria, vending and meeting options


Good luck! As a Registered Dietitian, this topic is near and dear to me. Let me know what you do to promote nutrition at your workplace.