March Is Nutrition Awareness Month

healthy food on platter and chopping board

In order to maximize your MOOD as it relates to PRODUCTIVITY, it is vital to be ready and plan by eating the right foods and plan to be active.  Paying attention to what and how much you eat and drink can help you stay alert and perform your best on the job.

PLAN: Make a menu plan for the week. Try choosing foods and snacks that are nutritious that are low in fat, sugar and salt.

HINT: use a menu planner app on your phone or computer to simplify your recipes and grocery shopping 

  • freeze leftover cooked ingredients like vegetables, rice, pasta, chicken and beans to use at a later date.


PREPARE:
Meals and snacks should be made at home to help you eat well on your shift. Make meals at home in large batches and freeze the leftovers to take to work.  
HINT: use microwaveable dishwasher safe containers, thermos for hot foods and re-usable ice packs to keep food fresh

  • to save time on food preparation, use leftover ingredients to make a whole new meal


PORTIONS:
Smaller snacks versus a larger meal during a night shift to avoid becoming too sleepy and help you stay alert.   
HINT: pack using smaller containers and snack baggies enough for one portion

  • try different snack combinations with what you have at home

Healthy meal and snack ideas during the COVID-19 pandemic:

During the COVID-19 pandemic, your food options at home may be limited. Get creative with the items you have at home for meals, snacks and leftovers.

Adjusting recipes

Use ingredients you already have at home or change a recipe to use ingredients that are on sale. For example:

  • If a pasta sauce calls for fresh tomatoes, but all you have are canned diced tomatoes, use the canned tomatoes instead.
  • If a recipe calls for chicken, and you already have canned tuna at home, try the recipe using canned tuna.
  • If you usually use noodles for a stir-fry, but don’t have any at home, try using brown rice, quinoa or bulgur instead.
  • If a recipe calls for fresh fruits, and you have frozen fruits, use the frozen fruits instead.
  • If you usually add diced chicken to your salad, but want to save it for another day, try using canned chickpeas or beans instead.
  • If a taco recipe calls for lean ground beef, but you have frozen shrimp at home, try the recipe using shrimp instead.

For more information:
https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/healthy-eating/covid-19.html

Colourful, nutritious food

Do you work various shifts? 

Shift work leads to different eating patterns outside of regular working hours. Important factors employees should consider when choosing their food are ensuring maximum nutritional benefit, mood stabilization, health, productivity, sleep cycles and safety.  Our poster “Shift Work Nutrition” talks about when shift-workers should eat on shift and what shift-workers eat during different shifts. Download it to share with your team or print it for your staff lunchrooms!

PLUS: The following service is FREE, has numerous articles and resources, and can answer your nutrition and healthy eating questions:  https://www.eatrightontario.ca

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