Why eating well is important

Eating well is good for employees and good for business

Why bother with healthy eating?

Food is a basic necessity.

Your body needs nutrients in order to perform its daily functions and stay healthy.

These nutrients come from the food and drink you consume.

No single food can provide all the nutrients that the body needs, so it's important to have a varied and well-balanced diet.

We should try to eat:

• plenty of fruit and vegetables
• plenty of bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods – choose wholegrain varieties whenever you can
• some milk and dairy foods
• some meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein
• just a small amount of foods and drinks high in fat and/or sugar.

Curious if there are any local workplaces
running an eating well at work programme?

Why bother with healthy eating at work?

We consume at least a third of our daily calorie intake while at work. What we eat and drink affects not just our health but our work performance too.

If we don't eat regular well-balanced meals or drink enough water, we may get headaches, feel sluggish or have difficulty concentrating.

Employers have a legal duty to provide clean drinking water and eating facilities.

Improving access to healthier food and drinks at work will help individuals to maintain a well-balanced diet.

A healthy workforce is more alert and productive – so both employers and employees will reap the benefits!

Find out more about the benefits of eating well for employers

Find out more about the benefits of eating well for employees

Check out the free Workplace Wellbeing Tool to improve the health and well-being of your employees.

Need support?

Ask our Health at Work team for advice. Send an email to healthatwork@bhf.org.uk or telephone 0300 330 3311.