As part of our corporate wellness program, I spend a few hours on Thursday afternoons talking with our employees about health and fitness.
A trip around the office with my healthy snack cart is always a welcomed sight as the afternoon munchies hit. A 3PM break from staring at the computer screen or running from meeting to meeting is also an important benefit for our employees, and one that I hope is being carried out on the other days of the week, when I am not physically present to force the break.
How does the healthy snack cart work? I have a monthly calendar of snack ideas – both ones that I come up with and ones that are recommended to me from merchants or other employees. The snacks are all healthy! Meaning: I aim for under 200 calories, low sodium and filled with healthy fats and fiber. I also always aim to give out gluten-free and vegetarian foods, so that the majority of the employee population can partake in snack time. The logistics will depend on your office setup, but I acquire 300 units for our office and walk around personally. You could do this in many different ways, but our employees enjoy the opportunity to ask me personal questions about their health.
So… what do we get to eat? I aim to do 1-2 produce items and 1-2 snack items / month. In January that meant Supernova Tangerines, Just FreshDirect Popcorn (pictured), Organic Valley String Cheese and Crunchsters. I’d say the most popular in that group was the Crunchsters – a satisfying, slightly salty, crunchy treat.
What was the most popular ever? Hands down, the avocado! I had an avocado company provide avocado cutters and people loved it! (Yes, this happened to be on Twinning Thursday). They used their avocado cutting tool to slice them open and spoon them directly, or saved them for their salads or avocado toast for later that night.
How can you start a healthy snack routine in your office? Well, lucky for you, we just launched our Nutritionist’s Snack Pick item through our At the Office business. Subscribe to the “pick” and you will receive 10 servings of the “snack of the week”, curated by me! You’ll be treating your employees and colleagues to the same snack we’re having on site here at our offices! And how you disperse the snacks is up to you, but making it a fun break from the day is always a great way to build culture and reap the benefits of a much awaited hiatus from the grind.
