Eat Better, Work Better

A pilot scheme to help people eat more healthily during the working day is to be rolled out more widely – after three-quarters of staff taking part said they had more energy, higher concentration levels and a better sleep at night as a result.

Businesses from Derby, Nottingham and Leicester were the first in the country to try the specialist sessions from Let’s Get Cooking, the national provider of healthy cooking training, resources and support.  

Staff from British Gas, Derby City Hospital and Nottingham County Football Club tested the sessions, which included practical cooking and tips for making better choices for breakfast, lunches and snacks during the working day. Evaluation of the small-scale pilot shows that:  

· Three-quarters of staff were choosing healthier foods more often, even three months after the end of the sessions

· More staff made time to eat breakfast, and were generally eating a healthier meal to start the working day

· More staff were drinking water during the working day

· A number of staff reported losing weight; in some cases this was a substantial amount.

· On average, staff said they felt better about themselves after attending the workshops, even three months later – reporting feeling more energetic, more able to concentrate and having better sleeping patterns

Let’s Get Cooking is now offering the scheme - called Cook Well, Work Well - to employers around the country. Evaluation of the pilot phase is set to be unveiled next week to Dame Carol Black, National Director for Health and Work, and discussed by businesses around the region from the East Midlands Platform on Food, Physical Activity and Health.

Let’s Get Cooking’s Jane Pond, who delivered the pilot sessions, said: “It’s amazing how small, easy changes to what you eat can make such a difference to how you feel, and that’s why our delegates were keeping up their healthier habits even months after our training.

“Keeping a bottle of water on your desk or in your cab, cutting your portion sizes in the canteen and learning a few fail-safe packed lunch dishes that don’t take lots of time to make can all have a surprisingly big impact. 

“There’s a crucial message for employers here, because by helping your staff to eat better, your business will do better. You will have a healthier team who have more energy to do the job – which in turn can reduce the number of days when you have to find cover for sickness, and can boost your productivity. It’s a small investment for a big return.” 

Zoe Wilson, Regional Wellbeing Manager for British Gas said: “This is a fantastic scheme; it brings to light how the decisions we make daily affect our health and wellbeing through food.” 

Vanessa Edwards, Health Promotion Coordinator for Derby Hospitals, said: “I know that colleagues have made some positive changes with regard to their own nutrition and healthy eating, and a couple of members of staff have integrated some of the information from Cook Well, Work Well into their own patient education programmes.”

For more information on Cook Well, Work Well, visit http://www.letsgetcooking.org.uk/CookWellWorkWell. For media enquiries, contact Claire Rick (press office) on 0114 274 2323

For media enquiries on the East Midlands Platform on Food, Physical Activity and Health, contact Jon Whowell on 07780 923439