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We wanted to follow on our recent post that a focus on healthy eating can improve the workplace, which offered specific tips on connecting a proper approach to nutrition with workplace productivity.

Now a new Gallup report notes “3 Hidden Factors Linked to Better Eating Habits,” adding that “healthy eating goes beyond just willpower.”

The piece was based on more than 177,000 interviews and states that “focusing on these factors could help people eat healthier, drop excess pounds, and avoid costly chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and depression.”

And much of this advice can be supported by a well-run workplace wellness program.

1. “Surround yourself with supportive and health-conscious people: Clearly, it is not always possible to only spend time with people who eat healthily. But communities and workplaces can create social opportunities for healthy eaters and those looking to improve their diets. For example… workplaces can foster healthy eating with programs that focus on social connections and support, such as sharing nutritious recipes and other healthy eating tips.”
2. “Find the right career for you: Finding the right career for you — whether that is as a worker, student, volunteer, retiree or stay-at-home parent — can be a powerful motivator for good health.”
3. “Get your finances in order: Research has shown that long-term stress can cause a spike in stress hormones that lead people to overeat and choose foods higher in fat or sugar.”

Indeed, as we noted in our previous post, managing the workplace food environment can pay off: “Packing your own nutritious and appealing lunch and snacks can help inoculate you against less-nutritious offerings from the vending machine or co-workers. If you buy your lunch, placing your order in advance instead of waiting until you are already hungry can make it easier to make a healthful choice.”