Read the Label - or look it up online!

Despite some controversy lately over accurate food labeling and nutrition facts, I am a die hard proponent of "reading the label." All prepackaged foods are required to provide a Nutrition Facts label for the product and even though you might need your bi-focals to read it, it is well worth the effort. Pay particular attention to those food products that you consume regularly (bread, margarine, cereal, sauces, canned or boxed soups or dinner mixes) as well as snacks and drinks. A low fat microwave popcorn might appear to be a wise snack choice, but not if the sodium content exceeds half your daily requirement! And check out the labels on those sports drinks and juice boxes too. Thinking about trying a new stuffing mix or condiment? Read the label first.

First things first: "SERVING SIZE!" To make an accurate assessment of just what the percentages on the label mean to you, look first at the serving size. The manufacturer or producer chooses a serving "size" for their product by weight or portion or piece, and bases the nutritional facts you see on the label, on that exact serving size. For snack items like chips or crackers, the serving size may be as little as four or six. This can be problematic for those who prefer to eat portions more accurately resembling "half the bag" or the "whole box!" Brush up on your times table if you tend to exceed the serving sizes. While calories are important, especially in relation to serving sizes, they are still a simple measurement of energy. Depending on your personal situation, a closer look at a product's saturated and trans fats, sodium, cholesterol and sugar levels will likely be more critical for your health. If any one product is hitting 15 to 50% of your daily value in fat, sodium or carbohydrates, its probably time to rethink including it in your diet. And if your vision is still good enough to read the fine print, glance over the ingredients section, noting red flags such as sugars, syrups, modified or hydrogenated oils, and other baffling, tongue twisting ingredients and artificial flavours.

The "recommended daily value" is an important gauge, but if you are suffering from high cholesterol or heart disease, ask your doc what her or his personal recommendation for you might be. Sodium is not just a seasoning, it is also this year's HOT topic! Many restaurant entrees are loaded with it as are pre-packaged "low fat" frozen or ready to serve meals. (They make up for the taste lost due to the reduced fat, by replacing it with salt.) The daily recommended value for sodium is about a teaspoon or 3500 mg. If you sprinkle it on your salad at lunch and your chicken for dinner, better be careful about how much you are getting through other sources, (canned soups, sauces..) especially if you have high blood pressure.

What about foods that aren't packaged and are instead delivered to your table or purchased at a drive through window? The internet is loaded with sites that can help you make wise choices. One of my favorites, www.my-calorie-counter.com is an easy to use site that requires no logging in or registering if all you want is a quick check of nutrition facts. I recommend spending time here reviewing some of your favorite restaurant menu items. Compare the nutrition facts label of a serving of McNuggets, to a cheeseburger, or double cheeseburger. You may be shocked. But you will be informed. And armed with information, we can all make better choices. Bon Appetit!

Stepping Ancestors

I commented a couple of weeks ago about the Global Corporate Challenge that my office is participating in. (Read below for more detail.) A number of the team members have been discussing the "awareness" they now have about how many steps they are taking each day. They are chatting over the water cooler or on email about how far they are parking from the airport terminal or the office or supermarket to increase their daily step count. I believe this "shift" in awareness is essential to achieving the goal of 10,000 steps a day (and more!) We've become accustomed to driving everywhere. We get frustrated if we don't get the parking spot right in front of the video store, we jockey for position in front of the school so that our kids walk less than 25 steps to the front door. Heck, we even try to get the closest spot in front of the gym where we go to work out! Take this challenge for the next 21 days: Wherever you go - park as far from the entrance as you can, give your kids the opportunity for a brisk walk by dropping them at the corner of the block, walk to the mailbox, do a lap around your office building before going in. Below is a copy of the "Health Tip of the Week" from Shane Bilsborough at Global Corporate Challenge. Shane has some surprising revelations and statistics about just how many steps we've lost over the centuries:

"For many of us, the seated nature of our jobs has the potential to slowly decrease our daily energy expenditure. In fact, this rapid decline in activity has ensured the average office person now takes about 3,500 walking steps a day. We know that estimates of hunter-gatherer walking steps were around 30,000, while some like the current day hunter-gatherers, the Masai, are in the vicinity of 50,000 - 60,000. Records of activity levels during the 15th century show 15km (9mi) or 23,500 daily walking steps and they remained very high until the 1950's. The level of chronic disease facing today's Western society was virtually absent until the 1900's then tracking upward in direct relation to declining physical activity. So, while the vast majority of us will never be able to sustain 30,000 walking steps per day, we can maintain 10,000 and the occasional 15-20,000 to dramatically offset many chronic diseases, make us feel better, and help live healthy, happy lives."
Shane Bilsborough MSc (Human Nutrition) Global Corporate Challenge 2009 Newsletter

Corporate Wellness Programs - Worth the effort?

"If people are truly their "most valuable asset," why aren’t more organizations creating work environments that contribute to the health and well-being of their workers? Why is there an ongoing debate on the necessity of addressing the wellness of workers when there seems to be ample evidence that organizations that create a positive work environment are more successful?"
Health Promotion Programs at Work: A Frivolous Cost or a Sound Investment? Conference Board of Canada October 2002

Good question. Research indicates that the reason why many corporations don't adopt a corporate wellness program is because of the fear of the resources (time and money) that it will consume. But consider these statistics:

Canada Life in Toronto showed a return on investment of $3.40 on each corporate dollar invested on reduced turnover, productivity gains and decreased medical claims;

For $30 per person, the Bank of America conducted a health promotion program for retirees. Insurance claims were reduced by an average of $164 per year while costs for the control group increased by $15!

BC Hydro employees enrolled in a work-sponsored fitness program had a turnover rate of 3.5% compared with the company average of 10.3%.

Prudential Insurance reports that the company's major medical costs dropped from $574 to $312 for each participant in their wellness program.

Coors Brewing Co. reported that for each dollar spent on their Corporate Wellness Program, they saw a $5.50 return, and the employees who participated reduced their absentee rate by 18%.

Corporate Wellness Programs are showing an ROI (return on investment) of anywhere between $3 to $10 for every dollar invested. Employees are getting healthier, stronger, smarter and they are more committed, more productive, less stressed and report a healthier work/life balance.

So is it worth the extra time and effort? The bottom line says it is. For help on getting started email me at info@thehealthyceo.com.

The Healthy CEO Team enters the Global Corporate Challenge 2009!

I'm excited to share with you a new health initiative that we have undertaken at The Healthy CEO offices. We've joined the Global Corporate Challenge (http://www.gettheworldmoving.com/) along with almost 8500 teams and nearly 60,000 people from countries across the world. Global Corporate Challenge is a 125 day health and wellbeing program that encourages employees, and workplaces to become, and stay active. Companies develop teams of seven and each teammember receives an embossed backpack with lots of goodies inside including two pedometers. Participants wear their pedometer everyday and log their steps on the GCC website the next day. Teams encourage and support each other and the website is an incredible virtual journey logging team's steps across the globe, complete with stunning pictures and facts on the foods and culture of the locations traversed. This year's global challenge began on May 21. The goal of the challenge is to encourage individuals and in this particular challenge, often sedentary corporate employees to get up, get moving, and develop life long healthy habits. I will keep you posted as to our progress, but you can check it for yourself by logging on as a spectator at http://www.gcc2009.com/

Hope to see you in the challenge next year!

NAOSH Week

I was lucky enough to use my frequent flyer pass to board early on the morning flight to Vegas this past weekend. It gave me the opportunity to settle in and "people watch" for a bit and I noticed that a number of my seatmates were quite young, students probably, looking for a few days of fun before beginning their summer jobs. I thought about what kind of work they would be engaging in over the months ahead. Some would perhaps be working in their chosen field while others would be entering an occupation or organization completely unfamiliar.

This is North American Occupational Safety and Health Week (NAOSH) and the theme this year is "Making it home safely at the end of each work week". I pondered the challenges and responsibilities that come with hiring a student. For many students, this may be their first "real" job and the pressure and anxiety is enormous. But for the business, the pressure may be equal considering the risk of a new hire and the legislation governing health and safety. What experienced workers may take for granted: mopping up spills immediately, washing hands, the correct lifting of boxes, many new and young workers will need to be taught. Experienced or seasoned employees may become complacent in their attention to health and safety but we need to remind them to be aware of the importance of safety when training or mentoring youth.

Remembering that a team is only as strong as it's weakest link, taking some time with new employees to emphasize the company's commitment to health and safety, outlining individual responsibilities, and making safety procedures available and visible will contribute to the health and safety of all. In any occupation, taking time to stretch, making time for refreshment and reducing stress are important. Supervisory oversight is probably the most imporant factor, and encouraging new employees in the reporting of worksite hazards or injuries develops a personal responsibility mindset that will reduce liability and accidents. Let's all make it home safely at the end of the work week.

Happy Easter

Easter has many traditions from decorating eggs, to the Easter egg hunt, and of course chocolate. Chocolate in moderation can actually have health benefits for you. Chocolate is high in heart healthy flavenoids, it also contains essential trace elements and nutrients such as iron, calcium, and potassium as well as vitamins A, B1, C, D, and E. It can also produce antioxidants which help remove free radicals in the body, substances that have been shown to increase the effects of aging and certain cancers.

Cocoa is one of the main ingredients in chocolate and is the highest natural source of magnesium which is beneficial for the cardiovascular system and in decreasing hypertension. Chocolate has also been shown to raise the body's "feel good" hormone, serotonin. Good dark chocolate that is high in cocoa solids (70% or more) is the best choice to feed that chocolate craving. As with anything, make sure your chocolate consumption is in moderation; be sure to balance your intake of calories by reducing them elsewhere if you choose to indulge. Remember, even dark chocolate has a high sugar content which can lead to tooth decay and weight gain.

Social Networking Websites

Recently I "got connected" and signed up for accounts on social networking website Facebook (www.facebook.com) and business networking website LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com). These sites are a great way to reconnect with, keep up to date with or make new contacts. LinkedIn can introduce new business contacts and promote awareness of your business to people outside of your current contact list. Also you can post positions and search for potential candidates.

Check out my pages; see you on the net.