As India continues to enhance its economic and geopolitical power by embracing globalisation, urbanisation, modernisation and all the other ‘-isations’ requisite for being an international powerhouse in the 21st century, the influence of Westernisation cannot be overlooked—especially when it comes to the nation’s nutritional behaviours. As one Think Global Health piece aptly put it: ‘Daliya…has given way to breakfast cereals. Soda and juice have dethroned shikanji…and sharbat…Traditional flatbreads such as chapati and paratha have been replaced by pizza and pie. Payasam and kheer…are not as chic as ice cream, cakes, and donuts.’ Everywhere you look, it seems, people are opting for the calorie-dense, nutrient-poor, ultra-processed foods that characterize the Western diet.
As a result, India is facing what researchers with The Lancet call a high ‘double burden’ of nutrition-related disease, as rates of obesity have climbed significantly over the last few decades whilst poverty, the unequal distribution and high cost of foods, and a lack of proper health education—among other factors—have perpetuated the country’s long-standing undernutrition problem. Put another way, too many people are either eating too much sugar, salt, fat, and refined carbs; are not eating enough fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, carbs, and protein—or both.
As it stands, research shows that about 2 in 5 people across the region suffer from a ‘poor diet’—‘poor,’ in this case, being defined as ‘nutrient deficient.’ That’s 560 million people who are not meeting the recommended daily level of intake needed not only for their body and mind to perform at their best, but for them to function at all.
In terms of what nutrients people in India are lacking in, a December 2023 UN report revealed that around half of Indian adults are not consuming enough vitamin A, a nutrient essential for maintaining good vision and supporting heart, lung, and immune system function. Additionally, iron deficiency has been a leading public health issue for decades, with up to two-thirds of women suffering from iron deficiency anemia (IDA)—one of the highest rates in the world, and responsible for up to 60 percent of all maternal deaths in the region. Vitamin B12, vitamin D, folic acid, and iodine also comprise a large swarth of the nation’s micronutrient deficiencies.
All in all, whether by choice (opting for processed foods) or by force (being unable to afford nutrient-dense foods—the reality for nearly three-quarters of the population), Indians are failing to consume the foods they need to survive and thrive.
And the workplace, believe it or not, plays a big role in that.
In two new studies conducted among more than 20,000 IT employees in South India—one of the country’s largest employment and market sectors—researchers found that as high as three-quarters of respondents demonstrated at least one nutritional risk factor associated with developing non-communicable disorders (NCDs) like heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Among the risks recorded included eating out more than once a week (reported by 67 percent of respondents), skipping at least 1 meal every day, and adding extra salt to meals (both reported by nearly a third of respondents). Moreover, researchers found that over 60 percent of the employees surveyed were overweight or obese, while 65 percent had HDL-C levels (a.k.a. ‘good’ cholesterol) lower than the recommended value.
What’s interesting to note about this study, however, is that respondents didn’t appear to be lacking in health literacy. For instance, a promising 96 percent even acknowledged that maintaining a healthy body weight is ‘essential’ for good health outcomes, and just as many seemed aware about the importance of making healthy food choices. And yet, where were the behaviours that demonstrated this knowledge? According to the employees themselves, a lack of time, overbearing workloads, long workdays, chronic stress, fatigue, and the like all impeded upon their ability to maintain a healthy diet—let alone lifestyle.
Furthermore, research shows that the work environment or culture itself—what foods are available, offered, affordable, or shared—can have a significant impact on employees’ diets. As vending machines and workplace cafeterias become stocked with low-cost food products—themselves made from low-cost industrial ingredients like processed oils, sodium, sugar, and starches—many workers find themselves opting for what they erroneously perceive as ‘quick fixes’ to their hunger cravings—some because of their accessibility, some because of their affordability, and others simply because they ‘taste good.’
For those employees who rely on their workplace as a main source of food—and rightfully so, seeing as they spend at least a third of their day at work—what their workplace offers is what they get. And for those who may be lacking in nutritional literacy, if everyone around them is promoting a diet of fatty, greasy, sugary, ultra-processed foods, that’s what they’re going to eat, too.
And this doesn’t just hurt employees, it hurts employers, too. As we know, a poor diet can lead to a host of negative health consequences. Heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes are among the more serious outcomes, but even more common are symptoms like:
- Fatigue or exhaustion
- Difficulty concentrating
- Depression or mood changes
- Anxiety or irritability
- Increased risk of illness or injury
- Delayed recovery from illness or injury
All of which translate into consider losses for the organisation, including:
- Reduced performance and productivity
- Higher absenteeism and presenteeism
- Higher turnover
- Higher healthcare spending
- Lowered morale
- Reduced quality of goods and services
- Lowered brand trust
So, what can employers do to address this continually evolving problem?
Plenty, in fact.
Simply put, what employees need most from their employers when it comes to maintaining their nutritional (and thus holistic) health can be best summed up as:
- Educational support
- Financial support
- Peer support
- Cultural support
Starting with educational support, as employees increasingly find themselves surrounded by packaged, processed, dyed, refined, and artificial foods, it’s up to their employers—whom they trust and turn to for guidance for all areas of their life, knowingly or not—to ensure that employees have the information at hand to practice and maintain a healthy diet. As far as what that support looks like, employers can invest in training programmes and e-learning solutions that go over:
- The basics of nutrition
- The relationship between what we eat, how we feel, and how we perform—whether at work or in all aspects of life
- The role our diets play in preventing or contributing to disease
- How to read and understand nutrition labels
- How to make healthy food choices or swaps when available
They can also provide employees with access to wellness and lifestyle coaches who can empower them to adopt healthier habits, develop personalised wellness and nutritional plans, pursue their wellness goals, and manage or prevent serious disease; and who can also refer employees to localised services or share additional resources that may assist them in their pursuit of a healthy lifestyle outside of sessions for long-term success.
In terms of how employers can provide financial support to help meet employees’ nutritional needs, the answer is two-fold. On the one hand, providing greater financial coaching and education can encourage employees to cultivate healthier spending and saving habits that in turn will allow them to afford healthier food options and thus make healthier food choices. On the other hand, implementing subsidy programmes that aim to cover the costs of on-site or home-delivered meals, provide healthier snack options at work, or cover full or partial fees for visits with dietitians or nutritionists, cooking classes, and nutritional counselling can also be an effective way of overcoming the financial barriers that stand in the way of people consuming the nutrients they need.
As far as peer support goes, instituting wellbeing ambassadors to serve as nutritional role models for their peers can be effective in creating a chain reaction of healthy habits at work. By watching revered peers demonstrate positive health behaviours and cognisance over what they’re putting into their bodies, their colleagues may be inspired to do the same. Employees might also learn from each other the basics of nutrition, including what nutrients they need to consume each day and why, or what they should or shouldn’t eat if they have a particular health condition or are supposed to follow a particular diet—or even how certain foods helped to alleviate symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, depression, and the like. Ambassadors may also serve as trusted and more approachable initial points of contact for employees to get connected to services like wellness or financial coaching, subsidy programmes, or local groups.
And when it comes to providing cultural support, this not only involves changing the food that’s available inside the workplace or reevaluating which types of foods are promoted for consumption (think: how coffee and other energy drinks are glorified as a way to run on less sleep; to work early in the mornings or late into the evenings), but it also demands a change to the culture of work and the way in which work is conducted at all. Instead of perpetuating an environment in which workers are expected to sit for 8 hours at a time; in which they’re overwhelmed with work and are exhausted or burnt out by the end of the day, consumed with dread about the coming workday; in which they’re not encouraged to take breaks throughout the day, or prioritise their life outside of work, employers can aspire to create an environment in which employees’ work-life balance is chief priority; an environment in which employees are empowered to make mindful decisions about what to have on their lunch break, or as a snack, and in which they retain enough energy at the end of the day to make a healthy meal for themselves.
To provide that—along with all the other support mentioned—employers may seek to invest in a holistic wellbeing solutions provider who can help. By partnering with a provider like WPO, employers may gain access to a breadth of health professionals and industry experts who can collaborate with organisations to design, implement, and continually evaluate tailored solutions for their staff.
When it comes to supporting and improving employees’ nutritional health and overall wellbeing, employers can provide staff with direct access to WPO’s team of coaches, counsellors, specialists, and work-life consultants. They can refer team members to WPO’s Enhanced Legal and Financial Services for help with money management, budgeting, and building an affordable, sustainable grocery list or meal plan.
Also, employers may also receive assistance from consultants on designing and administering subsidy programmes for streamlined service and may refer to WPO’s Wellbeing Ambassador Programme for support in fostering peer support.
And finally, when it comes time to making necessary changes to the structure, culture, or atmosphere of the workplace itself, employers can turn to WPO’s experienced consulting group for help with maintaining compliance with local laws or regulations, monitoring and mitigating behavioural risks; and creating an all-around effective wellbeing strategy for their people.
As food costs continue to climb at the same time as ultra-processed foods become easier to obtain, it’s safe to say that the country’s nutritional outlook will continue to worsen without intervention from key community players. Employers have a duty of care to protect their workers from harm, in whatever shape that harm takes. It’s time for them to start caring about what their workers are feeding their minds and bodies, not just for the sake of their performance and wellbeing at work, but for the sake of their overall health and vitality.
