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Change the team snack culture at work

"There is always junk food at work – chips, biscuits, lollies. It’s hard to say no when its right in front of you, so I thought the first place to start was to try to encourage staff to replace these foods with healthier ones, as a team!”
Damien - ANUM

As nurses and midwives, we generally know a about healthy eating. But the stress of the job and fatigue can get in the way. 

Start a program at work

With the support of his manager, Damien began a healthy eating program called ‘Reclaim the snacks’. 

The program encourages staff to bring healthier foods to work to share. There are fun prizes for the most colourful and healthy snacks. Flyers about healthy eating are posted in the tearoom and fruit provided to staff each day. 

Make it fun, enjoy the benefits

Damien found that the culture of eating changed quickly. The program was engaging and fun and staff began feeling better. 

“Changing our eating habits doesn’t fall solely on us as individuals. It’s a group effort, and everyone needs to help make that change. We are much more influenced by our environment than what we may realise.”  

Understand why you’re choosing unhealthy

Nurses and midwives are often expected to be positive role models for our patients and promote positive lifestyle behaviours. But many aspects of the job interfere with our ability to do this. 

It can be difficult to take a break during a busy shift. Food choices available may be limited where you work. Shift work can disrupt our eating patterns. And there are often free and tempting snack foods put out to share common spaces.

As nurses and midwives, we generally know what are healthy foods. But the demands of the job, and fatigue get in the way. And we can feel guilty if we are not eating to support health.

Craving the wrong foods 

When we are stressed and tired our food cravings increase. We tend to reach for fatty and sugary foods to give us energy and help us feel better. We might use food as a reward and to combat fatigue.  

It can be hard to find the time to prepare healthy meals.

“I come home from a late shift at 10pm and I’m way too tired to prepare something for the next day, so I often end up eating junk snacks in the tea room, or from the hospital café, where the foods options aren’t healthy,” says Damien.

Strong personal motivation/intention was the first most important factor to achieve healthy eating at work but was often overpowered by barriers inherent in hospital nursing shift work.
C.H. Dias, 2025

References

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