It’s too expensive, it’s not appetizing, it’s intimidating. Excuses, Excuses, Excuses. So often we make excuses not to eat healthy. Although this may be the goal, making sure our diets consist of healthy options can be a battle! Truth be told, it can get expensive, healthy options are not always as appetizing as an unhealthy alternative; and when you don’t know where to start, it can be intimidating. But, good news! Forming new habits happens one day at a time, one decision at a time. Instead of planning a complicated diet, why not start by making just one healthy decision when presented with different food options? Look for the tasty alternatives in the wide variety of healthy snacks! You don’t have to sacrifice taste when choosing from nutritious snacks. Start with healthy vending!

Providing Healthy Options

Are you a business owner looking for ways to provide healthy options for your employees? Make it convenient and easy with healthy vending stocked full of healthy snacks and beverages.

In an interesting study from the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, the data revealed that a healthy vending machine was an effective way to improve the health of those in the workplace. This study confirmed our assumptions as it pertains to healthy eating. As expected, unhealthy options were favored over the healthy options when offered together. In combo machines holding both options, the unhealthy options were chosen more frequently than the healthy options. But, in machines where healthy vending options completely replaced all unhealthy options, sales decreased a bit overall in those healthy machines, but not significantly.

Now the question is… what is your goal as an employer in providing vending for your employees? Is it your goal to promote healthier lifestyles? Or is your goal to provide a wide variety of snacks and beverages and allow your employees to make their own decision about what to eat? 

If you have decided to offer healthy vending options, in whatever capacity, how do you know which snacks and beverages are truly considered healthy? Sometimes snacks and beverages are labeled healthy when they don’t seem to be. What is the standard for these snacks and beverages? What makes a healthy snack a healthy snack? 

Smart Snacks

Not all snacks are created equal. And not all snacks labeled “healthy” are indeed healthy. Snacks labeled “healthy” may not actually be healthy unless they have been subject to certain standards. As it pertains to healthier vending, food items must meet certain nutrition standards to be considered a “smart snack”. According to the NAMA Nutrition and Wellness Center, healthy items must follow the USDA Smart Snacks in School Standards whether used in a school or other locations. To quote the NAMA website:

To qualify as a Smart Snack, a snack or entrée must first meet the general nutrition standards:

1. Be a grain product that contains 50 percent or more whole grains by weight (have a whole grain as the first ingredient); or
2. Have as the first ingredient a fruit, a vegetable, a dairy product, or a protein food; or
3. Be a combination food that contains at least ¼ cup of fruit and / or vegetable; and
4. The food must meet the nutrient standards for calories, sodium, sugar, and fats

Healthy Highway Program

Here at Dependable Break Room Solutions, we adhere to these guidelines with our Healthy Highway Program, one of our vending programs. For combo machines that include both healthy and unhealthy options, we needed a way to clearly identify those smart snacks. We wanted these healthy vending products clearly marked and conveniently located. Furthermore, we understand that with delicious and budget-friendly vending options, employees have an easier time making healthy choices. 

How do we do this? How do you know which items are smart choices within the Healthy Highway Program? Our system is quite simple and user-friendly. With green stickers on all healthy options and located in specific rows dedicated solely for nutritious choices, you and your employees can instantly identify these healthy vending alternatives. Additionally, the program allows our customers access to a dietitian to answer questions about nutritional questions and wellness programs.

As you think about your business goals, is your goal to promote a healthier lifestyle for your employees? Talk to us about setting up a healthy vending machine plan including subsidized cost for the benefit of your employees. By covering a portion of these costs for your employees, all healthy options will be less expensive than their unhealthy counterparts, increasing incentive for making better choices and promoting healthy lifestyles.

Affordable, delicious, and easy… we just overcame all of those excuses! Go with healthier vending. In order to request a vending machine with our Healthy Highway Program, contact [email protected] today!