How fruit in the office helps to reduce stress and aids us to all work better

Since the start of the recession, businesses have been under extra pressure to reduce costs and maximise the effectiveness of their existing resources. As most companies now need to justify every penny spent to an extra stringent financial director, staffing budgets must produce excellent results all of the time. For many employees up and down the country this has meant extra workloads, tighter deadlines and generally more stress.

Combating stress and creating a relaxed and efficient workplace is a major challenge for employers. To get the most out of staff, it is essential they are in a fit state of mind and are able to take on new challenges using the best of their abilities.

Stress can be detrimental to your performance at work in a number of ways, firstly it can prevent you from concentrating properly and secondly it can lead to unhealthy habits like extra drinking and smoking; which in turn reduces your overall wellbeing leading to more time off. Increasing your intake of fruit, particularly while working, can help reduce stress and improve your overall productivity and performance.

Studies by the mental health charity Mind* have shown that snacking on foods like chocolate and sweets actually increases stress levels. Their study found that eating fruit has the opposite effect by reducing stress and anxiety levels allowing you to work harder and deliver better results.

Scientists have shown** eating regular amounts of fruit helps reduce mood swings, anxieties and stress which are all linked to communication skills. Interpersonal skills are essential for working well in teams. Performing well in groups usually helps to reduce stress; when teams work well together, workloads can be divided between a number of people, making it easier to reach targets. By eating extra fruit you should be able to work better in teams as your mood swings and anxieties will be reduced.

As well as improving your mental fitness, eating fruit will also benefit you physically in a number of ways that will improve your performance at work. For example; vitamins and minerals help protect your body against tiredness and fatigue which are common symptoms of stress.

Many of us working in urban areas are exposed to higher levels of pollution than previous generations. Fruits rich in vitamin C, like oranges and strawberries, provide our bodies with defences to combat the effects of inner city air pollution. Being physically healthy at work is important because it improves your performance and means you do not need to take extra sick days.

As a result of extra pressure and stress, many of us have less time so it can be tempting to eat processed foods like ready meals as a quick and easy solution for lunch or dinner. Processed foods release free radicals in our bodies which contribute to aging and can cause serious diseases like cancer and strokes. Fruits rich in vitamin C or E, like raspberries, produce antioxidants which combat the effects of free radicals. Pollution, sunlight, alcohol and smoking all help encourage the production of free radicals. So in order to stay healthy and proactive at work it is essential to consume fruit during the day.

It’s now more important than ever to be productive and efficient at work, eating fruit during the working day is a crucial element in achieving this. As well as benefiting you physically, increased fruit intake will help improve your mental state, meaning you will not only improve your professional output but you will also feel better and have more energy to have fun after work!

Ben Thompson is the managing director of Fruitdrop. Fruitdrop provides a fruit delivery service across the UK to offices and businesses, as well as specialising in fruit delivery in London.

For more information, please contact James Mortimer on 01273 322 837 james.mortimer@leapfrogg.co.uk or Lucy Freeborn on 01273 322 849 lucy.freeborn@leapfrogg.co.uk