How employers can support employee nutrition

March is National Nutrition Month® (NNM), an awareness campaign sponsored by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to promote healthier food choices for better nutrition. The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) were also released recently and provide helpful information on getting the appropriate nutrition.

Here are some key takeaways from each resource that you can share with your employees to support their health goals.

National Nutrition Month: Discover the Power of Nutrition

This year’s NNM theme is “Discover the Power of Nutrition,” which is fitting because the food and beverages you choose help power your day. Within this theme, there are weekly messages:

Week 1: Power your day with nutrition

Make food choices that represent all the food groups, refraining from eating the same thing every day, to get a varied nutrient intake. This means being cautious of restrictive fad diets that include specific rules on what you can and can’t eat.

Week 2: Find advice backed by science

Seek out science-based information on nutrition. There is no one diet or eating style that works for everyone. Individual and cultural differences exist, so there’s a healthy way to eat that’s appropriate for everyone. 

Week 3: Stay nourished on any budget

While costs for certain foods have increased dramatically, there are still ways to eat healthy while limiting costs. Read our eight tips for eating healthy on a budget and explore other online resources for shopping and preparing healthy, budget-friendly meals. Explore healthy shopping and cooking methods that fit your lifestyle and budget, such as five tips for healthy grilling. Government-sponsored food assistance programs can also help bridge the gap to healthy eating. 

Week 4: Feel good with healthy habits

Pair healthy food choices with other habits to maintain health and wellness, including scheduling regular exams and check-ups, managing stress, socializing and staying active.

Health coach takeaways from NNM

• Eat more “superfoods.” These include salmon, broccoli, blueberries and others offering the most bang for your buck in the form of nutrients. When it comes to fruits and vegetables, choose a wide variety across the entire color spectrum. Select high-quality, lean proteins from both plant and animal sources. Prioritize nutrient-dense whole foods and minimize highly processed convenience foods, but in mind that some processed foods are healthy.
• Talk to a professional. In addition to finding reliable sources of nutrition information, consider speaking with your primary care provider or consulting a registered dietitian or a food and nutrition expert. Find one in your area today.
• Be sure to exercise. Aim for energy balance by including physical activity in your day. In fact, consider all areas of wellness for optimum health, including financial, spiritual and intellectual.

Nutrition advice from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans

The 2025-2030 DGAs recommend eating whole, nutrient-dense foods while limiting highly processed foods, refined carbohydrates and added sugars. Limiting alcohol, artificial additives, sodium and unhealthy fats is also recommended.

Healthy protein from both animal and plant sources, whole grains, healthy fats, fruits and vegetables should still be mainstays in your diet. Fat is a nutrient and necessary for many bodily functions; however, whether it’s from dairy, meat, oil or other sources, saturated fat shouldn’t exceed 10% of total calories. When choosing fat-rich foods, select nutrient-dense foods and include plant sources for unsaturated fats. 

Unsure where to start? Websites such as Dietary Guidelines for Americans, MyPlate.gov, Mayo Clinic, American Heart Association and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics offer excellent tips and recipes for creating tasty, healthy meals. 

How employers can support employee nutrition

The 2025-2030 DGAs call on insurers, educators, community leaders and organizations to join the critical effort of improving American nutrition. Employers are uniquely positioned to support this mission and shift workplace cultures toward nutrient density, nourishment and long-term health.

Actionable strategies employers can implement

Workplace nutrition education

Offer lunch-and-learn sessions or workshops featuring registered dietitians who can teach employees practical skills for selecting and preparing nutrient-dense foods. Share monthly nutrition tips through company newsletters or digital platforms that align with NNM themes.

Cafeteria and vending improvements

If your workplace offers food services, prioritize whole, unprocessed options. Replace sugar-sweetened beverages with water, unsweetened coffee and tea. Stock vending machines with nuts, seeds, fresh fruit and full-fat dairy options rather than chips, cookies and candy. Make sure cafeteria offerings include a variety of protein sources—both animal and plant-based—along with colorful vegetables and healthy fats.

Home meal support

Make cooking meals fun and a regular part of employees' routines. Consider offering cooking classes at team building events, recipe-sharing programs or meal prep workshops that demonstrate how to prepare healthy, budget-friendly meals at home. Provide resources that teach employees how to identify added sugars by looking for ingredients containing sugar, syrup or endings in "-ose.”

Incentive programs

Create wellness incentives that reward employees for participating in nutrition consultations with registered dietitians, attending nutrition workshops or meeting personal health goals. Consider subsidizing employee access to nutrition professionals or providing healthy meal delivery options.

Family engagement

Extend nutrition support to employees' families by offering resources that encourage adolescents to become active participants in food shopping and cooking. Family-focused nutrition programs help instill healthy habits that last a lifetime.

By implementing these strategies, employers can demonstrate commitment to employee well-being while contributing to the larger effort of realigning our food system toward better health outcomes for all Americans.