If there was an award for the healthiest company in Milton Keynes (now, there’s an idea), ICT Recruitment specialists, Provide, would not only be the winners but would probably sponsor it too.

 

Daily deliveries of organic fruit to Provide HQ have been a popular addition to the diet of a growing number of consultants for over a year along with a company fitness coach and discounted gym membership. It’s all part of the heath & fitness initiative introduced by Dan Brazier, self confessed healthy-living fanatic and Managing Director at Provide who kicked off April 2008 with a new focus on helping his consultants stay healthy.

 

For this, he enrolled the services of Jane Preen – super fit lady and nutrition expert of Storm Health. Jane’s mission was to come in and detox the boardroom…and maybe get everyone to try a few Brussels sprouts along the way too. A brave woman indeed.

 

Armed with a whole heap of fruit and veg, Jane didn’t beat around the bush – she told the 20 strong team how it is: "1 in 3 people will get cancer at some point in their lives – however, diet can play a crucial role in prevention."

 

After scaring and depressing everyone by pointing out the real ingredients in chocolate, alcohol, popcorn, ham sandwiches and even milk, Jane explained how we could all improve our diet with little effort. She is, after all, proof of how easy it is to eat nutritionally no matter how busy you are: Mother, wife, dog walker, author, business woman and ranked in the top 5 of the UK’s 5km runners. We are not worthy.

 

Jane enlightened us to the fact that we actually need to be eating TWENTY servings of fruit and veg per day, not five, which left us wondering how on earth we’d cram all that in, in one month, let alone one day. Throwing the dreaded Brussels sprouts, skins and all, into the juicer with some big chunks of pineapple, orange and other blurs of brightly coloured good stuff, she showed us how easy it actually is to consume that many portions. She then passed glasses of this super juice round the room to prove it tastes good too. Every glass was finished. Who’d have thought it? The Brussels sprout juice was a unanimous hit.

 

In a matter of minutes, Jane had also whipped up a very tasty guacamole, a big pot of hummus and a spinach, apple & carrot smoothie. Everything was enthusiastically received…even the carrot sticks disappeared amidst lots of crunching and nodding. Maybe we can give up the deep fried Mars Bars after all.

 

Jane’s message is a clear one. Change your diet and you’ll not only have more energy, clarity and concentration but you’ll live longer. Most importantly, you won’t hit that dreaded sugar slump in the afternoon, you’ll be able to work for longer periods of time and you won’t pick up all the colds and bugs – something Dan was keen to impress on the consultants: “The sharper and healthier they are, the better the results, the higher the productivity, the lower the sick leave and the happier the clients”. 

 

In other words, carrots and sprouts will make you all rich and successful! You read it here first.

 

 

Disclaimer: Author would like to make it clear that, as good as they are, carrots and sprouts cannot make you rich all by themselves.  You need to work hard too. If you’re interested in joining Provide and want to be part of a fun, energetic, successful company, visit www.providepeople.com