Tuesday, February 28, 2023

One Fruit One Veggie Challenge

Here is a simple, low-cost Wellness Event you can host at work.

March is National Nutrition Month.  In honor of National Nutrition Month, the Workplace Wellness Team that I'm part of at work is hosting a One Fruit One Veggie Challenge.  It's simple, eat one fruit and one vegetable every day, mark it off on the Challenge Card (see example below) and turn it in at the end of the month to be entered in a prize drawing.  Everyone gets three passes for the month - no one is perfect!  The prizes that you use don't have to be expensive.  We often use Paid Time Off (PTO) as a prize.  For example, 1 or 2 hours if you complete the challenge or we will draw a name from everyone who completed the challenge for a larger amount of PTO such as 4 or 8 hours.  We've also given wellness focused items out as raffle prizes - a water bottle, yoga mat or journal.   

This challenge is completed using the honor system.  If you say you completed it, we are going to believe you.  

You could also do this Challenge on your own or with your family.  Don't forget to include some type of celebration for completing the challenge.  The celebration is an important aspect of goal setting.  It motivates you to keep moving forward on your health journey!


For some, this may seem like a simple challenge.  For others, fruits and vegetables are not a routine part of their eating.  I recently took snacks to the Community Group that my husband and I are a part of through our church.  Since I have recently had to adopt an anti-inflammatory eating style, I took oranges as well as cookies.  I have to confess that I was shocked at how many people commented that they could not remember the last time they ate a piece of fresh fruit.  The other surprising thing was that the oranges were gone long before the cookies.  That showed me that if given the opportunity, people will enjoy the fruits and vegetables.  This wellness activity presents that opportunity in the form of a healthy challenge that won't break your wellness budget!