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Formerly The Raw Project - Running on a Healthy Vegan Diet

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Over the Hump!

April 20, 2011 by christine

I’m thrilled the end of this week is in sight after plenty of work madness! I’ll spare you from my stress rant, but something interesting did happen at work – HR introduced Wellness Initiative, a new voluntary program for employees. It encourages us to fill out a health survey online with information like BMI, blood pressure, weight, etc. for a health analysis and recommendations for a healthier lifestyle. On the surface it seemed like a helpful benefit for employees. But there’s an ulterior motive and I respect that they just came out and explained company health costs are increasing 10-15% each year due to claims from the previous year on the company’s plan and the costs are getting too tough to absorb. Wow! I was irked about at our last increase and had no idea it could have been way more, that’s scary.

I had mixed feelings about the new program. While it’s a nice gesture, it’s sad that the company has to resort to this to encourage a healthy lifestyle just to cut healthcare costs. It shouldn’t be the company’s responsibility. And while someone like me might be interested in filling out the survey (though won’t have time this week and probably for awhile!),  I don’t think those who would benefit from it would take the time because it sounded like being shoved into Dr. Oz’s truth tube. It made me wonder how long until programs like this are mandatory for companies trying to reduce healthcare costs. And it was funny and sad that donuts and cookies were served at the meeting introducing this program.

Eh, anyway, I was feeling torn for dinner – I wanted salad and something warm after driving home in a windy downpour. So salad and squash it was! I winged a dressing in the Vita-Mix not following a recipe. I just threw a couple of pitted dates, chopped carrots, tahini, miso, ginger, lemon juice and water in to see if the end result was edible.

And it was! Sweet, spicy and savory – yum!

I also added my dill cultured veggies to the salad which was a huge gamble since I had no idea how dill would taste with the dressing.

And cultured sprouted lentils are very tasty with a soft, but dense texture.

I also steamed half of a butternut squash in the microwave with a dash of pumpkin pie seasonings and stevia.

For a fast dinner. I thrilled my first batch of cultured veggies came out not only edible, but delicious! Adding dill to the liquid added a great dill pickle tang to them and blended nicely with this dressing. For more info on cultured veggies, this is a great article from Body Ecology. And here’s my post on learning about it from a raw party.

What do you think about companies offering wellness programs?

 

 

Filed Under: General

Comments

  1. elise says

    April 20, 2011 at 10:33 pm

    ucla has the same wellness initiative. i feel like its merely to check a box for administration. we get regular emails about EXTREMELY basic health tips. meh. i just delete them and carry on.

    • christine says

      April 21, 2011 at 5:28 pm

      I get similar emails from from my health care provider and they’re hardly helpful.

  2. JL goes Vegan says

    April 21, 2011 at 1:46 am

    Yay! Glad to hear the dill was a success! Russell James covered some fermenting and culturing techniques in his class Sunday — looking forward to giving it a shot!

    I suppose the wellness program is good for the intended audience — meaning sedentary people following a SAD? Probably not so much for someone living a very healthy lifestyle like you, though.

    • christine says

      April 21, 2011 at 5:32 pm

      I’m so relieved my first batch of home cultured veggies not only didn’t make me sick, but actually came out good! :-) And the jar is huge, it’ll last weeks in my fridge.

      True on the program. It is it’s a lot of work just to fill out the survey and a lot of the info requires a trip to the doctor’s office to get, most too busy to get to the gym or make lifestyle changes won’t bother.

  3. Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga) says

    April 21, 2011 at 2:52 am

    Glad to see your fermentation project worked out so well! I need to buy those probiotic pills from WFs.

    The healthcare stuff…better than nothing. I know it’s not helpful to us, but for some ppl, it may help them and be new info for them even if not for us…so hey, at least they’re trying. The healthcare system in this country is whack and there are millions of us who can’t even get insurance, but I digress.

    have a good day!

  4. Anna @ Newlywed, Newly Veg says

    April 21, 2011 at 3:25 am

    Yeah, I agree with you– it’s not a bad idea, I just wonder how effective it actually is for the people who really need it.

  5. Jenn @ Peas & Crayons says

    April 21, 2011 at 1:42 pm

    Hooray success!!! another fab innovation!

Hello! I'm Christine, an IT Professional in Northern California. I'm also passionate about a healthy, plant based lifestyle, running, fitness, and being eco-friendly. 40 (ack!), married, with furkids. Read More…

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