With health care costs skyrocketing and the health of the U.S. work force deteriorating, business owners have little choice but to encourage their employees to eat right and get fit. Failing to stress healthy lifestyles among employees will lead to a business’ decline in the marketplace. So says Dr. Ann Kulze, corporate wellness trainer and founder and CEO of Mount Pleasant-based Just Wellness LLC, a firm specializing in wellness promotion. Kulze, popularly known as “Dr. Ann,” will give a presentation titled “Eat Right for Life!” at 8 p.m. on March 29 at the Gaillard Auditorium in downtown Charleston. The show is part of the Cooper River Bridge Run Expo, which runs March 29 and March 30 at the Gaillard. The expo allows fitness and other health-related vendors to display their wares before the March 31 Cooper River Bridge Run. In “Eat Right for Life!,” Kulze promises to dazzle the audience with science-based facts about diet and health. Images, sound effects, sound bites and Kulze’s own energetic stage presence will make the event entertaining, she said. “What I do is take the new science as it relates to health and diet, distill it down and transform it to a program that is simple, fun and straightforward,” said Kulze, who has been a health and wellness speaker since 2003 and has been featured on National Public Radio and in Time and Redbook magazines, as well as other national media. The program is free and open to the public. Kulze will tell her audience what fats to eat, primarily fats from extra virgin olive oil, canola oil, nuts, seeds and avocados; what fats to avoid, trans fats found mostly in fast foods, stick margarine and shortening; and the many benefits of “doing fats right,” which include a reduced risk of heart attack, stroke, certain cancers and Type-2 diabetes. On the carbohydrates side of dieting, Kulze recommends minimizing consumption of white flour products, white rice, white potatoes and sugar. These are the “great white hazards” because they promote obesity, increase the risk of heart disease and Type-2 diabetes, promote certain cancers and lead to rapid fluctuations in blood glucose that can harm the brain, Kulze said. “Good” carbohydrates are found in whole grains, beans, fruits and vegetables. These carbs improve gastrointestinal health and lower the risk of heart disease, Type-2 diabetes and cancer of the mouth, stomach, colon, gall bladder and ovaries, Kulze explained. Just as there are healthy and unhealthy carbs, there are healthy and unhealthy proteins. Fish, shellfish, skinless chicken breasts and beans are among the sources for healthy proteins while dairy products and red meats are sources for the unhealthy kind, Kulze said. As for beverages, clean water is the healthiest, while all sodas, including diet sodas, fruit drinks and sports beverages should be avoided, Kulze added. Employers should emphasize healthy eating habits among their employees to help reduce health care costs. Of the five main factors leading to escalating health care expenses—prescription drug costs, medical advancements, hospital administration costs, population demographics and employee lifestyles—the last is the only one over which employees have some control, Kulze said. “If businesses want not only to remain competitive but to move forward, they have no option but to promote a workplace health and wellness culture,” Kulze said. Dennis Quick covers health and wellness for the Business Journal. E-mail him at dquick@charlestonbusiness.com.
