In moderation, sugar can be a pleasurable part of a healthy diet.

But the key is moderation. Do you know if your employees are exercising good judgment when it comes to consuming too much sugar at work?

You may not have noticed it, but sugar consumption in the U.S. has steadily increased, along with the rates of obesity in all age groups.

In fact, Americans eat an average of 300-400 calories of sugar a day.

It’s no surprise that most heavily sweetened foods are also high in calories. And eating lots of sweets squeezes out nutrient-rich foods from our diets.

The National Academies’ Institute of Medicine recently suggested that people limit sugar intake to 25% of calories. Other scientists say that figure needs to be much lower around 10% to 12%.

This can be a challenge, especially in the workplace where a majority of vending favorites are packed with sugar, and many employees rely on a sweet “pick me up” which can lead to crashing later.

Help your employees curb their sugary habits with the following tips:

• Eat smaller or fewer portions. Try one cookie instead of two, and less sugar in your coffee.
• Choose packaged foods and beverages without added sugar.
• Cut sugar in recipes by a third or more.
• Keep sugar-laden foods out of reach, or just don’t purchase them all together.
• Be patient. Sugar cravings often subside within 15 minutes.
• Buy fruit with a natural sweetness that can satisfy and fill you up.
• Reach for fresh vegetables such as carrots and bell peppers, which are higher on the sweetness scale.

Encourage employees to incorporate these “steps” into their regular routine at work by tacking up posters, setting out tabletop reminders, or sending an e-mail with the following tips:

1. Use stairs instead of elevators.

2. After eating lunch, walk for the balance of your break.

3. Go to a colleague’s workstation to deliver a message instead of sending an e-mail.

4. Use stairs instead of escalators in shopping malls.

5. Park farther away from a building entrance and walk to it.

6. When doing your shortest errand each day, walk instead of driving.

7. When doing laundry, make more trips by carrying one load at a time up and down the stairs.

8. Walk the dog.

9. Take your child for a stroll.

10.Walk around your neighborhood with a friend.

Walking is low-impact, free, and almost all employees can participate.

Starting a walking program in your workplace can help improve employee health, and help improve your bottom line.

Life threatening conditions like obesity, diabetes, and cancer can lead to lost productivity, and rising medical costs.

The good news is that these diseases may be prevented with a healthy (and smoke free!) diet and exercise program.

To know more about these conditions and how they may hinder your bottom line, check out the cost calculators below:

Smoking. Unfortunately, about one in two American men and one out of three American women will have some type of cancer at some point during their lifetime.

Help employees decrease that risk by making your work environment smoke free, providing work support, and e-mail reminders of the dangers of smoking and how to get help.

Check out this calculator from the American Cancer Society to find how cancer can affect your bottom line.

Obesity. An obese employee may cost about $2,500 more in medical expenses compared to an employee with a healthy BMI.

Help employees decrease their risk by starting a walking plan, or some type of work-related exercise program.

Check out how your business can benefit from a healthy BMI with this calculator from the Centers for Disease Control.

Diabetes. Nearly 24 million Americans have diabetes, and an estimated 6 million or so are undiagnosed.

If left untreated, Type 2 diabetes can lead to blindness, heart disease, stroke, disability, and even death.

More than $336 billion may be spent annually by 2034 on diabetes-related care, according to a report in the December 2009 Diabetes Care.

Help your employees calculate their risk for diabetes by sending out the following diabetes risk assessment calculator in an e-mail.

Also, tack up posters, set out tabletop reminders, and pass out brochures about the dangers of Type 2 diabetes, and how to prevent the disease.

Workers who have more control over their schedules and workdays saw improvements in both mental and physical health, according to a recent study by UK researchers.

Here’s the scoop: Situations that gave the employee more control over scheduling showed positive effects on health, particularly with regard to sleep, blood pressure, and mental health.

Based on this research, flex time could save your company money on healthcare costs related to insomnia, depression, and other illnesses.

While flex time may be positive, the researchers also found that mandatory overtime and fixed-term contracts had no positive effects on mental, physical, or overall health.

Here are the best Tweets of the week:

• Should Offices Allow Nap Time? http://bit.ly/9XMBqX
• Biggest Marathon, Half-Marathon Training Mistakes http://bit.ly/9WULmW
• Workplace Wellness Programs Work - Business Week http://bit.ly/aFzU4N
• This is very cool! Interactive graphic of the scientific evidence for popular health supplements. http://bit.ly/bdLOaA
• 10 Weight Loss Tips That Work in One Minute or Less http://bit.ly/9Sym0P

Take the time to remind employees that accidents do happen outside of work. And accidents can lead to injury, rising healthcare costs, and even death.

Last year, employers lost 75 million workdays resulting from workplace injuries, but lost more than 225 million days of production time due to off-the-job incidents.

Off-the-job injury is defined as an unintentional non-work-related injury to individuals employed on a full-time or part-time basis.

The National Safety Council estimates that off-the-job injuries and fatalities cost U.S. businesses almost $200 billion annually in lost productivity.

Help employees stay safe outside the office by identifying—and preventing—the five leading causes of injury death from the National Safety Council:

Motor vehicles: As the most prevalent cause of unintentional injury, 40% of all injury deaths were motor vehicle related. Tack up posters that highlight the dangers of drinking and driving, the importance of wearing a seat belt, and the dangers of road rage or reckless driving.

Falls: Injuries due to falling were the leading reason for hospital emergency room visits. Caution employees by sending out e-mails or placing reminders around work on slowing down, watching your step, and using caution during inclement weather.

Poisoning: Drugs, medicines, gases, and vapors attribute to thousands of deaths each year. Encourage employees to visit the National Institutes of Health for ways to spot hazardous leaks in the house, and consult this drug interactions checker for more information on medications.

Choking: Deaths attributable to ingestion or inhalation of food or other objects was the highest in ages 75 and older. Still, some 4,500 off-the-job choking deaths were reported in 2005. Check out these Heimlich maneuver tips from the National Institutes of Health.

Drowning: Thousands of drowning incidents happen in natural bodies of water. Check out My Family Doctor for how to save someone in a drowning situation.

The emotional and physical pain of this life threatening disease affects family, friends, personal lives, and it also has a major impact on the workplace.

More than one third (36%) say that as a result of having cancer, they were unable to do their job as well as they could before, and one in five say having cancer had a negative impact on how they were viewed in terms of their ability to do their job.

The estimated total cost of cancer is more than $219 billion per year in healthcare expenses and lost productivity.

Look around your office: Millions of people are living with cancer or have been cured of the disease.

Although no prevention measure is guaranteed to stop cancer, there are steps to take to help decrease the risk.

Help your employees prevent cancer with the following tips from the American Cancer Society:

Maintain a healthy weight throughout life:

• Balance caloric intake with physical activity.
• Achieve and maintain a healthy BMI.

Adopt a physically active lifestyle.

• Adults: Engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity five or more days of the week; 45 to 60 minutes of intentional physical activity is recommended.

Eat a healthy diet.

• Choose foods and beverages in amounts that help achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
• Eat five or more servings of a variety of vegetables and fruits each day.
• Choose whole grains in preference to processed (refined) grains.
• Limit consumption of processed and red meats.

If you drink alcoholic beverages, limit consumption.

• Drink no more than one drink per day for women, or two per day for men.

Moving more can have a positive impact on your bottom line too: Life threatening diseases like Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity—which contribute to skyrocketing healthcare costs—may be prevented with diet and exercise.

Regular exercise can also perk up your mood and help with mental issues including depression.

An office walking program is an easy way to get employees motivated to exercise. Try distributing walking logs so employees can track their progress.

And research shows that incentives can be a key motivator in losing weight. Programs like the Walking for my Wii Challenge can entice employees to get more exercise.

Walking in the spring—or any season—is free, low-impact, and a great way to burn calories. When encouraging employees to walk, remind them of the following tips:

Always walk in the direction of oncoming traffic and try to wear bright or reflective clothing like the color orange or yellow.

Layer. It may be warming up outside, but it’s still chilly! Layer lighter fabrics you can shed as you heat up to avoid overheating.

Find a safe route. Drivers may not be on the look out for walkers so making yourself visible is crucial.

Walk with a friend or training partner. This not only increases your safety but provides you with extra motivation and competition.

Wear something with pockets. Always carry an ID and cell phone in case of an emergency.

Try to vary your routes and the time of day that you walk. This will keep you safer and make your walks more interesting.

Leave the headphones and MP3 player at home. It’s important to be alert to your surroundings such as traffic, dogs, or the sounds of other people around you.

Take your employees out to lunch or provide them with a healthy snack.

The right ingredients can give a boost in energy and attitude that can’t be beat.

And studies show that a healthy diet also boosts productivity: Employers spend billions each year in lost productivity due to obesity-related diseases such as heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

To help employees strive and maintain a healthy mood and BMI, try offering these lunch suggestions:

Low-fat chicken wrap (hold the high-fat mayo and cheese). A few ounces of lean protein in a tortilla can help the brain produce chemicals that keep it sharp and that reduce feelings of anxiety and stress. Add vegetables for extra crunch and flavor.

Salad tossed with sesame seeds. Sesame seeds add crunch and flavor, and they are also high in magnesium, which helps the body cope with stress and helps regulate blood pressure. So a small handful of sesame seeds is a great snack when working under pressure.

Grilled salmon or sushi. A Finnish study found that a diet high in fish helps ward off depression. Certain types of fish, such as salmon and mackerel, are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are good for both mind and body.

A couple of ounces of chocolate. Chocolate contains many chemicals that calm stress and put you in a good mood. For the best benefits and the least fat, make it dark chocolate.

Pineapple chunks or berries. Antioxidants in colorful fruits such as blueberries and pineapple may help improve memory and brain function.

Consider catering lunch once a week; offering healthy snacks in place of high-sugar, high-fat vending machine fare; or working with a local restaurant to offer a discount on salads, wraps and other healthy choices.

What you spend in providing employees with good-for-you food choices will be paid back with a better workplace mood and higher productivity.

After three months of rising consumer confidence in new job opportunities and the economy, the Consumer Confidence Index fell almost 11 points in February.

Citing unemployment as a main reason, researchers say consumers could continue to cut spending which hinders economic growth.

The findings may also be hindering your bottom line: Survey participants claiming business conditions are “bad” rose to 46.3% from 44.7%.

Help boost morale around your office with the following tips:

Keep it real. The best thing you can do is keep an open line of communication. Be honest about any trouble your company may be having, and be open to employee suggestions. Your employees will feel more at ease and confident if they feel like they are part of the solution.

Show your appreciation. A simple “thank you” can go a long way when employees are feeling stressed out, overworked, or nervous. Also, affirmation for a job well done helps employees know that you are interested in their level of success in the workplace.

Have fun! Little things can make a big difference. Schedule a casual lunch where employees can bring a simple dish to share with each other. Or, if you have a budget, cater a healthy lunch to encourage everyone to get up from their computers and interact.

Also, encouraging employees to walk together during lunch can help ease stress and bring staff members closer together.

Here are the best Tweets of the week:

• Businesses promote employee wellness http://bit.ly/dmHsTp
• Try our Food & Fitness Tracker: http://bit.ly/adE8oH
• Happiness makes for a healthy heart http://bit.ly/aglODm
• Top 10 Tips: Supercharge your energy levels http://bit.ly/c71zBb
• Want to clean up your mailbox? Reduce unwanted mail with Catalog Choice. http://bit.ly/9yGCWW

And for many people, spring signals a new beginning which equals a great time to give employees the information they need to make healthy lifestyle choices.

Encourage employees to turn over a new (healthier!) leaf with the following wellness program suggestions that will inspire a healthier work environment, and a healthier bottom line, too.

Take advantage of National Nutrition Month. This campaign by the American Dietetic Association can help employees realize the importance of making good food choices. (Not sure if you’re eating right? Take this quiz from the American Dietetic Association.)

Encourage employees to skip the drive thru this month and bring some of the following goodies to work:

• Fruits and vegetables (try organic!) from the produce aisle.
• Whole-grain rolls, bread, and pita from the bakery.
• Low-fat milk products like mozzarella cheese, yogurt, and cottage cheese.
• Lean proteins like grilled chicken, or fish including salmon.

Offer something new. Do you have a walking program in your office? If you don’t, a simple exercise program can help employees achieve a healthy BMI and decrease healthcare costs. Walking is low-impact, free, and almost any employee can participate.

Even if your walking program is successful, look to local exercise studios and organizations for discounts and suggestions on new ways to burn calories. Offering free or discounted classes for dance, yoga, Pilates, or boot camp may be a great source of exercise inspiration.

Encourage education for lunch. Employees have to eat, right? Try scheduling a brown bag educational lunch where employees can learn from a chosen speaker during their lunch hour.

Subjects that may interest your company and employees include seminars on budgeting and saving, social networking, work/life balance, and handling stress in the workplace.