According to a 2024 Canva and Harvard Business Review report, 90% of surveyed global business leaders identify creativity as a crucial employee attribute. But while 96% agree that creativity at work is essential to an organization’s long-term success and performance, only 22% say their organization is “very successful” at identifying creative solutions to business problems.
An overlooked solution? Food.
Here, we discuss how workplace food culture can create opportunities for creative thinking, collaboration, and innovation — along with tips to design a work environment that keeps inspiration thriving.
What makes a creative workplace?
When evaluating how to increase creativity in the workplace, your people— and the ways they interact— should be at the forefront.
A workplace culture where employees can experiment, take risks, and fail is foundational in generating creativity and engagement. This is improved even further when employees share meals. A Cornell University study found that employers who encourage employees to eat together — aka, foster a strong "food culture" — may see a boost in productivity.
The cherry on top? A meal benefits program can be the cornerstone of employee engagement and satisfaction. Convenient, healthy meals help support both employees' physical health by keeping them nourished during their busy workday, and their mental health by eliminating the burden of meal planning and prep.
Foods for creative thinking
This just in: "you are what you eat" isn't just another cliché.
What we eat has a profound impact on our cognitive function, directly impacting our creativity at work. Research shows that workers with unhealthy eating habits are 66% more likely to slack off at work — they may be physically present, but are mentally and emotionally checked out.
Types of foods and eating habits that are linked to increased cognitive ability and creative problem solving include:
A diet rich in omega-3 like fatty fish and other seafood, nuts and seeds, and plant oils.
High consumption of fruits and vegetables. 93% of employees who rarely eat fruits and vegetables are less productive at work.
Tyrosine. An amino acid found in foods like seaweed, bananas, and almonds has been shown to have impressive effects on deep thinking and creativity.
Coffee and tea. It's been suggested that caffeinated beverages can improve creativity at work. One study found that participants who took a 200mg caffeine capsule had higher performance in convergent thinking tasks. A similar study for tea revealed positive results for both convergent and divergent creative thinking.
On the other hand, you should be aware of foods and eating habits that can have a negative impact on creative thinking:
High-sugar and processed foods. These meals, while delicious in the moment, can lead to energy crashes and cognitive decline, negatively impacting creativity.
Overeating. Consuming too much food can block creativity by diverting energy to digestion, making it difficult to operate at full creative capacity.
Optimizing the office space for creativity
From the working area itself to its aesthetics, creating dedicated spaces in the office for productivity, collaboration, and focus is key.
Working and eating in a variety of spaces — like open collaborative areas and quiet pods — encourage an environment of mentorship, relationship building, and brainstorming that fuels creativity at work. Some employers also implement artwork or interactive whiteboards, and nature-inspired elements like living walls, natural light, and outdoor work areas to create a calming and inspiring atmosphere.
Creating intention for these spaces matters, too. Company policies that encourage employees to take genuine lunch breaks away from their desk, for example, encourages employees to change their environment, and enjoy each spot as intended.
How we eat matters just as much as what we eat
While meals rich in nutrients and key food groups directly impact cognitive function, being intentional about how we eat is just as important. Enter: mindful eating – the practice of tuning into your experiences, cravings, and physical cues while eating, making it easier to recognize when you're truly satisfied. Mindful eating encourages you to be more present and helps boost self-awareness, giving you the mental space needed for creative thinking to flow more freely.
Another way to nurture creativity is through socializing with your colleagues. Social lunches can foster social bonding, improve communication, and encourage collaboration — all of which are essential for creative problem-solving. Consider recurring team lunches where everyone can select their own meals, participate in a potluck of cultural cuisines, or further their professional development , to transform how your team eats at work.
A meal benefits program can help increase creativity at work
DoorDash for Business is a solution designed for creativity at work. People are an organization’s most valuable resource, and creating the conditions for a great place to work — like providing employee meal benefits — is a powerful way to ensure your team is happy, healthy, and productive.
