Eating Well for Shift Workers

When you’re working late hours and feeling tired and fatigued, knowing when to eat and what to eat can be hard.  Shift work can play havoc with your body clock, and feeling tired can often lead to making poor food choices.  Shift work can also disrupt your digestive system and sleep quality.  The good news is that diet can play an important part in keeping you fit and well for when you’re rostered on for late night shifts. Here’s some tips for eating well

1. Maintain stable blood sugar levels

Choose low GI carbohydrates to maintain good energy levels and a better quality of sleep. This includes wholegrain breads, wholegrain cereals, pasta and certain types of rice. You can read more about glycemic index here. Avoid sugary foods and refined carbohydrates like white breads, lollies, biscuits, cakes etc. These cause blood sugars to rise quickly followed by a subsequent slump, leaving you feeling tired and lethargic.

2. Include low fat protein in your before work meal

Before you go to work, eat a meal that contains low fat protein.  Foods high in protein contain an amino acid called tyrosine that stimulates brain chemicals to make you feel more alert. Good low fat options include grilled fish, baked beans, chick peas, skinless chicken, lean meats, cottage cheese, low fat milk and yoghurt.  Meals could include smoothie made with low fat milk, yoghurt and fruit or wholegrain wrap with chicken, cottage cheese and salad.

3. Choose high protein snacks at work

Choose a high protein snack for at work to help keep you alert.  Low fat yoghurt or vege sticks and hummus would be good options

4. Include high fibre foods in your diet

As working night shift can mess with your digestive system, its important to ensure your diet is high in fibre. Choose wholegrain foods and ensure you have lots of vegetables and fruit in your daily diet.

5. Keep hydrated

Aim to drink 6-8 glasses of water a day to keep hydrated. Dehydration causes tiredness, and can make you feel hungry when really what you need is a drink.

6. Avoid too much caffeine

Caffeine is the ultimate pick me up for those who are feeling tired. But while a little is ok, too much will interrupt sleeping patterns and leave you feeling worse off in the end.  Avoid more than 4 cups of coffee/caffeine containing beverages a day and don’t consume caffeine more than 4 hours before bed time.

 7. Avoid fatty foods
High fat foods take a long time to digest and leave you feeling sluggish.  Too many high fat foods will also lead to weight gain.

8. Be prepared

Being organised and prepared is necessary when you’re working late shifts. Make sure you have healthy snacks at work, and pack a healthy meal to take with you.  Have fruit on hand when you’re feeling like something sugary.

For a comprehensive guide for eating well for shift workers,  this guide is an excellent resource