Shift your food to work well

Finding your food routine with shift work.

I have a lot of respect and gratitude for shift workers. Not just our frontline workers, but for all shift workers. That includes parents. It’s a tough job, and it can be challenging to fuel well for work and life around different sleep-wake cycles.

Many shift workers will often ask me what the best foods are to be eating on their shift; if they should be eating on night shifts; and if eating when they get home before they sleep is good or not. The answer to all these questions will change depending on whether you’re on a late shift, an early shift or a night shift.

So let’s explore …

Now you don’t need me to tell you that shift work disrupts your sleep and maybe life. Some of my good friends are nurses; and when they told me they can be on their feet for eight to ten hours without a break I nearly died. I would definitely be hangry after a few hours!

Luckily there are a few foods and things you can do around shifts to be able to work well and then sleep well too.

It’s a bit like sport… you want to fuel around your shifts. That way you can focus and be energised while working. As an example, here’s an outline on when you may eat depending on the shift.

My suggestions for late shifts:

• Breakfast at home
• ? Snack before work or early lunch
• At work: lunch/ snack(s) + dinner meal
• At home before bed: milk drink or yoghurt

SNACKS

Depending on your goals and what you do outside of work (e.g. sport, hitting the gym or running around after kids), what you take to eat at work and snack on will change. Some easy on the go snacks to keep at work or in your bag that are rich in protein and fibre are helpful — like:

• Nut bars or oat based muesli bars
• Trail mix / unsalted nuts
• Tinned tuna
• Roasted chickpeas or fav-va beans
• Tetra milk packs
• If you have a fridge or cooler bag: yoghurt, cheese on crackers

When you’re tired and perhaps maybe on a late shift, it can feel easiest to grab whatever’s quick and easy, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be nourishing. If you aren’t able to bring a meal or food from home, then see if you can pick some grab and go options or a meal from the local cafe that’s got quality protein and some carbohydrates (ideally high fibre like rice, grainy bread, or roast veggies).

• Supermarket frozen meals / ready made meals
• Bagged salad + tinned tuna + bread roll/ microwavable rice
• 7/11 | Convenience store | Service station options: Sandwiches: egg & lettuce; chicken and salad; nut bars; yoghurts; small milk drinks
• Cafeteria / Café meals: Egg & lettuce sandwiches; Chicken salad rolls / wraps; Quiche + salad; Falafel wraps; Soup +/- bread roll +/- nut bar; Frittata + salad

“Learning to eat regularly and planning what I would eat the next few days…i found it really helpful to have my meals ready to go. And having snacks, because I don’t always get a break at work.” -Hollie, ED Nurse

EAT TO SLEEP WELL

To help you sleep well — regardless if it’s 6am or 9pm, having a protein rich snack before bed can help. That’s because some of the building blocks of protein (amino acids) make up tryptophan, which converts into a molecule to make melatonin (part of our sleep-wake cycle).

Depending when you finish your shift, a protein rich dinner before bed might be enough. Otherwise, if you’re finishing a late shift or a night shift, having a snack like the below will help:

• Milk drink (such as malted milk)
• Greek or protein yoghurt
• Custard
• Handful of nuts

TOP TIPS

• Plan ahead if you can
• Have meals ready to go or options you can buy (frozen meals are handy!)
• Always have some back up snacks — especially if you know you might not get a break
• Aim to have 3 meals a day and at least a protein snack before bed

I’d love to post some of my favourite quick and easy options here for you to save, but you might have to scroll for a while… So you can grab lots of my recipes at Sophus Nutrition and @thefitnutkitchen

Happy eating and training,

Christie