Be Careful When and What You Eat, When Working Shift Work – No Greasy Fries and Burgers Anymore! Sorry!
Our bodies circadian rhythms regulate when we should eat, sleep, and be active. However, when we work shift work we don’t allow our bodies to adhere to these regulations, especially when we are working nights. We run around working, when we should be sleeping and inactive, and we eat at night when our bodies are normally shut down and not focused on digestion. We all know it doesn’t help us to maintain our weight when we eat junk food at night while sitting in front of the television. But what causes the problem? Is it the calories in the junk food? Would it make a difference if we chose to nibble on carrots and celery instead? Or is it because we’re eating late at night? A recent study in the journal Obesity, has found that when we eat may be more of a driver of weight gain than what we eat. This obviously has significant impact for shift workers.
In the study, mice were fed a high-fat diet during the time they’d normally eat, the regular day-time hours on their daily circadian cycle, gained 20% in weight over six weeks. But mice fed the same high-fat diet during hours they should have been sleeping gained 48%! This new study was initiated to consider the potential impact on at night shift workers, who eat the most of their daily food intake during hours when humans are usually sleeping. The researchers believe that findings for people would be consistent the results within the mice population.
So, there’s nutrition for all, and then there’s nutrition for shift workers. Here are some key facts about nutrition for everyone (per the Center for Disease Control) :
1. Only 25 % of us eat the recommended four to five servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
2. Sweets, desserts, sodas and alcoholic drinks account for nearly 25% of all calories Americans consume. Soft drinks make up 7% of total calories we eat and salty snacks and fruit-flavored drinks add another 5%.
3. Americans are consuming more calories than they did 30 years ago, and the rate of increase is three times greater in women than men.
Impact of Nutrition on Shift Workers
Among shift workers, only 28% report that they have good nutritional practices. And an amazing number of shift workers ages 18-24, report not being aware of, or not having, good nutritional habits – 78%. Over 70% of men and 50% of women working shift work are overweight.* Because eating habits are altered when working shift work, workers often experience higher rates of gastrointestinal problems, including indigestion, heartburn, or stomach ulcers, constipation, diarrhea, and gas.
Here are some ideas for shift workers trying to improve the nutritional value of their food and take steps to limit weight gain while working shifts:
1. Plan ahead. Eat several small meals during your shift. Meals of grains, fruits, vegetables, low fat dairy products, and small amounts of lean meat are good. If you can, choose unprocessed meats (not cold cuts).
2. Avoid fried foods, foods high in fat, and salty or spicy foods. These are harder to digest.
3. Limit caffeinated beverages like coffee and cola and chocolate. These foods can cause distress in the digestive tract.
4. Drink plenty of water during your shift, but cut back towards the end, especially if you expect to go to bed soon.
5. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and greasy foods, especially within five hours of sleep.
6. Don’t skip meals, but avoid vending machines stuffed with chips and candy!
7. If you have to order take out, make selections like sandwiches on multi-grain bread or wraps made with grilled vegetables and low fat cheeses, or chicken or minestrone soup with multi-grain bread on the side. Salads are good too, but avoid greasy salad dressings and choose low fat options instead.
8. If you’re hungry when you get home, before going to bed eat a light meal like yogurt or cottage cheese and fruit with toast.
9. Whenever you eat, do it slowly – don’t rush through your meals.
10. Consider the timing of when you take any medications and discuss with your doctor how they may impact you when working nights or rotating shifts; consider alternative timing.
As with any of the unique challenges of working shift work, there are solutions you can try. Not everyone will adapt to working shift work, but employees who want to, can seek out many, many solutions to help improve their work/life balance while working shifts.
*©2003 Health in Extended Hours Operations, Circadian Technologies, Inc.
©2009 Circadian Age, Inc. – ‘Working Nights’
Tags: circadian rhythms, drugs, obesity, rotating shifts, shift work, vitamins, Working Nights
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