Now if you are a shift worker and I asked you this question, “Are you in search of more energy?” you would probably look at me a bit strangely. Considering the majority of shift workers wander around in a sleep-deprived state, a lack of energy certainly rates high amongst the Top 10 Shift Work Struggles.

So if I was to share with you a little Shift Worker Energy Secret that is going to give you a boost in energy, would you be interested in hearing what it is?

Well I’m going to tell you anyway, and it’s all about why you should be turning green!

Confused?

Well let me explain. I had a 0430am shift this morning so was woken up by that nasty little invention called the Alarm Clock, at 0350am. Not a particularly friendly time of the “day” as you can imagine, but I staggered out of bed and jumped into the shower to wake myself up into some kind of semi-conscious state.

I had packed my lunchbox the night before, just like I always do, but this time I decided to try something different. I decided to make myself a juice from raw vegetables to help me get through my shift.

So after a few hours at work, I decided to dig out my Green Raw Energy juice from the fridge – which comprised of green apples, carrots, spinach, cabbage, celery and pomegranate juice, and sat down to drink it.

Within half an hour I was feeling fantastic!

Unlike heavy processed foods, juices are really fast and easy to digest which enables you to reap the benefits of a boost in energy, not long after drinking it.

Heavy processed foods on the other hand can absolutely drain you of energy because the body struggles to digest anything that it’s not familiar with – that is, anything that is not a whole food, just like nature designed it.

So next time you’re on an early shift, or you have to go in for the dreaded night shift – try packing yourself a Raw Green Energy Juice. Give the coffee, coke and other caffeinated energy drinks the flick, and have a raw vegetable juice instead. Not only are they super tasty but they are probably one of the biggest Shift Worker Energy Secrets yet to be discovered – until now!

Now I don’t need to tell you that shift work hours can leave us feeling tired, exhausted and burnt-out. In fact some days we just want to go home, curl up in a ball and sleep for hours on the well used sofa or couch.

But is there a way to reduce the impacts of shift work hours on your health?

Quite simply – YES.

You see when you learn how to ‘Eat for Energy’ with the right foods, you can quite literally turn your shift work life around.

Yuri Elkaim is the author of ‘Eating for Energy’, a book which teaches you how to get your energy back by simply eating the right kind of foods.

And I do want to reinforce that statement – eating the right kind of foods.

As shift workers, we often blame sleep deprivation as the main cause of our extreme fatigue and tiredness and even though this may be true – it’s certainly not the ONLY reason why you may be feeling so tired.

If you’re filling up your body with sub-optimal fuel (ie; junk food, fast food, soda, sweets, cakes etc) – then you are effectively contaminating your body – just like you would if you filled your car with contaminated fuel. And just like a car, your body coughs and splutters trying to go about its daily tasks when it just hasn’t been given the right fuel to do so.

So if I was to ask you to stand up right now, leave your computer and walk into your kitchen and take a good hard look inside your fridge and pantry – what would you find?

* A pantry filled with whole grains, nuts and seeds? Or a pantry filled with jars, tins and boxes of processed food?

* A fridge filled with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables? Or a fridge filled with soft drink, left-over instant food, sauces, condiments etc?

You see quite frankly I think the energy you have depends enormously on what is stored in both your fridge and pantry. They represent a true reflection of your health. That is one that is healthy – or one that is tired, exhausted and overweight.

So if you are serious about wanting to stop feeling tired and exhausted, then clean out your fridge and pantry and get rid of the processed food. Because if it’s not within your reach, then you simply cannot eat it.