Do You Flip Your Meals On Night Shift?

Have you been told health practitioners to “flip your meals” when working the night shift?

As in have a big meal around midnight?

I remember having to bite my tongue when one of my lecturers at University recommended to do this because instinctively I knew this was not the right thing to do.

And that’s waaaaaaaayyyyyy before I spent years diving down the rabbit hole learning all about chronobiology and circadian nutrition.

Why is it an issue?

Well, when we do this, it confuses the clocks in our gut, liver and kidneys that its daytime.

This can lead to gut pain, bloating, constipation, nausea, acid reflux and a whole host of other fun things that we’d much rather avoid!

It’s no wonder so many shift workers are prone to gut and digestive complaints, that actually have nothing to do with allergies or food intolerances.We need to get back to the basics.

Eat your main meal no later than 9pm (preferably earlier if you can), as this will help to minimise further disruption to your biological clock.

At the end of the day, just because we’re awake on shift during the night, doesn’t mean we’re supposed to eat.

Audra x

P.S: Want to learn more about this topic?
Check out my ‘21-Day Healthy Shift Worker Kickstart Program’ by CLICKING HERE.

Do You Experience Sugar Cravings?

Do you experience sugar cravings?

Given sleep deprivation triggers the body to seek out sugar as a source of fuel for the brain, I’d say there’s a pretty good chance that you’re raising your hand right now 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♂️.

This is because your body is always acting on your behalf, not only to help you to survive but to thrive.

It knows instinctively that it can break down carbohydrates into a useable form of energy very quickly, much faster than protein and fat.

But what else contributes to sugar cravings?

Nutritional deficiencies.

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Staff Lunchroom Table Alternative – Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Feta, Garlic and Pine Nuts.

Don’t these look amazing!!

Now when we walk into most staff lunchrooms, we often see cakes, cookies and lollies spread across multiple tables (I know they’re there as I’ve been in many a shift working lunchroom over the years …LOL), but wouldn’t it be nice to see something healthy feature on those tables instead?

Imagine if everyone made a delicious plant-based dish and brought it into share for something different (as opposed to those other things we just mentioned), the lunchroom would immediately turn into a tapas-style restaurant… even though you’re actually at work!

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Do You Eat The Same Things, Over and Over?

Do you tend to eat the same type of meals over and over again? Maybe you’ve got a close relationship going on with your breakfast cereal?!!

Well I’d like to inspire you to live on the edge a little … and add some colour and variety to your plate (or bowl!)

Why?

When we eat a more diversified diet, particularly one that is rich in plant-based foods, it helps to feed the trillions of microscopic bugs in the digestive tract.

Now these microscopic bugs (which comprise of bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses – yes you read that correctly, even viruses), they don’t just hang out in your belly, doing nothing.

They are responsible for producing important neurotransmitters such as gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA, for short. GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter which helps to calm the nervous system, needed to facilitate sleep.

They also produce serotonin, a neurotransmitter which is the pre-cursor to the sleep-regulating hormone, melatonin.

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