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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.

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Do You Eat When You’re Not Hungry?

Do you eat when you’re not hungry?

OR… Have you been on every diet under the sun, but are still struggling to lose weight?!!

Because when we actually take time out from eating (call it fasting, or just not eating continually which is what most people have become accustomed to doing these days) – it initiates hormonal changes that make stored fat more accessible.

It essentially helps the body to break down surplus fat, leading to weight loss.

This occurs as the body uses fuel in the following order:

  1. Glucose (sugar)
  2. Glycogen (sugar stored in the liver and muscles)
  3. Adipose or fat tissue

So when blood sugar and insulin is low, it enables fat burning to occur.

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What Is Binocular Health?

Are you looking at your health as if through a set of binoculars?

Are you relying on one area of medicine to keep you healthy?

Achieving optimal health doesn’t occur when we focus on one thing.

It’s a bit like driving a car with the handbrake on as we’re unable to see the bigger picture. The blind spots that play a pivotal role in our long term health and well-being.

This is because health encompasses a myriad of facets including sleep, movement, nutrition, sunlight, connection, hydration, breath work etc.

It’s why it’s good to see a variety of health care practitioners who are trained across various modalities, along with seeking out different opinions.

The best part is that your body will begin to thrive when you make adjustments across all areas of your health – as opposed to just one.

Audra x

P.S: Needing help embracing more of a holistic take on your health whilst working 24/7? Check out the 21-Day Healthy Shift Worker Kickstart Program by Clicking Here.

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Is Low Cholesterol A Good Thing?

We hear it time and time again. We need to keep our cholesterol levels down.

But is low cholesterol a good thing?

Despite the hype that it’s a bad thing, it’s actually needed for:

-optimal brain function
-the synthesis of vitamin D
-the formation or structural component of every cell membrane in our body
-the production of steroid (sex and stress) hormones

Sex hormones include estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. Low progesterone can elevate feelings of anxiety (😳🤯) whilst another hormone, DHEA, acts as a precursor to these hormones, and also relies on cholesterol to function.

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Do You Eat At Your Desk?

Okey dokey. Hands up if you eat at your desk??

Shift workers are notorious for having gut issues for a myriad of reasons, but before sending you off to complete a heap of tests or writing a script to take some pills – has your health practitioner ever asked you WHERE and HOW you eat?

Because if you’re sitting at your desk shovelling food down whilst you’re typing at your computer or on the phone, you’re likely going to overeat and bypass the body’s innate hunger mechanism which will contribute to gut discomfort.

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