Tag Archives: eating for energy

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Orange, Almond and Chia Smoothie:

A Great Energy Smoothie For Night Shift!

What’s great about this smoothie?

  • Almonds contain healthy monounsaturated fats, protein, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc and vitamin E.  The proteins and healthy fats provide a slow source of energy release, and also help to slow down the release of simple carbohydrates or sugars into the bloodstream.  This helps to keep our blood sugar levels steady thereby reduce sugar cravings – something almost every shift worker struggles with thanks to ongoing sleep deprivation.
  • The oranges are bursting with immune boosting benefits including vitamins B and C, along with Flavonoids, Folic Acid, Carotenoids, Potassium and Dietary Fibre.  Vitamin C is also critical for adrenal function, one of our stress regulating glands which bear the brunt of a sleep-deprived lifestyle.
  • The Chia seeds are also high in protein and fibre, both of which help to keep us feeling full and have been shown to aid weight loss.

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HSW 32: Eating for Energy with Yuri Elkhaim.


Healthy Shift Worker Podcast Episode:

Ongoing and relentless tiredness is such a big part of being a shift worker, which is why in this week’s podcast, I’ve brought in the expert on all things to do with boosting our energy – nutrition, fitness and fat loss expert Yuri Elkhaim, who is joining us all the way from Toronto in Canada.

Yuri is the New York Times bestselling author of The All-Day Energy Diet and The All-Day Fat Burning Diet, and is a former professional soccer player turned health crusader. Whilst he’s never worked shift work per se, he’s very familiar with chronic fatigue having been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease as a teenager.

When Yuri made the switch from a highly processed diet, to one which contained more whole foods, it became a real game changer for him as he noticed a massive improvement in his energy, along with greater mental clarity. In addition to eating the right foods for energy, Yuri discusses why energy drinks are NOT good for shift workers as they trigger the adrenal glands to pump out the stress hormones adrenalin and cortisol, which are already working overtime as a result of working 24/7.

If you’re a tired and weary shift worker, then you won’t want to miss this episode!

Websites mentioned on the podcast:

Yuri’s Website
Yuri’s Facebook Page

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Why Energy Depleted Shift Workers Need To Be Turning Green.

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!

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Are Your Shift Work Hours Leaving You Feeling Tired and Exhausted?

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.

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Eating Raw Foods: The Magic Formula For Energy Depleted Shift Workers!

As a shift worker, do you yearn to experience an abundant supply of energy? Would you like to find a way to squash that constant feeling of fatigue and exhaustion?

Well hold onto your hats because I’m about to share with you exactly how you can!

You see boosting your energy levels when you’re a shift worker is all about eating the right foods, and right foods equate to raw foods – foods that haven’t undergone a massive amount of processing, nor sprinkled with lots of additives and preservatives.

As most fruits and vegetables can be eaten raw, why is it that most of us insist on cooking them to death and destroying all of the goodness in them?

I believe it’s simply a habit that we have acquired over the years – but a habit that we can definitely change.

Now there are certainly many advantages to eating raw food as opposed to cooked food. To begin with they have an abundance of vitamins, minerals, and most importantly, enzymes. Enzymes play an important role in aiding digestion – think constipation, bloating, and flatulence … all of those fun things!

Eating raw foods can reduce over-eating habits; improve your overall health and vitality levels; and also lower your chances of developing life-threatening illnesses including heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

On the other hand, cooked foods have lost many of their vitamins and minerals and all of their enzymes through exposure to heat, water and air.

The longer food is cooked, the greater the loss of nutrients. Without the help of enzymes, cooked foods take longer to digest and have a much higher chance of fermenting of putrefying in your stomach.

And on top of all that, the extra effort your tummy has to put into digesting cooked foods leaves you with a lot less energy to expend on all of the fun things in your life!

So start eating some raw foods today.

* In the morning, instead of canned or stewed fruit on your cereal, try adding a grated pear or apple.

* At lunch, have a salad sandwich instead of meat or cheese.

* At night, have some salad with your dinner.

* And instead of reaching into the pantry for some crunchy potato chips as a snack (we’re all guilty of doing this at some point in time) – try munching on a crunchy apple or carrot instead.

Nature has provided us with an abundance of foods that we can eat raw – fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, some fish (OK – this may not be everybody’s cup of tea), sprouted grains and sprouted legumes.

I’m certainly not suggesting that you only eat raw foods, but at least increase the amount of raw foods that you’re eating right now.

So stop feeling sorry for yourself and feeling like an energy depleted shift worker. Remember that the more raw foods that you eat, the more energy, health and fitness that you’ll have.