Tag Archives: processed foods

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Are You Always Hungry?

If you are hungry all of the time … more often than not, (apart from lack of sleep) it’s because your body is starved of nutrients.

This is because when the diet is made up predominantly of highly refined, processed and cooked foods which are void of nutrients, it leads to increased appetite, cravings and fatigue.

Something shift workers experience often.

On the other hand, raw foods provide the body with satiety and help to subside cravings for sweets and other things that may not serve you. This is because raw foods contain fibre and vital enzymes which are crucial for cellular function, optimal digestion and overall health.

This leads to stable blood sugar which will help you to stop snacking in between meals.

Raw foods are quite literally living food – straight from the earth.

Food is considered raw until heated above 42 degrees Celcius (107 F) – that’s where the bioavailability of nutrients change.

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Are You Addicted To Processed Foods?

Now as shift workers, one of the things that so many of us become addicted to is processed foods. We’re always in search of the quickest and easiest thing to eat because quite frankly, we’re so tired most of the time that we really can’t be bothered to cook anything properly.

Sounding familiar?

So what I’m about to share with you might shock you enough into reducing your consumption of processed foods, and start eating much more nutritious and high energy foods instead.

You see, whenever foods actually undergo processing, you are essentially changing the original content and the amount of nutrients that are found in these foods. Most pre-packaged, plastic wrapped or microwaveable foods have gone through a multitude of processes before they end up on the supermarket shelf.

These foods have little or no nutritional value.

The scary thing is that the food industry allows more than 3000 food additives to be used in the processing of food. And just because many of these additives and chemicals used in the processing of our foods are deemed safe, it does not mean that they are.

So things like chemicals, food additives, sweeteners, artificial flavours, colouring agents, dyes, preservatives, acids, and even bleaching agents are ending up inside our bodies via these easy-to-prepare packaged foods.

So the next time you come home from work and you reach for a ready made packaged meal or a tin of something – read the label first (I’ll talk more about food labelling in another post), and find out exactly what’s inside it, or even better – eat something that hasn’t been cooked, boiled, stewed, or microwaved to death!

Now I also suggest that you take a good hard look inside your fridge and pantry. The bottom of your fridge should be overflowing with fresh produce, and your pantry should not be stocked full of crisps, biscuits and crackers. Slowly start introducing more and more raw foods into your diet and reduce the amount of processed foods that you buy.

Because if it’s not in your shopping trolley, then it’s not going to make it into your fridge or pantry which will eliminate all temptation!

So as a shift worker I want to remind you that it’s incredibly easy not to look after yourself and eat the wrong foods. I know because I did that myself for many, many years!

Instead, give your body high performance fuel that is going to help improve your energy levels and boost your immune system – something that most shift workers are so desperately in search of.

And next time you’re out shopping, choose unprocessed foods which have no added chemicals or other additives. Foods that are essentially in their original state – the way nature grew it and intended it to be!

P.S – If you want to learn more about eating properly and looking after yourself, a book that I absolutely love is called – You Are What You Eat, by Dr Gillian McKeith. The title of the book says it all – Enjoy!