Tag Archives: shift work snacks

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Healthy Shift Worker Snack – Chocolate & Sesame Seed Slice.

Sugar cravings are a massive challenge for anyone working shift work because the body instinctively seeks out sugar as a source of fuel when its been unable to obtain sufficient quality sleep.

This is because it can convert this sugar into energy much more quickly than it can from eating protein or fat.

However, eating large amounts of sugar over time – especially the highly refined and processed sugar found in most store bought chocolate and candy bars, can be a leading contributor to an ever expanding waistline.

In fact this expanding waistline forms one of the ‘Top Shift Working Struggles’ that I mention in my newly released book – Too Tired To Cook.

It’s why making your own homemade chocolate snacks can be a much healthier alternative – especially for your waistline!

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Protein Smoothies: Are They Good For Us?

Whey protein scoop. Sports nutrition.

A few weeks ago I did a post about protein being an important macronutrient for shift workers because it helps to build a strong immune system, balances our blood sugar levels and helps to sustain us so that we don’t get hungry.

But what about protein powders?

Whilst protein in our food keeps us feeling full and less likely to binge or snack on high-sugared snacks from the vending machine, I’m not a huge fan of protein powder smoothies – particularly if they are used as a meal replacement.

Why?  Because protein powders shouldn’t replace real food.

They can be a great snack option, but they’re not ideal when used as a meal replacement because they’re a synthetic substitution for real food.

And I say this as an ex Herbalife consultant (from many years ago) which are renowned for their protein shakes.  Back then I had no idea about the importance of reading food labels but if they read something like a chemical experiment with lots of numbers and unpronounceable words – you really want to avoid them.

Many protein powders are also made up of fillers which can cause hormonal, skin and digestive disorders.  Depending on the brand, they can also contain lots of sugars, additives and artificial sweeteners which can lead to inflammation.

Still keen on consuming protein powders?

Don’t worry – they’re not all bad.  There are some good ones out there – in particular Pea Protein Powder.

Pea Protein Isolates is a vegetable protein derived from, you guessed it – peas!

I really like pea protein for a number of reasons:

  • It’s a great source of protein for vegans and vegetarians because it is a “complete protein”.  That is, it contains all of the 10 essential amino acids which the body is unable to produce.
  • They are easily digested and absorbed.
  • They are less likely to cause allergies because they are gluten, dairy, soy and lectin free.
  • They are not genetically modified (GMO).

So keep enjoying your protein smoothies because they’re a great way to get some extra sustenance into your body when you work 24/7.   They’re also a far healthier option than choosing a chocolate bar from the vending machine, but just choose your protein powders wisely – do your research.

P.S:  I love adding fruit into my smoothies for extra flavour, in particular bananas for added fibre (which helps to keep us regular), vitamin B6 (which increases energy) and potassium (which helps to lower blood pressure).

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Shift Work Snacks – How To Have Your Chocolate And Eat It Too!

When you work shift work it’s really easy to snack on all sorts of junk food. If you’re feeling fatigued all of the time you just want to grab the fastest source of food you can get yours hands on.

And for most shift workers, this typical shift work diet falls into the ‘very unhealthy’ category.

I know because I used to be one of them.

Chips, chocolate, lollies, soft drink, fast food burgers – you name it and I’ve tried it.

The only trouble with this lifestyle, is eating junk food severely adds to your fatigue.

Have a think about this.

If you eat a packet of potato chips which are laden with fat, salt, and preservatives how is it going to give you more energy? Your body is going to think – “What on earth is this?” or more importantly, “how am I going to digest these potato chips because they’ve undergone so much human intervention.”

Your body simply does not recognise this type of food.

You see the actual process of digestion expends a great deal of energy, so if you’re already struggling from exhaustion then you’re only contributing to your fatigue when you eat these types of highly processed foods.

Your body is an amazing machine.

It can put of with a lot of junk but it will always struggle to digest highly processed food because it quite simply does not know HOW to digest it. As a result, not only will you feel really tired soon after eating this food, your body will receive little if any nutrition at all.

If anything, you are just loading up your body with toxic substances making you feel even more tired.

What’s really interesting is in most developed countries today, people are severely malnourished.

Not because we don’t have an abundant source of nutritious food (quite the contrary), but because we’re eating all of the wrong foods. Foods that were not grown from the earth containing all of the essential vitamins and nutrients our body needs in order to stay healthy and function at its peak.

So I’ve decided to share with you one of my favourite shift work snack recipes to help steer you away from this toxic junk food path. It’s about eating more raw foods, that is, foods which are as close to their original state as possible.

And the best part about this shift work snack is you can have your chocolate and eat it too!

Enjoy!

Raw Chocolate Cacao Balls

1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup almonds
1 cup softened dates
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup gogi berries
3 heaped dessert spoons of Organic Raw Cacao Powder
1 tsp vanilla concentrate
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons tahini paste
Desiccated coconut for rolling

Soak dates overnight or simmer until soft. Process all ingredients (except the coconut) in a food processor and then place into the fridge for 30 minutes. When cool, shape into balls and roll in desiccated coconut (makes about 20).