The Shift Work Diet – How Eating Makes You Feel Tired!

I guess if you’re reading this article right now, then I don’t need to tell you that the shift work diet is not a good one. In fact, just eating food can make you feel tired – let alone working crazy hours.

So as a shift worker, do you tend to ‘eat for energy?’ Do you head for the fridge or snack machine whenever you’re starting to feel tired?

If so, then you’re going to want to read this.

You see, the simple act of ‘eating’ – or putting food into your mouth, can actually increase your tiredness and sap your precious energy.

Most people are not aware that the actual process of ‘digestion’ takes a whole lot of energy.

In fact, we burn over 10% of our available “fuel” every day just digesting our food!

Now obviously digestion is an important process and something that we can’t – nor would we want too – stop doing. But we can certainly make things easier for our digestive system so that it frees up some energy for us.

“Ahhh … more energy!” I can hear you saying.

So here’s a little trick for you.

Chew every bite of food 30 times before swallowing.

Sound a bit silly?

Well it might sound a bit silly, but it’s actually more profoundly life-changing than you can possibly imagine.

And here’s why:

• Digestion starts in the mouth. If we skip that process, we only get a fraction of the nutritional value of our food. Small amounts of nutrition = low energy.

• Gulping down partially chewed food puts tremendous stress on our digestive system which is why you feel so tired after a big meal, or you’ve eaten in a hurry.

PLUS – a huge proportion of shift workers suffer from digestive problems every single day, but are blissfully unaware of it.

And what’s worse is that a lot of digestive problems don’t even manifest in a sore stomach – only in FATIGUE.

But the good news – (yes, finally there is some good news) – is that by simply correcting your chewing habits, you can open the energy floodgates by freeing up energy that was already there!

So try not to eat in a hurry. Eat slowly, savour every piece of food that goes into your mouth … and chew, chew, chew!

Your stomach will certainly thank you for it – and you won’t feel so tired after eating your meal. Sound like a nice change?