What You Can Do to Stop the Shiftwork 'Blues' - New Zealand Police ...

New Zealand Police AssociationGood diet is an absolute essential for dealing with shiftwork.Photo courtesy of Istockphoto.com and Shorrocks.Protein: Protein rich foods contain tyrosine,an amino acid that stimulates brainchemicals to help you feel more alert. It’simportant to choose low fat protein foodsbecause high fat protein foods take longer todigest (this is especially important when thesefoods are eaten late at night when digestionnaturally slows down).Carbohydrates: Carbohydrate based foodsprovide energy for everyday tasks and alsohelp to create serotonin, a brain chemical thatallows you to feel less irritable and more ableto focus.When you eat a small meal containing about120g of lean protein food with about a cupof certain slow releasing carbohydrates youwill be ‘powered up’ to perform at your bestwithout feeling sluggish.Carbohydrates not only help you to focus, thesame slow releasing carbohydrates can alsohelp you to rest and sleep more effectively aswell. Choosing a slow releasing, carbohydraterich meal a few hours before you need tosleep promotes steady blood sugar levels –this will help you stay asleep.Serving sizesIf you eat the right types of food but eattoo much of them, you won’t get the bestresults. The ‘right’ serving size is differentfor different food groups and for differentbodies.To find out more details see the NewZealand Healthy Food Guide – HealthyEating Guide Serving-Size atwww.healthyfood.co.nzThe secret to good digestionIf you work shifts you may suffer fromstomach pain, bloating, constipation andother digestive problems. This is mostlikely because it may be hard for you toeat at regular times. To help reduce theseproblems, here are some good eating habitsto put in place:• The golden rule is to eat little and often.It’s hard for your body to digest largerquantities of food eaten in one sitting;• Have several small meal breaks during along shift rather than a single long one;• Don’t skip meals, especially before youstart work;• Avoid having a large meal near the timeyou go to bed as your body will be sobusy digesting it you could find it difficultto sleep;• Heavy meals can often leave youuncomfortably full, or cause heartburnand other indigestion problems, whichcan also make it difficult to get to sleep;and• Fill up on fibre - high fibre foods helpto keep everything you eat moving rightalong through your bowels. If you eatregular amounts of plant-based foods(like wholegrain cereals and breads pluslots of fruits and vegetables), all of whichcontain lots of fibre, you’ll keep digestionproblems and constipation at bay. Thishas to be good news whether you’re on along shift at work or at home.Try to include more fibre in what youeat on a daily basis:• Top up your breakfast cereal or muesliwith fresh or stewed fruit;• Enjoy lots of fresh fruit – whatever is inseason;• Eat a jacket potato or potatoes with theskin on, rather than peeled potatoes;March 201039