I work night a lot and have been finding that I have been eating a load of junk throughout it. any suggestions for healthy eating on nights? I wanna loose a bit of weight, theres two challenges 1) i'm veggie 2) usually theres no where to heat food up! S
night shifts are a tough one i've read studies that show pple who work nights put their health at risk (increased percentages of heart disease, cancer, etc). is there any way you can get onto days? your natural biological clock can get really messed up, your hormones can be affected (insulin levels too, which affects fat storage). have you looked into melatonin? that can help shiftworkers maintain some of their hormones levels. when i used to do nights, i'd pack lots of crunchy veggies to snack on raw, also nuts and seeds for protein. the crunch helped keep me awake. and i'd drink lots and lots of water. my coworkers would glug on coffee all night, but i found that made me feel worse in the long run, i'd avoid caffeine like the plague. i'd never take money for the vending machines, those things are evil~if i didnt have any money i couldnt get at the junk food.
Maybe you could make make up a batch of healthy bean and rice burritos and freeze them in individual freezer bags. Then you can take one or two with you and reheat it as a quick and healthy meal or snack at work.
If you keep prepared veggie sticks in the fridge, they will be ready for snacking and you won't be tempted to grab something else.
if you feel the need to eat warm foods, you could always heat it at home and take it in an insulated stainless steel thermos/food container
Prostate Cancer Risks Rise With Shift Work http://www.***********/ImageServer/Public/2006/09--september/9.21prostate.jpgJapanese researchers found that workers on rotating shifts were four times more likely to develop prostate cancer than those working regular hours, whether on day or night shifts. Shift work has also been linked to an increased risk of breast and bowel cancers. The study, which examined more than 14,000 workers over eight years, also found that night shift workers were at a slightly increased risk of prostate cancer. Eighty percent of the workers studied worked daytime hours, 7 percent worked nights, and about 13 percent rotated their work schedules from night to day. The reason for the effects may be reduced secretion of the hormone melatonin in those who work irregular hours and, to a lesser extent, nights. Reduced secretion of melatonin has been linked to increased production of sex hormones, which help to regulate prostate tissues. American Journal of Epidemiology September 15, 2006; 164(6): 549-555 BBC News September 17, 2006 Yahoo News September 13, 2006 Dr. Mercola's Comment: Our modern culture requires that many of us work completely unnatural hours. We need police and fire protection and health care workers to be available in emergency rooms. Unfortunately, what many people who work these shifts don't realize is the incredibly increased risk they put themselves at for early death. You simply can't violate foundational biological rhythms and not pay a price. Just because some genius developed the ability to create inexpensive artificial light a century ago does not give us permission to ignore centuries of biology, which dictate foundational biological processes. Getting the right amount of sleep every day, and getting it at the right time, can make such a profound difference in your health. If you happen to be one of the unfortunate people who are involved in shift work I would encourage you to place a high goal to change that as soon as possible. Personally, there are very few things that affect me as much as not getting a good night's sleep. I don't need much, but -- if I can get a good solid six to six and a half hours -- I have no problems going to sleep around 10 p.m. and bouncing out of bed at 4 a.m. to 4:30 a.m., ready and raring to tackle the day and achieve my goals. It is also important to sleep in complete darkness. Many do not appreciate that the tiniest bit of light can disrupt your body's natural circadian rhythms, in addition to the production of melatonin by your pineal gland, which is why it's so important for you to sleep in complete darkness. This is one of the primary reasons for this study's observed increase in cancer. Melatonin is a very powerful cancer controller and when you decrease your production of it your risk of cancer climbs. Also be sure to get a healthy amount of sun, another important way to slash your risk of prostate cancer. Not only will it increase your vitamin D levels, but bright sun exposure during the day will help your body make more melatonin at night if you are sleeping in a dark room. So, let's get your sleeping right and get to bed when you were designed to. If you are having trouble with sleeping I urge you to review my 29 secrets for getting a good night's sleep safely, effectively and without a drug, including: Avoid before-bed snacks, particularly grains and sugars. This will raise blood sugar and inhibit sleep. Later, when blood sugar drops too low (hypoglycemia), you might wake up and not be able to fall back asleep. No TV right before bed. Even better, get the TV out of the bedroom or even out of the house, completely. It is too stimulating to the brain, and it will cause you to take longer to fall asleep. Wear socks to bed. Due to the fact that they have the poorest circulation, the feet often feel cold before the rest of the body. A study has shown that wearing socks reduces night wakings. Reduce or avoid using as many drugs as possible. Many medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, may have effects on sleep. Avoid caffeine. A recent study showed that in some people, caffeine is not metabolized efficiently, and therefore they can feel the effects long after consuming it. So an afternoon cup of coffee (or even tea) will keep some people from falling asleep.
If you want to to lose weight, a raw foodist diet is meant to be good. Once you have lost the weight you want then go back to you veg diet as raw foodist diet is not that good for your sex life.
I worked 3rd shift for almost two years. Usually my standby was peanut butter and jelly. I'll make 2-3 and wrap em in plastic. Also fruit juices can kill the pain.
I wouldn't do fruit juice, because too much sweets at night can actually make you gain weight, if I'm not mistaken. And Bilby, why do you say a raw foods diet is not good for your sex life?
remember that the days and nights swap, so you have to eat as you would in the day time because your going to be active all night, then eat little when you get in and go to bed S
I don't know about that. My experience with raw foods is that it makes you feel primal, and eating things like cacao nibs are aphrodisiacs and that is a big food with the raw foodists as well as quite a few other nutrient dense foods, which are referred to as super foods.
i think that a mix of raw and cooked will give a good balance of nutrients. there are some things like lycopene that need to come from cooked foods (tomatoes) and as far as eating the same at night as you would during the day, i'm not really so sure about that either. if you're totally on a switched schedule, ie spend your days off sleeping days and awake nights, then yeah sure, that would make sense (silly vampire!), but if you're sticking to a more 'normal schedule' on days off, it might make more sense to try to eat light on your nights you body is going to tell you what you need, you just have to listen.
I work full time. I usually make a batch of hummus and put it on wheat/oat bread with dark leafy veggies. Heating food is unhealthy anyways. Try to stay away from cheese. Cheese is what adds a lot of calories to our foods.
Pasta salad, bean salad, any type of salad really as long as you have a place to keep it cool. If your not taking melatonin Id read about it it helps. I worked nightshift for a long time, I loved it, it does screw you up a bit though.
i love vegetable sushi rolls. they sell them made fresh daily at some grocery stores. if you have a place to keep refrigerated items, that's an idea.
what nimh said karl marx said this kind of work will send you mad try and get a job that involves daytime work
