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Shift work can be brutal, but it doesn't have to be. Welcome to a healthy shift. My name is Roger Sutherland, certified nutritionist, veteran law enforcement officer, and 24-7 shift worker for almost four decades. Through this podcast, I aim to educate shift workers using evidence-based methods to not only survive the rigors of shift work, but thrive. My goal is to empower shift workers to improve their health and well-being so they have more energy to do the things they love. Enjoy today's show. What should you eat on night shift? It's one of the biggest questions that I'm asked. Should you eat overnight? Should you fast? Should you eat before your shift? What should you eat at 2 o'clock in the morning when you're starving? And why does night shift seem to cause so many problems with bloating, digestion, weight gain, and those goddamn cravings? And how come the vending machine looks like a Michelin Star restaurant at three o'clock in the morning? Well, if you're if you've ever searched for the best foods for night shift, when to eat on night shift, or how to stop gaining weight while working nights, this episode is actually for you. Because there is something that most shift workers have never been taught. When you eat may be just as important as what you eat. Or I could argue it is. Welcome to a healthy shift. My name

Why Night Shift Nutrition Matters

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is Roger Sutherland. I'm a night shift and sleep specialist, a certified nutrition a certified nutritionist and a veteran shift worker of almost 40 years. And today we're going to be talking about one of the most misunderstood areas of night shift health, food. More specifically, what should you eat on night shift and when should you eat it? Because the problem with night shift nutrition advice is that it's written for people who work during the day and sleep at night, eat breakfast, have lunch, eat dinner, don't skip meals, maybe have a healthy snack in between. Now that might work perfectly

The Big Questions About Eating Nights

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well for someone who wakes at 7 a.m., works from 9 to 5 and sleeps at 10 p.m. But what happens when you wake at 3 p.m., start work at 6 p.m., work for 12 hours, and then sleep at 8 a.m. Well, suddenly the normal rules become really confusing. Is 2 a.m. your lunchtime because it's the middle of your shift? Should you eat breakfast when you get home at 7 a.m.? Should you have dinner with your family before work? And this is the exact problem. Shift workers are often given generic nutrition device that just doesn't account for the fact that they are awake, working, and eating at a time when human biology is expecting them to be asleep. So let's talk about why food timing matters. Your body has an internal biological clock. Yep, there it is again, the circadian rhythm. But what many people don't realize is that your digestive system and metabolism also operate according to daily rhythms. Your body does not process food exactly the same way across the entire 24-hour period. During the biological night, your body is preparing for rest, repair, and sleep. Yet the night shift worker is awake and often eating, sometimes a lot. I know because I did it for decades. I was sitting there reading Spag Bowl at three o'clock in the morning. You get tired. Someone brings chocolate into work. There are biscuits in the kitchen. You walk past the lollibowl. Someone orders takeaway. There's chocolates in the drawer that the uh patient's parents have brought in for you. You walk past the vending machine. You walk past it again. The lights draw you in. The vending machine. Don't go to the light. Suddenly, there you are, snacking on a packet of chips at three o'clock in the morning. And here's the question: Are you actually hungry or are you tired? Bored? Stressed? Are you trying to stay awake? Because these are not the same thing. The 3 a.m. food problem. So let's talk about three o'clock in the morning. Because I think every night shift worker knows exactly what I'm talking about. You're tired. That concentration's

Circadian Rhythm And Digestion Timing

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going. Your motivation is disappearing. And you want food. Usually you're not craving a salad, are you? You want sugar, chocolate, chips, takeaway, goddamn Jenny, or that cake. Something that gives you an immediate reward. And there are biological reasons why sleep deprivation and circadian disruption can affect hunger, appetite, and your food choices. But this is where night shift workers can get caught in a cycle. You're tired, so you eat highly palatable food. You get a temporary lift, no doubt. Then your energy just crashes again. So you eat something else. And before you know it, you've graced your way through the entire night. Then you get home and you have breakfast. Then you go to bed. Then you wake up, you eat again. Many shift workers genuinely have no idea how much food they're consuming across a 24-hour period. Not because they're lazy and not because they lack discipline, but because there is literally no structure. Now, should you fast during the night? You're talking to me. Now we get to the question that I'm asked constantly. Roger, should I fast during night shift? Now, my answer to that is that I believe that there can be real value in reducing or avoiding food intake during the biological night. But I am also very mindful and very careful about giving every shift worker

The 3am Craving Trap

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exactly the same advice. Because everyone is different. Your health history matters, your medications matter. Maybe your pregnancy status might matter, your relationship with food matters, your individual circumstances matter. So this is not about me telling every night shift worker you must fast overnight. It's about understanding an important principle that your body is not biologically designed to be continually processing food throughout the night. And for many shift workers, simply reducing overnight eating can make a significant change. Significant change. A lot of weight loss. I see clients with a lot of weight loss by uh manipulating when they eat. Not what they eat, but when they eat. So what should you eat before the night shift? So let's make this practical. One of the best places to start before your night shift is don't wait until you're exhausted and starving at 2 a.m. to start thinking about food. Plan ahead. Start thinking about eating a substantial balanced meal before your shift or early in

Should You Fast Overnight

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your night shift. A meal that contains a quality protein, fiber, vegetables, and carbs or healthy fats based on your individual needs and preferences. The goal is really simple. Start your night shift properly fueled. Good low GI foods will help to sustain you longer and overnight. Because if you arrive at work and you're already hungry, tired, and underprepared, you've set yourself up for failure already. You're making the rest of the night much harder than it needs to be. And this is what I see all the time. A shift worker wakes up late, rushes around, drinks coffee, has a piece of toast, doesn't eat properly, starts work, and then wonders why they're standing in front of the vending machine at midnight. Your night shift nutrition strategy starts way before midnight. So what happens if you do get hungry overnight? Genuinely hungry. Eat. This is where I want to be sensible. I don't want someone sitting at work feeling miserable, distracted, and starving because they think they've failed if they eat. But think about what you choose

What To Eat Before Starting Work

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to eat. Instead of the vending machine or a huge meal at 2 or 3 a.m., consider something smaller and easier to digest. Something based around a protein. Fruits, vegetables, veggie sticks, yogurts, really good. Nuts, boiled eggs, hard boiled eggs. A simple meal or a snack that you've prepared in advance, just small. The exact food is less important than the principle. Plan ahead, keep it simple, and avoid turning the entire night shift into one long eating window. So what about after night shift? So we get to the end of the shift and you're driving home, you're exhausted, you've basically fasted all night. You're hungry. Should you eat before bed? Again, it depends. If you've eaten well before, like three, four o'clock, as in a yogurt, some fruit, some nuts, and you start and you don't feel like you're hungry, don't eat. If you're not genuinely hungry, you don't need to eat. But if you are hungry and that hunger is going to keep you awake, having something small can be appropriate. What I would suggest is the habit of finishing maybe eight, 12-hour shift,

Smart Overnight Snacks When Hungry

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eating a huge meal, immediately going to bed, I would question that. That's not good. Because you're asking your body to digest a significant amount of food while you're trying to create the best possible condition for sleep. Think about it. This is why food timing and sleep cannot be separated. Everything is connected. And the biggest mistake I see night shift workers make with food is focusing entirely on what they eat. What? They're looking at what they eat all the time. They tell me, I eat pretty healthy, and you might. But then we look at when they're eating. They're grazing all night. Eating a large meal. I'm in a calorie deficit, Rog. I'm only eating about 1600 calories. Yes, but you're eating them between midnight and 6 a.m. When your body is not primed to digest, metabolize, and store them properly.

After Shift Eating And Better Sleep

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Eating a large meal at 3 a.m., then eating again when you get home, sleeping, waking up, and eating dinner with the family. The problem may not simply be the quality of food, it might be the timing and the frequency of eating. And this is why I teach nutrient timing as one of my four pillars. Sleep, daylight, moving, movement, and nutrient timing. Because food is not simply fuel, food is also a timing signal to your body. A simple night shift food strategy. Let's put this into a simple system. Number one, plan your food and have it ready before your shift starts. Do not rely on your tired 3am brain to make a good decision. You know how that ends and it doesn't end well. Number two, eat a substantial balanced meal before or early in your night shift. Low GI. Start the shift properly fueled with something that's going to sustain you. Number three, think very carefully about overnight eating. Ask yourself the question, challenge yourself. Are you genuinely hungry? Or are you tired, bored, stressed, or trying to stay awake? Number four, if you do need to eat overnight, consider something smaller and easier to digest than a large meal. Soup, cheeses, like baby bells, handful of nuts, a yogurt with some fruit in it. Really good. Number five, think about what you're doing after night shift. Do you really need another large meal immediately before sleep? Probably not. Number six, look at your entire 24-hour eating pattern. Not just one meal, because that's where the real picture becomes clear. So now, let's start with one change. If you work night shift and you're struggling with your food, your digestion, and you are gaining weight,

A Simple Night Shift Food System

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or your energy has crashed, don't completely overhaul your diet tomorrow. Start with one thing. Maybe you prepare your meal the night before. Maybe you stop grazing through the entire shift. Maybe you move your largest meal earlier. Maybe you start asking yourself just this question am I actually hungry? Because one change repeated consistently. Because the goal isn't to create the perfect night shift diet. The goal is to create the system that better supports your biology and what works with your actual life. Now, if you go to my website, ahealthyshift.com, and you scroll down the main page, you'll see my book, There, The Circadian Fast, as to how to structure the overnight fast properly. Couple of cheeky recipes in there as well, if you want. You can go and download that. It is free for you. So, what should you eat on night shift? And the answer isn't simply a list of 10 healthy foods. You need to think about what you eat, but you also need to think about when you eat. Because your circadian rhythm matters. Your digestion matters. It suffers if you're eating out of sync. Remember, again, your body is responding to the data that you're putting into it.

One Change To Start Tonight

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Your sleep matters. And your entire 24-hour eating pattern matters. Excuse me. Now, if you found this episode because you were searching for what to eat on night shift or when to eat while working nights, or how to stop gaining weight on night shift, I hope that this has given you a better understanding of where to start. So if you know a nurse, a paramedic, police officer, firefighter, dispatcher, call taker, or any other shift worker who lives on caffeine, chocolate, and whatever else is in the vending machine at 3 a.m., send them this episode. And make sure that you follow a healthy shift wherever you listen to your podcast. Turn on those

Free Book And Share The Episode

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notifications and hit follow. Because in the next episode, we're going to answer another huge question. How do you recover after night shift? I'm Roger Sutherland. Thanks for listening to a healthy shift, and I'll talk to you again soon. Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe so you get notified whenever a new episode is released. It would also be ever so helpful if you could leave a rating and review on the app you're currently listening on. If you want to know more about me or work with me, you can go to ahealthyshift.com. I'll catch you on the next one.