When you’re working long hours and starting early or regularly eating away from home there are small actions you can practise keeping your body and brain well nourished.

Why it matters.

• When eating nutritious food becomes a habit your body and mind will be stronger, healthy and more productive.
• When you eat nutritious food – and avoid unhealthy options — you stay well, alert and safe.

What should I do?

• Choose plants first – plan your meals around ‘two and five a day’.
• Snack only when you are hungry.
• Reset your relationship with sugar.

How should I do it?

Choose plants first – plan your meals around ‘two and five a day’.

• Plan to eat two standard serves of fruit across the whole day.
• Plan to eat at least five standard serves of vegetables per day across your meals.
  • Try to make sure each vegetable is a different colour.
  • NOTE: Standard-sized serves are also described as standard-sized portions. 1 standard serve = 1 standard portion.
• When you have chosen your vegetables, choose a lean protein to eat with the vegetables.
  • Choose from meat, fish, eggs, nuts and/or seeds to feel fuller for longer.
• Keep additional vegetable and lean protein snacks in your fridge or Esky.
  • Some workers find foods such as cherry tomatoes, blue berries, snow peas and low salt jerky are easy to prepare before a work day.
  • Some workers prepare slices of vege frittata and cheese to eat with different pickled veges and hard-boiled eggs before a work day.
• Every time you eat, start with vegetables that make you chew and protein to make you feel satisfied quickly.
  • Eat vegetable sticks and nuts or wraps with salad and lean meat for something quick.
  • Choose different coloured vegetables or salad first, then a lean protein (something that isn’t fried if you can) to go with your vegetables.
  • Many workers take frozen meals from home and heat the meal in a microwave oven. Read more here
• Choose foods that are not processed to have with your vegetables. Processed foods are missing some of the vitamins and minerals that your body needs to be well.
  • TIP: Read the ‘ingredients label’ on foods — avoid foods that contain 5 or more ingredients.

Read more here 

Snack only when you are hungry.

• Make sure you only snack when you are hungry and not thirsty, bored or lonely.
  • Sip water hourly – schedule it and set reminders on your phone. Read more here 
  • If you are bored, listen to music or a podcast. Read more here 
  • If you are lonely, connect with someone. Read more here 

Reset your relationship with sugar – your body functions much better when it doesn’t get refined sugar.

• Refined sugar from lollies or starch (like chips, potatoes, pasta and bread) makes you hungrier through the day, makes focusing more difficult at times through the day, and after making you sleepy, interrupts your sleep (when you are asleep). Read more here
  • If you eat refined sugar or starch, have them only as treats earlier in your day.
  • Choose vegetables and protein instead of refined sugar and starch as often as you can.
  • If you want something sweet, choose a piece of fruit. The sugar in fruit is unrefined and comes with fibre that your body needs to be well.

Read more from Dr Chatterjee here 

 

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