Ask the expert: Dietitian Katherine Vandenbussche offers six nutrition tips for shift workers

Working in healthcare can be incredibly rewarding but it usually comes along with one thing: working outside the regular nine to five. In other words: shift work.

It’s late nights, early mornings, and rotating schedules that can throw anyone’s body and sleep cycle for a wild ride. With hectic schedules that are always changing, healthy eating and nutrition tends to end up as an after-thought. Therefore, when working an irregular schedule in healthcare, the health of employees can sometimes take a back seat.

But, it’s never too late to try and improve your nutrition and recommit to healthy eating, even when working an irregular schedule.

Katherine Vandenbussche, a registered dietitian who now works as an Inter-professional Practice (IPP) supervisor at Michael Garron Hospital, offers easy-to-follow tips to set you up for success.

1. Start with small changes

Making any lifestyle changes can seem overwhelming, instead of taking on too much at once, Katherine advises to start with small changes like bringing healthier snacks or going for walks on your breaks.

“Start with little changes, and really focus on those before you work your way up.”

2. Stick to a schedule and meal plan

“Try to follow a schedule as much as possible especially when it comes to your meals. Even if you’re working the night shift, eat lunch as largest meal of the day before you go in to work,” says Katherine.

3. Learn to love water.

“Sometimes when we think we’re hungry, we’re actually thirsty. Try to drink water first before having a snack to see if your hunger persists.”

4. Choose easy to prepare foods you can use in multiple ways

“Chicken and hard-boiled eggs are protein options that can be used across all meals and are easy to prepare. Eggs can be breakfast or a quick snack for a burst of energy and chicken can be chopped up and put in a pita for lunch or served with pasta for dinner.”

5. Sugar-free and protein-rich snacks

Having healthy snacks on hand that are easy to grab-and-go are essential to making healthy eating easy. Veggies with hummus, nut butters or even hard-boiled eggs are easy to prepare and pack in your lunch box. Snacks like these will give a long-lasting punch of energy that will last longer than sugary snacks and keep you fuller for longer.

6. Night-shift tips

If you’re working the night shift, make dinner your biggest meal and eat it before you start or early on in your shift. After that, keep yourself energized with protein-rich snacks throughout the night with foods like tuna or those hand hard-boiled eggs. Don’t forget to eat a small breakfast after your shift. Overnight oats or yogurt and muesli are a great option so you don’t wake up too hungry.

Katherine’s Meal Ideas:

Breakfast: Natural plan yogurt or Keifer with a two tables spoons of chia seeds mixed well and maple syrup or frozen fruit to add sweetness (can be prepared ahead of time to eat on the go)

Snack: One or two hard-boiled eggs with some sliced cucumbers and peppers

Lunch: Chicken salad on a pita, oranges

Snack: Celery/cauliflower or carrot sticks with hummus, sliced apples and nut butter, almonds and dried fruit

Dinner: Pasta salad packed with chicken, peas, corn and broccoli or a baked potato with chili