What We’ll Cover

• How irregular schedules affect your body and nutrition habits.
• Practical ways to align Roczen's core principles with your shift pattern.
• Strategies to maintain energy, reduce cravings, and support better health.

Shift work, whether it involves nights, rotating schedules, or irregular hours, can present challenges when following nutrition and fasting advice. However, the flexibility of the Roczen programme allows the advice you’ve been given to be tailored to your needs, ensuring you can achieve your health goals while managing your work schedule.

Key challenges for shift workers

Shift work often disrupts your body's natural rhythms, including sleep, eating patterns, and digestion. Common challenges include:

• Difficulty maintaining a regular eating schedule.
• Increased cravings for high-sugar or high-fat foods during night shifts.
• Disrupted sleep, which can affect energy levels and food choices.
• Limited access to healthy food options during late or irregular hours.

Adapting nutrition guidelines

Here are practical ways to align Roczen’s core nutrition principles with shift work:

1. Building balanced meals

• Plan ahead: Prepare meals and snacks in advance to avoid reliance on vending machines or convenience foods. Batch cooking is especially useful for shift workers.
• Prioritise protein and fibre: These help maintain steady energy levels and keep you feeling full for longer. Include lean meats, fish, eggs, tofu, lentils, and plenty of non-starchy vegetables.
• Healthy snacks: Pack portable options like boiled eggs, nuts, Greek yoghurt, or pre-cut vegetables for quick and nutritious options.

2. Adjusting meal timing

• Pre-shift meals: Have a balanced meal before starting your shift to fill you up an provide slow-release energy.
• During shifts: Eat small, balanced meals or snacks every 3-4 hours to avoid hunger and energy dips.
• Post-shift: If hungry after a night shift, opt for a light meal or snack before sleeping. Avoid heavy or high-sugar meals that may disrupt sleep.

Incorporating fasting protocols

If fasting is part of your plan, it can be adapted around your shift pattern:

1. Adjusting your fasting guide

• Match your eating window to your shift schedule. For example, if you work a night shift, your 8-hour eating window for 16:8 fasting could align with the hours before and during your shift.
• Consider breaking your fast with a balanced meal at the start of your shift and having your last meal near the end of your eating window.

2. Flexibility is key

• Shift patterns often change, so your fasting schedule may need to adapt. The goal is consistency over time rather than strict daily adherence to exact daily hours.
• Having a changeover day where you are flexible with your eating times can help when you start or finish night shifts.

Managing sleep and hydration

• Sleep hygiene: Create a dark, quiet, and cool environment for sleeping during the day. Use blackout curtains or an eye mask to improve sleep quality.
• Hydration: Aim for 2-2.5L of water daily, spreading it across your waking hours to stay hydrated without disrupting sleep.

Tips for overcoming cravings

Shift work can increase cravings for sugary or high-calorie foods, especially during late hours. Some helpful tips to combat this include:

• Keeping healthy snacks easily accessible.
• Including moderate portions of healthy fats, like nuts or avocado, to enhance satisfaction and fullness.
• Stay hydrated, as dehydration is often mistaken for hunger and can lead to unnecessary snacking..

Monitoring progress

• Regularly review how your shift patterns affect your eating and fasting habits.
• Use your clinician’s support to adjust your plan as needed.

Summary

Adapting the Roczen guidelines to suit shift work is about finding what works best for you. By planning meals, staying flexible with fasting, and prioritising sleep and hydration, you can manage the challenges of shift work while working toward your health goals.

Remember, your clinician and group mentor are there to support you. Don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or for guidance on tailoring the programme to your needs.