{"id":11508,"date":"2020-06-21T00:01:53","date_gmt":"2020-06-21T04:01:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theothershift.com\/?p=11508"},"modified":"2021-03-20T02:01:53","modified_gmt":"2021-03-20T06:01:53","slug":"12-hour-shift-work-meal-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theothershift.com\/12-hour-shift-work-meal-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"You Should Meal Plan When Working 12-Hour Shifts: Here’s Why"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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People who work 12-hour shifts are presented with interesting dilemmas. One of these is figuring out how to adequately fuel their bodies for the long hours they put in each day. It is important that 12-hour shift workers fuel their bodies with the very best foods for maximum energy and health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When creating a 12-hour shift meal plan, consume a diet of little to no sugar, remove highly processed foods, limit carbohydrates and avoid having excessive caffeine as a way of getting through your shift. Spend time preparing meals, which removes the need for poor pre-packaged or on the go alternatives. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Busy schedules often leave working parents, or those that are time poor, reaching for grab-and-go solutions or even visiting the drive through on an eating break. However, a better solution would be designating a weekly time to plan and prepare healthy options for snacks and meals during the work day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a number of different items to consider when determining the best way to eat during a 12-hour shift. In this article, we will discuss all of the possible considerations you might need to remember as you work out your personal plan for success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dietary Problems For 12-Hour Shift Workers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Jobs that are scheduled in long shifts tend to be stressful and are often highly demanding positions that are both physically and mentally draining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When on the job, it can sometimes be difficult to find time to eat and accomplish the goals that you have during the time that you are on the clock. It might be easier to grab something easy or convenient, overthinking about a healthy option for your body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, convenient options are often the least ideal types of foods that you should be using to fuel your body in a highly demanding situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heading toward the vending machine or opting for the drive-through can be really poor decisions when it comes to your health. Why? More often than not, these foods are extremely high in sugar, contain excessive amounts of saturated fat and the dreaded thing for those protecting the waistline, even more calories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These foods might give you a burst full of energy, but they are lacking in the essential nutrients that your body needs. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

These foods can cause other issues for your body and mind and even interrupt your ability to concentrate on the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Convenience foods are often responsible for spikes or \u201ccrashes\u201d of your blood sugar. This phenomenon will perpetuate a cycle that will leave you craving more food to give yourself a quick boost. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The roller coaster of your blood sugar will actually impact your energy levels causing you to feel that mid-shift crash. Further, this same pattern of eating can actually lead to diabetes<\/a> or even obesity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So the outcome here is\u2026 It\u2019s better to get ahead of all of these problems before they start, or get too far out of control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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12-Hour Shift Meal Prepping: Building Good Eating Habits<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In order to avoid the roller coaster of sugar highs and lows that comes along with unhealthy eating on your shift, you might want to consider meal prepping. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether you work the day shift or the night shift, meal planning<\/a> can help you have exactly what you need to keep you from hitting the vending machine in the middle of your shift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This same concept can also help to deter the habit of hitting the vending machine or running to an unhealthy instant meal at a drive through when you have limited time on a break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first step to meal prepping and planning is to make time for regular grocery store trips and packing the day before your shift. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Some people will buy in bulk, whilst others will make a short trip out after the shift multiple times per week. The choice is yours, but we do know that working these hours doesn\u2019t leave much time for yourself, so we suggest doing one big shop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are working 12-hour shifts, then you more than likely have more \u201coff\u201d days than the rest of the working world. Use that time to prepare for your working days. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be sure to keep healthy snack options on-hand and make your lunch box and snacks the day (or night) before a shift. Trusting yourself to pack your food as you are trying to make it out the door on time is not the best practice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read:<\/strong> 10 Healthy Snacks Ideal for Hungry Night Shift Workers \u200b\"Opens<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of grabbing a bag of chips, having a selection of snacks ready to grab in your refrigerator is one fantastic way to avoid the high carb options in the vending machine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bottom line is that having a plan for your shift is the very best way to avoid all of the negative side effects of not having a planned-out option for your day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n