Eating right during the night shift

Posted on Nov 03, 2008 by Andrew in The bartender .

It’s been a while since I did a post addressing the barriers to staying healthy and fit for someone who works nights. So let’s talk about how to eat right if you work nights.

What Time Do You Stop Eating Carbs

A lot of people will tell you that if you want to lose or maintain weight, you don’t want to eat carbs after a certain hour. Well, since you work nights, this isn’t going to apply to you, necessarily. Instead, try to get the bulk of your carbs in your first two or three meals of your “day”. Since I recommend the Paleo way of eating, it’s gonna come from berries and vegetables mostly.

When you first start working as a bartender or a night-shifter, your body will not be adjusted to this schedule. As such, you will have stronger carb cravings at night (or at least, I did). To fight these cravings, keep some beef jerky, almonds, or dried fruits with you to help curb your appetite. These are also great foods for during the work shift because they’re portable and don’t need to be refrigerated.

If You’ve Got A Kitchen, Use It

If you’re working at night, chances are that you will have a kitchen at your disposal. So use it! When I was bartending at a bar/restaurant, I would just have the guys in the kitchen throw two pieces of chicken on the grill and then I’d put some lemon juice on top plus some mixed vegetables on the side. It’s a simple thing that any kitchen can do, but you might not think to ask for it.

Also, if they’ve got a kitchen, then they’ve got a fridge. So bring a cooler with you and stash your perishables in the fridge until your break.

These are just a few tricks to stay eating right while working the late shift. Let me know of your tricks if you’ve ever worked as a bartender or some other job at night.