What is a healthy eating habit?
2.5 What to eat and when
Timing of the type of food you eat is important.
Eating the wrong things at the wrong time when preparing for work or whilst on watch can be bad for your health. It can make it hard to stay awake and/or get to sleep. It can also make you feel sick and have digestive problems, as well as put you at more risk of becoming overweight or having heart troubles.
Look back at the plate you completed during the buffet exercise in section 2.2. Write down which foods you ate, what you drank and what activities you were doing in a similar grid to below.
Time I woke up:
Time I went to sleep:
| 01:00 |
Activity... |
Food/drink... |
13:00 |
Activity... |
Food/drink... |
| 02:00 |
|
|
14:00 |
|
|
| 03:00 |
|
|
15:00 |
|
|
| 04:00 |
|
|
16:00 |
|
|
| 05:00 |
|
|
17:00 |
|
|
| 06:00 |
|
|
18:00 |
|
|
| 07:00 |
|
|
19:00 |
|
|
| 08:00 |
|
|
20:00 |
|
|
| 09:00 |
|
|
21:00 |
|
|
| 10:00 |
|
|
22:00 |
|
|
| 11:00 |
|
|
23:00 |
|
|
| 12:00 |
|
|
24:00 |
|
|
⇒ Consider:
Eating certain foods at the right times can make a difference in how you feel. For example:
- At the beginning of your watch what did you eat?
- Towards the end of your watch what did you eat?
- Before bed what did you eat and drink?
- Did you drink a lot of caffeine?
- Did you eat heavy or light meals?
Below is a summary of the good practice you have just considered:
1. Before your watch
Eat protein rich food such as skimmed and half-fat milk, yoghurt, and lean meat. These foods give a slower and steady release of energy.