Dietitian Louise Lambert-Lagacé answers a question about food.
Louise Lambert-Lagacé, the dietitian, is the author of several books, including Les Menus midi, Menopause, nutrition and health, Part-time vegetarianism, and How to feed your child. She has served on numerous boards and committees working in health and nutrition. She has been running her private nutrition clinic since 1975.
Q.: I have weight to lose. However, the fact that I work at night seriously complicates my life. I don’t have a set schedule for meals and besides, I don’t know what to eat or when. Can you give me some clues?
A.: Night work is undeniably an additional challenge, but the situation is not without a solution. A few basic rules can help you eat better.
In the evening, before starting your night shift, have a breakfast-style meal. This can consist of cereals with fruit and yogurt; oatmeal with fruit and a piece of cheese; toast on whole-grain bread spread with peanut butter and fruit, or a small omelet with two toasts and fruit, etc. Bottom Line: This meal should contain at least one piece of fruit, whole grains, and enough protein (at least 15g) to sustain you well.
During the night, during your meal break, eat a light meal but including at least 15 g of protein. For example, a meal soup or salad with legumes, tuna, chicken or shrimp or a tuna, chicken, or egg sandwich made with whole-grain bread and served with a piece of cheese. Never forget raw or cooked vegetables. The idea, again, is to ingest enough protein to sustain you and keep you awake. Avoid fried foods and foods that are too high in fat, as they make you heavy and sleepy. Don’t fall into the opposite excess of not eating at all and consuming coffee! This is neither good for your health nor for your weight because then you will have food cravings that will lead you straight to bad food choices.
When you come back from work in the morning, have a snack before going to bed. Suggestions: a yogurt sprinkled with a few almonds; a smoothie made with yogurt, fruit, and ground flax seeds; a boiled egg and toast or even a bran muffin (preferably homemade because store-bought muffins are really rich and sweet cakes), etc. Don’t eat a big meal right before bed because you won’t have time to digest it. If you have trouble sleeping, opt for a starchy snack (bread, cereal, muffin). Starches stimulate the secretion of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that promotes relaxation.
Finally, when you wake up in the afternoon, eat your fourth meal of the day. A small meal, of course. It can be vegetable soup with whole wheat crackers, cottage cheese, and fruit; a casserole of legumes with a green salad; a sandwich and raw vegetables; a fillet of fish with rice and vegetables, etc. If, on the other hand, you want to eat as a family, I suggest that you eat only a piece of fruit or yogurt when you wake up. At dinner, eat the same dish as the rest of the family, but in smaller quantities. Do not have a small meal in the evening, but rather a snack.
In short, when you work at night, you eat more often, but neither large meals nor constant snacking have a place in this schedule if you want to lose weight. Finally, I strongly advise you to increase your level of physical activity to keep yourself in shape and help you lose a few pounds or a few inches from your waistline. In my opinion, the ideal time to train would be when you wake up in the afternoon.
