[260] - Nuts About Shift Work - A Small Snack with Big Benefits

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Shift work wrecks your body. Long hours. No sleep. Crappy food. But what if one of the simplest things you could do for your health... fits in your pocket?

In today’s short but powerful episode, Roger dives into why a small handful of nuts a day might be the easiest, cheapest, and most effective habit for shift workers. We're talking heart health, brain protection, stable energy, and snack convenience—all in one.

In this episode, you'll learn:
– Why nuts are the perfect shift worker snack
– The myth about nuts making you fat (and why it’s false)
– How nuts help your brain, heart, sleep, and waistline
– The truth about roasted, raw, salted, and activated nuts
– Easy ways to get your daily 30g without overthinking it

If you’ve ever asked “What’s a healthy snack I can actually stick to?”—this episode is your answer.

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Disclaimer: Roger Sutherland is not a doctor or a medical professional. Always consult a physician before implementing any strategies mentioned in this podcast. Use of this information is strictly at your own risk. Roger Sutherland will not assume any liability for direct or indirect losses or damages that may result from the use of the information contained in this podcast including but not limited to economic loss, injury, illness, or death.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
Shift work can be brutal, but it doesn't have to
be.
Welcome to a healthy shift.
My name is Roger Sutherland,certified nutritionist, veteran
law enforcement officer and 24-7shift worker for almost four
decades.
Through this podcast, I aim toeducate shift workers using
evidence-based methods to notonly survive the rigours of

(00:29):
shift work, but thrive.
My goal is to empower shiftworkers to improve their health
and wellbeing so they have moreenergy to do the things they
love.
Enjoy today's show.
Well, hello there and welcomeback to a Healthy Shift podcast.
I'm your host, roger Sutherland, a veteran shift worker, health

(00:51):
and wellbeing coach and yournumber one advocate for making
shift work healthier, smarterand much more sustainable for
you, the shift worker.
Today, I want to talk aboutsomething really simple but
incredibly powerful nuts.
Yep, we're talking about asmall handful of nuts small,

(01:14):
about 30 grams a day, that's it.
And here's the thing this smalldaily habit can actually make a
massive difference to yourhealth, especially as a shift
worker.
So why nuts?
Well, I get asked over and overand over again what's a really

(01:35):
good snack for a shift worker?
To carry?
Nuts, are it, I'm telling you,nuts, are it?
And let's go into why.
Nuts are a nutrient powerhousethat one small handful gives you
plant protein, which supportsyour muscles and metabolism.
It gives you healthy fats,which are mostly unsaturated,

(01:57):
which supports your heart, brainhealth and the manufacturer of
sex hormones being testosterone,progesterone and estrogen.
It brings fiber, which helpskeep your gut happy and helps to
keep you feeling fuller longer.
Plus, they're rich in vitaminsand minerals, a la magnesium,

(02:19):
iron, zinc, vitamin E, selenium,folate and so many more, and
not to mention the fact thatthey're packed with antioxidants
, plant sterols and polyphenols,all of which help fight
inflammation, hi shift workers,and protect your body from
long-term disease.

(02:40):
Hello again, shift workers.
This is why they are perfectfor shift work.
Now, let's be honest.
Shift workers need snacks thatare A easy to carry, b
non-perishable, c they're readywhen you are, and D they're
actually good for your body.
Nuts literally tick everysingle box.

(03:04):
You can throw a bag in yourwork bag.
You can keep some in yourlocker, your glove box.
Oh, you can even put some inyour scrubs pocket.
They don't need a fridge, theydon't go off and they don't
spoil and, most importantly,they work for your health and
not against it.
Oh, but, rog, aren't nutsfattening?

(03:24):
Let's bust this myth right now.
Yes, nuts are high in fat, butit's the good kind of fat, the
kind that helps to reduce yourrisk of heart disease and stroke
.
And shift work shows that heartdisease and stroke are
prevalent in shift workers.
And the research consistentlyshows that people who eat nuts

(03:49):
regularly are less likely togain weight.
Let me repeat that People whoeat nuts regularly are less
likely to gain weight.
In fact, regular nut eaterstend to have a lower BMI, they
have less belly fat and betterweight control overall, and
that's because not all the fatin nuts gets absorbed by the

(04:13):
body and because the protein,the fat and fiber in nuts helps
to keep you feeling fuller forlonger.
They actually help you to eatless overall and they don't even
have to try it.
Nuts for your heart, your brainand your longevity.
So let's just zoom right outfor a second, because chronic

(04:35):
fatigue, inflammation, poor dietand irregular sleep are all
part of you, the shift worker'sstruggle, and these things
increase our risk for acardiovascular disease, stroke,
cognitive decline and even type2 diabetes.

(04:57):
But a daily serve of nuts canactually help to counter this.
Can you believe that?
Because studies show thatregular nut eaters have better
heart health, lower cholesterol,reduced blood pressure and even
improved brain function.
It supports vascular health andreduces inflammation, which are

(05:20):
two of the biggest concerns forour shift working community,
who get little recovery timebetween those demanding rosters.
That you're working?
Okay, Rog, you've talked meinto it, I'm convinced.
So how much do we need andwhich nuts should I be getting?
Well, simple, the sweet spot isthis you won't believe it, but

(05:44):
it's just 30 grams a day.
And how much is that?
It's about a small handful.
Or, if you're into measurements, about a quarter of a cup.
I kid you, not a quarter of acup.
Or you could have twotablespoons of nut butter on
your toast.
That's what you could do.
Now, all nuts are beneficial.
Seriously, just pick yourfavorite or just go for a mix of

(06:09):
them Almonds, walnuts,pistachios Try those pistachios
before bed, because they'relinked to sleep Macadamias,
cashews, pecans, peanuts Well,they're technically a legume,
but they're just as beneficial,even chestnuts.
Should we have them raw orshould we have them roasted?
It doesn't matter.

(06:29):
Nutritionally, they're roughlythe same.
Insignificant difference.
Activated, no, you don't needthem.
The science does not show anyadded benefit for activated nuts
.
Salted, yeah, occasionally, butstick mostly with unsalted.

(06:50):
And if you're FODMAP sensitive,just limit yourself to 10
almonds or walnuts a day, butyou can still include nuts.
How can we include nuts?
I mean seriously.
You should put some in a bagand carry them wherever you are.
But it's not just snacking.
You can get your 30 grams in somany different ways.
Just add them to a smoothie,sprinkle them on your yogurt,

(07:13):
stir them into oats or muesli,toss them into a salad Delicious
.
Put them in stir fries.
Sprinkle them over the top ofthat, stir fry A veggie bowl,
add nut butters to your slicedapple or celery, or bake with
almond meal or ground walnuts.
God damn it.
It's not complicated, it's notexpensive, it's less than a

(07:35):
dollar a day and it adds a majorboost to your overall health.
Nuts what a winner.
Now you're probably wonderingwhy I haven't talked about this
before.
There's a lot that I haven'ttalked about before, but nuts
are for the win all right, shortone today, but nuts, nuts, nuts
.
I want you to be going down toyour local nut store and I want

(08:00):
you to be getting a bag of mixednuts.
The one thing that I do want towarn you of make sure you take
some out and put them into alittle container 30 grams.
Put them into a little bag,little container or something
and take them to work, becauseif you take the whole container,
you'll be like Rog, because Rogloves to start on the container
and can't stop until thecontainer's gone and then feels

(08:21):
horrible later on.
Another little hint that I'llgive you in relation to gaining
weight research actually showsthat the calories from nuts that
we absorb are actually about22% less, so that 30 grams of
nuts might be about 200 calories.
It's around about 160 caloriesthat we might absorb.

(08:44):
It's not full, all right, keepthat in mind as well.
So there's a little anecdotefor you to go with it.
Okay, so if you took one thingfrom this episode, what's it
going to be?
I'm going to the nuts store.
That's what it's going to be.
Let it be this A handful ofnuts a day is one of the
simplest ways to protect yourhealth as a shift worker.

(09:05):
I kid you not.
It's easy to carry, you don'tneed the fridge.
It's packed with enormousbenefits for your heart, your
brain, your gut, your energy.
Give it a go.
Keep a container in your lockerand make it part of your
routine.
And if you've already made thishabit part of your shift
working life, I'd love to hearfrom you.
What is your go-to nut?

(09:27):
Let me know via Instagram at aunderscore healthy, underscore
shift, or shoot me a message.
That's all for today's episode.
Take care, look after yourselfand keep making those healthy
shifts.
Thank you for listening.

(09:47):
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I'll catch you on the next one.