November 16, 2025 • 15 mins
Text me what you thought of the show 😊
We share a simple, evidence‑based plan to beat midnight cravings by aligning food timing with your body clock. Learn how a pre‑shift dinner and a 2–4 a.m. snack swap stabilise energy, protect gut health, and end the vending‑machine spiral.
• Why circadian misalignment drives cravings and weight gain
• The case for a main pre‑shift dinner with lean protein and complex carbs
• How digestion slows overnight and what that means for food choices
• The 2–4 a.m. dip and a protein plus fibre snack strategy
• Practical non‑perishable options to replace vending‑machine sugar
• One small commitment this week to build momentum
• Workplace education options for teams needing structured support
All you've got to do is go to the link in the show notes and start a conversation
Don't forget, rate and review this podcast
Follow the link in the show notes. It'll take you straight to the seminar experience webpage. Everything's on it. You can book a call and have a chat with me about it
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe so you get notified whenever a new episode is released
It would also be ever so helpful if you could leave a rating and review in the app you're currently using.
----------------------------
ANNOUNCING
"The Shift Workers Collective"
https://join.ahealthyshift.com/the-shift-workers-collective
Click the link to learn all about it
-----------------------------
YOU CAN FIND ME AT
_____________________
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.
_______________________
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (01:41):
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, and24-7 shift worker for almost
four decades.
Through this podcast, I aim toeducate shift workers using
evidence-based methods to notonly survive the rigors of shift
(02:04):
work, but thrive.
My goal is to empower shiftworkers to improve their health
and well-being so they have moreenergy to do the things they
love.
Enjoy today's show.
And welcome back to a HealthyShift podcast.
I am absolutely thrilled thatyou have chosen to listen to
another episode of this show.
(02:27):
My name is Roger Sutherland, andI bring evidence-based
strategies to support you, theshift worker, to help you to
thrive and not just survive inyour shift working life.
One of my main goals is to giveall shift workers more energy to
do the things that they loveoutside of their shift working
life.
You think I'm a magician, I canactually do this, and I can do
(02:50):
this very simply with simplestrategies.
And one of them I'm going totalk about in today's podcast
for you.
One thing that I wanted to sayto you was don't overcomplicate
it all.
One of the main reasons why wefeel so awful as a shift worker
is circadian misalignment.
And when we get that circadianmisalignment right, like I spoke
about in the last episode aroundlight, your bedroom, controlling
(03:14):
your stress, we sleep better, wefeel better, everything comes
good.
And then we have more energy todo the things that we want to do
outside of our shift workinglife.
Now, if you're a working mum andyou've got a high schooler, a
primary schooler, and you've gota substantial mortgage, hectic
schedule.
I know where you eat when you'retired.
(03:35):
The vending machine.
I know that the lights of thevending machine are your grab
and go.
You skip a meal because you'retrying to rush out of the door
and you hit a wall at 2 a.m.
And that goddamn chocolate baris the quickest answer to your
low energy.
I know you're looking around,you're wondering how I know, but
I know because I've lived it.
(03:55):
You know the caffeine and sugarhigh is fake, and the crash is
coming.
But what else are you supposedto do?
Because you're just too busytrying to appease everyone else
to figure out a new meal plan.
You don't need a new meal plan.
Let's talk about it today.
I've been there.
My vending machine was the go-tofor decades.
But once I learned aboutnutrition, and particularly once
(04:18):
I learned about the chrononutrition, which is the eating
overnight and how our bodyinteracts with food during the
day and the night.
And as a veteran shift workerthrough all of my own journey, I
wanted to cut through the noiseand give you three simple
practical strategies thatprotect your health without
adding hours of cooking to youralready overloaded week.
(04:38):
So let's talk about that.
Because today in the episode,what I want to focus on is night
shift nutrition and how to beatthose relentless goddamn
midnight cravings.
Because they're there.
We're tired.
What do we do?
We crave the sugar because thesugar's the glucose, which is
the energy that the body craves.
So let's talk, let's start andtalk about why night eating
(05:02):
matters.
So before we get to the rules,let's just quickly understand
what the main problem actuallyis.
The shift worker often facesshift work weight gain and poor
gut health.
And why is this?
And I think if you really thinkabout it, you can work out why
it is.
But the the goal is why.
(05:22):
Now it comes down to yourbiology.
Because when you sit there andyou eat chocolate, chips,
carbohydrates, and everything,every meal at two o'clock in
your mor in the morning, yourbody is actually biologically
ready to rest.
In fact, it is resting.
It's not designed to digest atthat time.
Your master clock, thatcircadian rhythm that we've
(05:45):
spoken about in I don't know howmany episodes, is telling your
digestive system it's okay now,you can rest, but you're up and
about and you're on nights.
That doesn't mean that yourdigestive tract is actually
functioning.
It still goes on that normalcycle.
And eating against your body'sclock forces it to digest food
(06:05):
when it is at its leastefficient.
Now, this slow process is whatleads to hello ladies, bloating,
digestive issues, and crucially,it makes your body more likely
to store calories as fat.
You feel sluggish, you're heavy,and the energy that you want
from that food never reallykicks in.
You get a high and then youcrash.
(06:27):
Now, the goal is not to starveyourself, it is to eat with the
clock and not against it.
And that brings us to rulenumber one.
Rule number one is to front loadyour fuel.
Your largest and most impactfulmeal when you're working night
shift in your working cycleshould happen before your night
(06:49):
shift starts.
Think of it as your mostimportant fuel up.
What we do is we call this frontloading our fuel.
We are fueling our body.
We need to fuel it.
We're working overnight, sowe've got to do it.
So if you start your shift at 7p.m., your biggest meal should
be around five or six.
What do we focus on here?
(07:11):
This meal needs to be rich inlean proteins, right?
Fish, beef, lamb, chicken,things like that.
We need to be having those sortof things: lean proteins, lean
cuts of meat, and complexcarbohydrates.
Forget the myth that you need toavoid carbs.
(07:31):
What you need is stable energythat actually lasts you.
All right.
So you can Google complex carbs.
It'll give you a list of whatyou can actually have there.
But that's what you would need: lean proteins and complex carbs, (07:42):
undefined
because this is what maintainsand helps and supports a stable
blood sugar over a period oftime.
Now, the goal here, the protein,chicken, eggs, or lentils,
something like that.
It provides satiety and alsomuscle fuel.
We need to preserve musclebreakdown.
(08:04):
The complex carbs, which arelike oats or brown rice or sweet
potatoes, release energy very,very slowly.
And this prevents this majorenergy crash that sends you
scrambling for the vendingmachine later on.
It's a simple swap.
So stop eating a quick piece oftoast before work and start
seeing the pre-shift meal asyour main dinner.
(08:27):
Cook enough to make it countbecause this one change cuts
down the need for that heavyeating while you're actually on
shift.
Think about when you have yourmain meal.
When you're not on night shift,you have it at night.
And then you don't eat againuntil you have breakfast.
You can do this even whileyou're awake.
It works.
Trust me.
(08:48):
So, lean proteins, complexcarbohydrates, this is what's
going to help you.
Rule number two, we need astrategic snack swap.
We need to do this approximately3 to 4 a.m.
And I know why.
And so do you.
Because when it gets to five,four to five, you're ready to
eat absolutely anything.
And the lure of the vendingmachine lights are about to
(09:11):
absolutely do your head in.
Once you're on shift, the goalis maintenance here, not a heavy
meal, because this is how andwhere you conquer those midnight
cravings.
Everyone's got them, but this ishow you conquer them.
Your body is going to hit anatural energy dip around 2 to 4
a.m.
Your circadian rhythm dictatesthis.
(09:32):
It's inevitable.
You've been programmed to go forsugar and fat because they offer
you the fastest but the mostdestructive energy spike.
So the solution here is astrategic snack swap.
What you need is a snack that ishigh in protein and fiber, which
are the two nutrients that willkeep you full and will help to
(09:55):
stabilize that blood sugar.
Here are three simple,non-perishable options that you
can actually have ready to go.
Nuts and seeds.
Who would have thought?
A small handful of walnuts,almonds, or even pumpkin seeds,
because they are high in proteinand also in healthy fats, which
helps you to maintain satiety.
(10:18):
Get yourself a YoPro yogurt, puta handful of berries in it.
Stir that through.
You've got protein, you've gotfiber, you've also got
antioxidants, which are going tohelp to eradicate those free
radicals in your bloodstream aswell.
Make sure that you get that.
It's a lovely sweet treat tohave at that time of the morning
when you're looking for it.
(10:38):
It is really easy.
Hard-boiled eggs.
A few hard-boiled eggs preparedin advance are an absolute
protein powerhouse that you cansit in your work fridge just in
a little container and then youcan just go and eat a
hard-boiled egg, no problems.
Simple.
Protein, fat, healthy, reallygood for you.
(11:02):
Because replacing the junk withthese strategic options, you can
actually manage the dip withoutactually triggering your gut or
sabotaging those health goals.
This is really important.
The core of sustainable nightshift nutrition is simple.
All you gotta do is focus onwhen you eat, not just what you
eat.
Now you've now got three rules.
(11:24):
Front load your fuel, eitherhigh protein, high fiber, and
choose strategic snack swaps andavoid the vending machine
because it's not gonna help you.
You I know in your life you justdon't have time for complex meal
prep.
So just focus on this.
It's very simple.
(11:44):
This week, commit to replacingone of those vending machine
items on your shift with aready-made and high protein
alternatives.
That is your one step towardsvictory.
If you're a member of a team, anursing unit, police station,
factory crew, and you feel thisstress and fatigue is impacting
your workforce.
(12:05):
Remember that I runtrauma-informed day sessions,
the shift work seminars thatwill help.
And I can come into yourworkplace and I can help you
with these sort of things,simple strategies.
All you've got to do is go tothe link in the show notes and
(12:26):
start a conversation.
Every single seminar that I'verun in workplaces has started
with a conversation with someonelike you, just listening to
this.
If you don't do something aboutit, nothing's gonna happen.
Even organizations that staffhave thought, oh no, they're
broke, they've got no money,they won't spend it.
You've got to understand,particularly here in Australia,
(12:48):
it is legislated.
They have to spend money oneducation around work, work,
health, and safety.
They're gonna spend itsomewhere.
Let's make it productive forshift work.
You are responsible for this.
You can do this.
All you've got to do is strikeit up and put it up the line.
(13:08):
Or steer your management in thedirection of it.
Get them to download my freeebook, which is there.
The seminar experience.
It talks about everything that Ido and how I go about it.
Follow the link in the shownotes.
It'll take you straight to theseminar experience webpage.
Everything's on it.
You can book a call and have achat with me about it, and I can
(13:29):
tell you how I can help yourteam.
And then I will liaise with yourhuman resources or your team
leader, manager, whoever, and Iwill help you to get a shift
work specific seminar in yourworkplace.
Remember, I do this from aposition of experience.
I'm not someone who's justresearched it, I'm someone who's
(13:52):
worked it.
I've sat in your shoes and Iknow what it feels like.
All right.
So try that.
So, what I want you to do also,if you could do me such a favor,
would be go into the show notesand follow that link.
And don't forget, rate andreview this podcast.
No one's rated or reviewed itfor so long, and it's so simple
(14:15):
for you to do.
I'd be ever so grateful.
It's all shit free.
I'll catch you on the next one.
Thank you for listening.
If you enjoyed this episode, besure to subscribe so you get
notified whenever a new episodeis released.
It would also be ever so helpfulif you could leave a rating and
(14:38):
review on the app you'recurrently listening on.
If you want to know more aboutme or work with me, you can go
to ahealthyshift.com.
I'll catch you on the next one.
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, and24-7 shift worker for almost
four decades.
Through this podcast, I aim toeducate shift workers using
evidence-based methods to notonly survive the rigors of shift
(02:04):
work, but thrive.
My goal is to empower shiftworkers to improve their health
and well-being so they have moreenergy to do the things they
love.
Enjoy today's show.
And welcome back to a HealthyShift podcast.
I am absolutely thrilled thatyou have chosen to listen to
another episode of this show.
(02:27):
My name is Roger Sutherland, andI bring evidence-based
strategies to support you, theshift worker, to help you to
thrive and not just survive inyour shift working life.
One of my main goals is to giveall shift workers more energy to
do the things that they loveoutside of their shift working
life.
You think I'm a magician, I canactually do this, and I can do
(02:50):
this very simply with simplestrategies.
And one of them I'm going totalk about in today's podcast
for you.
One thing that I wanted to sayto you was don't overcomplicate
it all.
One of the main reasons why wefeel so awful as a shift worker
is circadian misalignment.
And when we get that circadianmisalignment right, like I spoke
about in the last episode aroundlight, your bedroom, controlling
(03:14):
your stress, we sleep better, wefeel better, everything comes
good.
And then we have more energy todo the things that we want to do
outside of our shift workinglife.
Now, if you're a working mum andyou've got a high schooler, a
primary schooler, and you've gota substantial mortgage, hectic
schedule.
I know where you eat when you'retired.
(03:35):
The vending machine.
I know that the lights of thevending machine are your grab
and go.
You skip a meal because you'retrying to rush out of the door
and you hit a wall at 2 a.m.
And that goddamn chocolate baris the quickest answer to your
low energy.
I know you're looking around,you're wondering how I know, but
I know because I've lived it.
(03:55):
You know the caffeine and sugarhigh is fake, and the crash is
coming.
But what else are you supposedto do?
Because you're just too busytrying to appease everyone else
to figure out a new meal plan.
You don't need a new meal plan.
Let's talk about it today.
I've been there.
My vending machine was the go-tofor decades.
But once I learned aboutnutrition, and particularly once
(04:18):
I learned about the chrononutrition, which is the eating
overnight and how our bodyinteracts with food during the
day and the night.
And as a veteran shift workerthrough all of my own journey, I
wanted to cut through the noiseand give you three simple
practical strategies thatprotect your health without
adding hours of cooking to youralready overloaded week.
(04:38):
So let's talk about that.
Because today in the episode,what I want to focus on is night
shift nutrition and how to beatthose relentless goddamn
midnight cravings.
Because they're there.
We're tired.
What do we do?
We crave the sugar because thesugar's the glucose, which is
the energy that the body craves.
So let's talk, let's start andtalk about why night eating
(05:02):
matters.
So before we get to the rules,let's just quickly understand
what the main problem actuallyis.
The shift worker often facesshift work weight gain and poor
gut health.
And why is this?
And I think if you really thinkabout it, you can work out why
it is.
But the the goal is why.
(05:22):
Now it comes down to yourbiology.
Because when you sit there andyou eat chocolate, chips,
carbohydrates, and everything,every meal at two o'clock in
your mor in the morning, yourbody is actually biologically
ready to rest.
In fact, it is resting.
It's not designed to digest atthat time.
Your master clock, thatcircadian rhythm that we've
(05:45):
spoken about in I don't know howmany episodes, is telling your
digestive system it's okay now,you can rest, but you're up and
about and you're on nights.
That doesn't mean that yourdigestive tract is actually
functioning.
It still goes on that normalcycle.
And eating against your body'sclock forces it to digest food
(06:05):
when it is at its leastefficient.
Now, this slow process is whatleads to hello ladies, bloating,
digestive issues, and crucially,it makes your body more likely
to store calories as fat.
You feel sluggish, you're heavy,and the energy that you want
from that food never reallykicks in.
You get a high and then youcrash.
(06:27):
Now, the goal is not to starveyourself, it is to eat with the
clock and not against it.
And that brings us to rulenumber one.
Rule number one is to front loadyour fuel.
Your largest and most impactfulmeal when you're working night
shift in your working cycleshould happen before your night
(06:49):
shift starts.
Think of it as your mostimportant fuel up.
What we do is we call this frontloading our fuel.
We are fueling our body.
We need to fuel it.
We're working overnight, sowe've got to do it.
So if you start your shift at 7p.m., your biggest meal should
be around five or six.
What do we focus on here?
(07:11):
This meal needs to be rich inlean proteins, right?
Fish, beef, lamb, chicken,things like that.
We need to be having those sortof things: lean proteins, lean
cuts of meat, and complexcarbohydrates.
Forget the myth that you need toavoid carbs.
(07:31):
What you need is stable energythat actually lasts you.
All right.
So you can Google complex carbs.
It'll give you a list of whatyou can actually have there.
But that's what you would need: lean proteins and complex carbs, (07:42):
undefined
because this is what maintainsand helps and supports a stable
blood sugar over a period oftime.
Now, the goal here, the protein,chicken, eggs, or lentils,
something like that.
It provides satiety and alsomuscle fuel.
We need to preserve musclebreakdown.
(08:04):
The complex carbs, which arelike oats or brown rice or sweet
potatoes, release energy very,very slowly.
And this prevents this majorenergy crash that sends you
scrambling for the vendingmachine later on.
It's a simple swap.
So stop eating a quick piece oftoast before work and start
seeing the pre-shift meal asyour main dinner.
(08:27):
Cook enough to make it countbecause this one change cuts
down the need for that heavyeating while you're actually on
shift.
Think about when you have yourmain meal.
When you're not on night shift,you have it at night.
And then you don't eat againuntil you have breakfast.
You can do this even whileyou're awake.
It works.
Trust me.
(08:48):
So, lean proteins, complexcarbohydrates, this is what's
going to help you.
Rule number two, we need astrategic snack swap.
We need to do this approximately3 to 4 a.m.
And I know why.
And so do you.
Because when it gets to five,four to five, you're ready to
eat absolutely anything.
And the lure of the vendingmachine lights are about to
(09:11):
absolutely do your head in.
Once you're on shift, the goalis maintenance here, not a heavy
meal, because this is how andwhere you conquer those midnight
cravings.
Everyone's got them, but this ishow you conquer them.
Your body is going to hit anatural energy dip around 2 to 4
a.m.
Your circadian rhythm dictatesthis.
(09:32):
It's inevitable.
You've been programmed to go forsugar and fat because they offer
you the fastest but the mostdestructive energy spike.
So the solution here is astrategic snack swap.
What you need is a snack that ishigh in protein and fiber, which
are the two nutrients that willkeep you full and will help to
(09:55):
stabilize that blood sugar.
Here are three simple,non-perishable options that you
can actually have ready to go.
Nuts and seeds.
Who would have thought?
A small handful of walnuts,almonds, or even pumpkin seeds,
because they are high in proteinand also in healthy fats, which
helps you to maintain satiety.
(10:18):
Get yourself a YoPro yogurt, puta handful of berries in it.
Stir that through.
You've got protein, you've gotfiber, you've also got
antioxidants, which are going tohelp to eradicate those free
radicals in your bloodstream aswell.
Make sure that you get that.
It's a lovely sweet treat tohave at that time of the morning
when you're looking for it.
(10:38):
It is really easy.
Hard-boiled eggs.
A few hard-boiled eggs preparedin advance are an absolute
protein powerhouse that you cansit in your work fridge just in
a little container and then youcan just go and eat a
hard-boiled egg, no problems.
Simple.
Protein, fat, healthy, reallygood for you.
(11:02):
Because replacing the junk withthese strategic options, you can
actually manage the dip withoutactually triggering your gut or
sabotaging those health goals.
This is really important.
The core of sustainable nightshift nutrition is simple.
All you gotta do is focus onwhen you eat, not just what you
eat.
Now you've now got three rules.
(11:24):
Front load your fuel, eitherhigh protein, high fiber, and
choose strategic snack swaps andavoid the vending machine
because it's not gonna help you.
You I know in your life you justdon't have time for complex meal
prep.
So just focus on this.
It's very simple.
(11:44):
This week, commit to replacingone of those vending machine
items on your shift with aready-made and high protein
alternatives.
That is your one step towardsvictory.
If you're a member of a team, anursing unit, police station,
factory crew, and you feel thisstress and fatigue is impacting
your workforce.
(12:05):
Remember that I runtrauma-informed day sessions,
the shift work seminars thatwill help.
And I can come into yourworkplace and I can help you
with these sort of things,simple strategies.
All you've got to do is go tothe link in the show notes and
(12:26):
start a conversation.
Every single seminar that I'verun in workplaces has started
with a conversation with someonelike you, just listening to
this.
If you don't do something aboutit, nothing's gonna happen.
Even organizations that staffhave thought, oh no, they're
broke, they've got no money,they won't spend it.
You've got to understand,particularly here in Australia,
(12:48):
it is legislated.
They have to spend money oneducation around work, work,
health, and safety.
They're gonna spend itsomewhere.
Let's make it productive forshift work.
You are responsible for this.
You can do this.
All you've got to do is strikeit up and put it up the line.
(13:08):
Or steer your management in thedirection of it.
Get them to download my freeebook, which is there.
The seminar experience.
It talks about everything that Ido and how I go about it.
Follow the link in the shownotes.
It'll take you straight to theseminar experience webpage.
Everything's on it.
You can book a call and have achat with me about it, and I can
(13:29):
tell you how I can help yourteam.
And then I will liaise with yourhuman resources or your team
leader, manager, whoever, and Iwill help you to get a shift
work specific seminar in yourworkplace.
Remember, I do this from aposition of experience.
I'm not someone who's justresearched it, I'm someone who's
(13:52):
worked it.
I've sat in your shoes and Iknow what it feels like.
All right.
So try that.
So, what I want you to do also,if you could do me such a favor,
would be go into the show notesand follow that link.
And don't forget, rate andreview this podcast.
No one's rated or reviewed itfor so long, and it's so simple
(14:15):
for you to do.
I'd be ever so grateful.
It's all shit free.
I'll catch you on the next one.
Thank you for listening.
If you enjoyed this episode, besure to subscribe so you get
notified whenever a new episodeis released.
It would also be ever so helpfulif you could leave a rating and
(14:38):
review on the app you'recurrently listening on.
If you want to know more aboutme or work with me, you can go
to ahealthyshift.com.
I'll catch you on the next one.
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