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:

1. At the beginning of your watch what did you eat?
2. Towards the end of your watch what did you eat?
3. Before bed what did you eat and drink?
4. Did you drink a lot of caffeine?
5. 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.

2. After your watch
Eat carbohydrate such as bread, potatoes, salad, pasta salad, fruit and whole grains.  These foods help you to sleep better.

3. Before bed
Avoid the following directly before bedtime because these can make it more difficult to get to sleep.

• Eating very spicy food
• Eating fried and fat food
• Eating sweets
• Drinking a lot of caffeine

4. Drinking caffeine
Caffeine is a stimulant.  It can give you an energy boost when you need to be awake but can stop you from getting to sleep if you drink it too close to bedtime

• Limit your intake of caffeinated drinks like coffee, energy drinks, and soda.
• Try to only consume caffeinated drinks early in the day or at least 4-6 hours before you plan to sleep.

If you drink a lot of caffeine during the day because you feel sleepy, ask yourself if there is a better way to manage your tiredness.

See Fatigue Risk Management for further information.

5. Eat light meals
On ship it is often not possible to give your body the time to digest a large meal.

• Eating soups, salads, and lean meat will keep you satisfied throughout your watch but will stop you from feeling overfull and tired.
• Eating a light meal before bed will give you a better night’s sleep.

Sleep is important

Food and sleep

Our bodies are made up of different systems, so it’s important to think about how they all fit together.

Diet and sleep both have an effect on each other. As well as paying attention to what you eat and when, studies show that regularly eating a healthy, well-balanced selection of food, will help you get better sleep.

When you sleep well, it is easier to eat more healthily because your body produces higher levels of the hormone that controls your appetite, increases fat-burning and helps with muscle-building.

Food for exercise

It is even more important to eat the right types of food at the right time if you want to properly fuel a focused exercise routine on top of your daily activities.

You also need to pay attention to your body and what it needs. Eating a well--balanced diet can help you get the calories and nutrients you need, but it’s important to balance what’s good for you with what your body wants.

⇒  Look at the fuelling routine plan below and chose which could be good for you.
There is information below that can help you.

1. 2 hours before your workout:
   a. drink a big glass of water
   b. drink an extra-large protein shake
   c. eat a 3-course meal
   d. eat a low-fat yoghurt and a piece of fruit
   e. eat and drink nothing until after sport
   f. eat a small whole grain pasta salad with steamed vegetables
    
2. 5-10 minutes before your workout
   a. sip some water
   b. drink an extra-large protein shake
   c. eat a 3-course meal
   d. eat a piece of fruit
   e. eat and drink nothing until after sport
   f. eat a small whole grain pasta salad with steamed vegetables
    
3. During your workout (normal exercise)
   a. drink lots of water
   b. drink small, frequent sips of water
   c. eat a big sandwich
4. After your workout (2-60 minutes after focused exercise)
   a. drink plenty of water
   b. dont drink anything
   c. drink a protein shake

Below is a summary of the general guidelines and some additional information we have just discussed.

Note, these are general guidelines. We all have different bodies and what your body needs will depend on what type of workout you’re doing. Take time to find out what works best for you.

1. BEFORE: It is important to fuel up. Not fueling up before your exercise is like “driving a car with no fuel in the tank”.  Ideally 2 hours before your workout:

• Drink plenty of water
• Eat healthy carbohydrates and fruits and vegetables (e.g. whole-grain cereal (with lowfat or skimmed milk), whole-wheat toast, low-fat or fat-free yogurt, whole grain pasta, brown rice, fruit and vegetables)
• Avoid ‘bad’ (saturated) fats or large amounts of protein.

These types of fuels digest slower in your stomach. They take away oxygen and energy-delivering blood from your muscles.

2. BEFORE: If you only have 5-10 minutes before you exercise:

• Eat a piece of fruit such as an apple or banana.

3. DURING: keep your body hydrated

• Drink small, frequent sips of water

4. AFTER: refuel your tank.

You burn a lot of carbohydrates when you exercise.  In the 20-60 minutes after your workout, your muscles can store carbohydrates and protein as energy and help in recovery.  You also sweat when you exercise, and you need to rehydrate.

• Drink plenty of water.  You can also blend your water with 100% juice such as orange juice which provides fluids and carbohydrates.  Eat things with protein to help repair and grow your muscles.