What should we eat to work better? What are the foods best suited to the job we do? Can nutrition alleviate the stress of frequent night shifts or responsibilities? Here are all the answers with the advice of Eleonora Buratti and Carlo Giolo, authors of the book The diet of trades (New Techniques, 160 pages, € 15,90).
IF YOU EAT WELL, YOU "MAKE" MORE
«Food and profession are closely linked: it is a few years ago an important report from the International Labor Organization which clarified how an unbalanced diet can cause a productivity loss up to 20%. Adopting a correct diet, on the other hand, benefits the company and the employee's health ”, he explains Eleonora Buratti, scholar of eating behaviors and company sociologist in Bologna and Rovigo.
Eating well, in addition to keeping body weight under control, also contributes to job security: «Several recent studies have shown that excess pounds can cause injuries due to limitation in movements. Plus, being overweight increases the likelihood of develop occupational pathologies like the musculoskeletal ones and contributes to modifying the immune response: epidemiological data reveal, for example, that the obese are absent more often and more easily develop occupational diseases such as asthma and osteoarthritis of the knee », Buratti continues. "The calories needed depend on the type of work: sedentary ones involve an expenditure between 90 and 200 calories per hour for women and 120-290 for men, while a personal trainer may need 500 and 700 calories per hour respectively. The diet, however, over and above the energy requirement, must above all take into account specific nutritional needs linked to the individual profession and include specific foods, the so-called Congenial Food ».
In the gallery below, let's take a look at some of the main professions.
MANAGER
Lo stress is life partner of those who occupy a position of responsibility. It is recognized by symptoms such as irritability, insomnia, headache, indigestion, heart rhythm disturbances.
"To relax the muscles - including the heart - and the brain and to relieve heartburn due to tension, it is essential take magnesium, which is found in abundance in dates»Explains Doctor Eleonora Buratti. «In the fight against stress they cannot be missing poppy seeds, excellent for flavoring vegetable meatballs or steamed potatoes: their active ingredient, papaverine, has a sedative action but does not decrease the concentration ». Poppy seeds are also useful in case of insomnia: leave them to infuse for 5 minutes in hot water, filter and drink half an hour before going to sleep.
«Among other useful" ingredients " oats should not be forgotten, which supports the manager in the harsh mornings of meetings and reunions: it is highly energetic and calms the attacks of nervous hunger », continues our expert. «Instead, against the free radicals produced in large quantities by stress serve purple aubergines: they contain anthocyanins, pigments with a high antioxidant power. In the end, green light for bean sprouts, rich in vitamin C and minerals (including iron, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus and copper): they nourish, supply fuel and stimulate the body's immune defenses ».
The typical menu
Breakfast
1 cup of green tea + 2 wholemeal rusks with sugar-free jam.
Snack
1 unsweetened plain yogurt with 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds and 1 teaspoon of poppy seeds.
Lunch
1 plate of mixed salad at the opening of the meal + 1 plate of pea soup with oat flakes + 1 cup of wild berries.
Merenda
1 centrifuged celery and carrots + 3-4 fresh dates.
Price
80 g of marinated anchovies + 1 plate of grilled aubergines + 2 slices of toasted wholemeal bread + 1 apple and pineapple salad.
EMPLOYEES
Anyone who does a sedentary job is often struggling with the tip of the balance: the calories burned during the day are few and must be taken into account in the formulation of the diet.
«The power supply must be based on simple and natural ingredients, such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, seeds and proteins of white meat, fish and legumes ", says the economist dietician Carlo Giolo. "No to industrial foods: studies have now made it clear that, in addition to being unhealthy, they make you gain weight. Research by the Georgia State University Institute (USA) and Bar-Ilan University (Israel) published in Nature, for example, has shown that additives such as emulsifiers they can facilitate the onset of the metabolic syndrome ».
What shouldn't be missing from the employee diet? "The lentils, which nourish and satiate with a modest caloric intake, e and crauti: they are probiotics, therefore they balance the intestinal flora and promote the growth of bacteria that activate the metabolism of lipids and sugars ", replies our expert. "Then broccoli and small-sized blue fish: the former contain lipoic acid, a nutrient that transforms blood glucose into energy preventing its conversion into fat, the latter is rich in Omega 3, polyunsaturated acids capable of increasing the body's ability to synthesize leptin, a hormone that regulates the sense of satiety. In the end, the chilli: it allows to reduce the consumption of salt, on which water retention can depend, and at the same time it helps to burn the stored fats ».
The typical menu
Breakfast
1 cup of fermented milk + 30 g of whole grain flakes.
Snack
4-5 nights.
Lunch
1 plate of mixed salad at the opening of the meal + 70 g of wholemeal spelled with broccoli, lentils and chilli + 1 seasonal fruit.
Merenda
1 unsweetened plain yogurt.
Price
120 g of grilled mackerel fillet + 1 plate of sauerkraut + 1 apple.
PERSONAL TRAINER
Gym instructors and personal trainers burn a lot of calories and need to highly energetic foods, which give fuel to the body without weighing down digestion.
"In the history books we read that Julius Caesar's soldiers to face the long marches far from Rome were crunching raw grains of wheat: even then their power to supply “petrol” suitable for long-lasting efforts was well known », explains Dr. Carlo Giolo. "Effectively wheat, in the integral version, it is essential for those who make sporting activity their profession. Slow-release energy, then, is ensured by a tasty snack like dried apricotsThey also have lots of fibers that help keep out sudden attacks of hunger between one training session and the next. Furthermore, in the diet of the personal trainer, as well as of all those who carry out a demanding job from a physical point of view, a healthy fat such as extra virgin olive oil: it is energetic and rich in vitamin E. Finally, lean proteins are essential for the muscles: green light therefore to fresh cheeses, such as stracchino. Proteins of excellent quality are also those of eggs, food which is also an excellent source of amino acids, vitamins and minerals ».
The typical menu
Breakfast
1 unsweetened white yogurt + 50 g of whole wheat flakes + 1 banana.
Snack
12 almonds + 1 citrus juice.
Lunch
1 plate of mixed salad at the opening of the meal + 80 g of wholemeal pasta with vegetables + 1 soft-boiled egg + 1 seasonal fruit salad.
Merenda
5-6 dried apricots + 1 slice of toasted wholemeal bread with 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil.
Price
1 cream of chickpeas and beans + 120 g of stracchino + 1 plate of sautéed chicory + 1 slice of toasted wholemeal bread + 1 pear.
NURSES AND DOCTORS
Night shifts and dancers schedules alter the circadian rhythm, put a strain on concentration and upset digestion. But, as shown by recent research published in Cell Report, food helps reset the biological clock and to overcome the ailments with which nurses, doctors and all workers who never work the same hours often have to live with.
«There is one of the indispensable foods barley, a carbohydrate that affects the secretion of insulin, a hormone that plays a major role in regulating the sleep-wake cycle. In addition, it contains chromium, which is useful for promoting concentration », says Carlo Giolo. "Then they serve pumpkin seeds, which provide zinc, another mineral capable of maintaining high attention. If digestion goes haywire also due to meal times, instead, go ahead aniseed, to be added to dishes or consumed as an infusion ».
The ideal snack when hungry in the middle of the night? "The slices of dried apple: they nourish, satiate and supply sugars that help fight fatigue », our expert replies. "Finally, since shifts stress the body and can weaken the immune system, it is better not to take risks, especially in an environment such as a hospital where you are more exposed to viruses and bacteria: in this case shiitake mushrooms are ok, which stimulate the defenses thanks to the richness in beta-glucans and the presence of a beneficial polysaccharide called Lentinian ».
The typical menu
Breakfast
1 cup of kefir + 30 g of rolled oats + 1 banana.
Snack
1 handful of natural pumpkin seeds.
Lunch
1 plate of mixed salad and avocado at the opening of the meal + 80 g of barley with vegetables and shiitake mushrooms.
Merenda
1 seasonal fruit smoothie.
Price
120 g of grilled turkey breast + 1 plate of sour spinach + 1 aniseed tea.
NB When working at night, forgo the mid-morning snack and eat a few slices of dried apple mid-shift.
SALES AND BARISTS
They are jobs that force you to spend many hours standing, therefore they can cause circulation disturbances and edema in the lower limbs. 5 are in this case the must at the table.
"First of all bitter cocoa and blueberries, rich in antioxidant flavonoids that preserve the integrity of blood vessels ”, says Dr. Carlo Giolo. "Then the prunes: they have many fibers that can solve constipation problems, which can cause the exhaustion of the veins. There ginger root, on the other hand, it is an activator of the circulation: cut it into slices and use it to obtain an infusion to be sipped several times during the day; if you prepare it in the morning and pour it into a bottle you can easily put it in your bag and take it with you. Finally, don't miss it and leeks: they are used to fight the water retention caused by long standing and help you deflate your legs ".
The typical menu
Breakfast
1 cup of blueberries + 1 unsweetened white yogurt + 1 slice of toasted wholemeal bread with sugar-free jam.
Snack
2 extra-dark chocolate squares + 10 natural almonds.
Lunch
80 g of wholemeal pasta with sautéed vegetables and leeks + 80 g of boiled azuki beans + 1 seasonal fruit.
Merenda
3 prunes + 1 ginger infusion.
Price
100 g of steamed blue fish + 1 plate of chicory sautéed in a pan + 1 pear.
