Introducing the Overworked Diet

I work a lot. Sometimes it's self-induced amd other times it's a casualty of my position and profession.

I could delegate other people to do the emergent issues on the weekend but oftentimes I like to know it was done right (I.e. random RN "oh I guess I never bothered to look at their TPN to see if it was running after getting off the phone with the Doc and you...").

Regardless, I'm not as self-abusive as some healthcare workers. I'd like to think all the counseling I have done and was trained to do helps me eliminate a lot of bad food choices. Below is a slightly serious yet tongue-in-cheek listing of my most successful habits.

Try to drink all your coffee before noon.-- I mean, it's a race. It's definitely better sleep (more on that later) when you do abstain from coffee after the noon hour but I also understand when you're overworked sometimes an afternoon cup is too much to turn down. Get it local, get it whole bean and grind yourself. If you're going to fry your adrenals you might as well do it having good coffee (sorry Starbucks...and the whole city of Portland).

Get a really sharp kitchen knife- besides knowing you can wield it and slice your annoying coworkers sharp knives make cooking safer, faster, and far more enjoyable. Get something >7" to get a versatile and functional knife (wit the exception of Santoku blades, which can be a bit shorter).

Love cooking at home-- nothing sucks worse than having no time to unwind at all and cooking at home can be that downtime needed. Not only that, but cooking at home as been touted to improve digestion and maintain a lower intake of salt, sugar, and processed foods. Bring into your kitchen only raw, or minimally processed ingredients, that require you to actually cook. Dropping pre-cut pineapple on a plate with some store-bought fruit dip is not cooking or holding down a decent kitchen. Man up.

Eat breakfast and don't be afraid of packing a random lunch- eating breakfast is important. Especially if you're overworked. How else are your fried nerves going to function at their most optimal? Also, piecing together you lunch from different elements or dishes is OK. I often have Italian seasoned whatever, with a curry this or that, and a ton of odd fruits and veggies in containers. 

Hydration, adequate protein, and healthy fats- the foundations of good health start with those three things. 

Master how to make the perfect toast and use good bread-- I have a love affair with toast almost every morning. It's like the perfect breakfast to me. Perfect toast involves a good bread, slathering coconut oil on it and putting a sordid nut butter on the top (non-hydrogenated of course, no plasticized arteries please).

Learn to love to grocery shop-- shop in places where you're a person not just cattle swiping bar codes. Co-ops (where all the pretty ppl shop, IMO), Famers Markets, and your smaller grocers offer a more humanistic experience than Safeway or Costco. you'll also stimulate your deep, local economy.

Learn to like Tea-- it makes you happier and prettier. I like to look good while becoming overworked. tea is rich in a lot of antioxidants that you otherwise won't find in other foods. coffee is a great boost (and delicious) but tea is like the afterburners in a long day at the office. I even started getting uber Hippie and putting chia seeds in mine.

Take your supplements- take a vitamin D, find a quality probiotic and be faithful to it. Take some fish or flax oil in your diet. Your sleep, skin, hair, arteries, immune cells, and athletic endurance will thank you.

So there is a brief list of the highlights in the Overworked Diet. Just remember: working crappy hours doesn't mean you have to feel like crap!


~P.