As a nutritionist who works with firefighters, I’ve found that firefighter nutrition and health is shaped by unique career obstacles, some of them uncontrollable, and others mainly related to limited time and budget. Not only are firefighters just like us (they’re busy), they’re also at greater risk for some nutrition-related health conditions compared to the general public, including metabolic conditions like diabetes and heart disease, and many cancers.
Given this, I’ve made it my niche to help improve the health of firefighters and I have ten years of working with the fire service as a firefighter nutritionist.
1. Cook on shift and get back to basics : Firefighter health starts in the kitchen (link to Firehouse). Get back to basics in the kitchen and in the culture – sit down and slow down at a crew meal because it could be your only down time on shift (and hope it goes uninterrupted). Increase camaraderie and talk about life or the craziness of the shift, catch up with other firefighters without your cell phones taking the forefront. By slowing down and chewing your food intentionally you can also be more in touch with your physiological cues and be in tune with your fullness or satiety, which in turn can lower cortisol levels (stress hormone) and put your body towards a rest and digest mode instead of a constant go-go-go mode (fight or flight, which you will experience often while on shift for each call).
2. Avoid takeout as much as you can : While takeout can be a convenient option, I like to stress the importance of firefighter nutrition starting in the kitchen. A huge difference in takeout vs. cooking at the firehouse is the ingredients and knowledge being powerful – when you grab takeout you don’t know exactly what’s in your food; whereas when you make food in the firehouse kitchen you are in charge of the ingredients – you know what’s going into your final dish.
Takeout is usually loaded with sodium, added sugars and solid fats, which might make it taste grand, but it can add up quickly in the calorie and nutrient department. Food for thought: Oftentimes, I find that firefighters underestimate how many calories are in some of the foods they order via takeout and overestimate how many calories they’ve burnt at the gym, which impacts weight maintenance, loss, and gain and overall firefighter health.
Eating takeout occasionally instead of as a constant can add up quickly and change firefighter health for the better. Try it!
3. Decrease added sugar: Added sugars are found almost everywhere in our food supply and at the firehouse. While we typically know that added sugars are found in sweetened beverages and desserts, we often skip over the fact that added sugars can be found in convenience items and processed carbohydrates. Understanding that diet is a modifiable behavioral factor that influences our health — both in and out of the firehouse — including weight status, heart disease, and some cancer risks, is imperative here. It is necessary to identify all factors, including specific environmental changes that can help improve firehouse cooking and eating habits.
Pay attention to how you can decrease your added sugar intake by reading more about it in Tips to Reduce Added Sugar in Your Diet.
4. Be honest with portion control : Quick review: serving size is a defined amount of food, portion size is how much food you take/consume. How does your portion size compare to the serving size? Portion distortion is the idea that we aren’t in tune with how much we are eating and how it can impact our health, which in turn has become a popular topic among firefighter nutrition discussions, as we see that it impacts firefighter health greatly (especially weight maintenance and nutrition-related health conditions, such as metabolic health, including diabetes and heart disease).
5. Practice mindful eating : (Read more about this in Four Mindful Eating Tips for Firefighters.)
Mindful eating is the idea of eating with attention and awareness, while listening to our internal cues. Mindful eating allows us to eat with intention and understand the effects that food has on the body. It gives us the opportunity to enjoy the food we are eating and appreciate what it has to offer. By implementing this positive behavior change into your lifestyle, you may be able to control your portion sizes without experiencing feelings of deprivation.
Practicing mindful eating can be extra important when it comes to community donations and working long shifts. Be honest: how many times does it take you to walk by the box of donuts (that was just dropped off and happens to be hanging on the counter) before you have 1, 3, or 5? This is common even if you had no predetermined intentions to have a donut until you were seeing them at eye level. This is an example of being influenced by external cues that can cause mindless eating. To learn more about the importance of moving healthier food options to eye-level, a trick to combatting consuming unhealthier options, click here to read the full article.
By employing mindful eating strategies, you can start focusing on how and why you eat, which in turn may help you understand how your food choices affect your body and health.
Interested in learning how I work with fire departments? Click here to apply for your fire department to work with me! Check out a brief summary of how I work on firefighter nutrition with fire departments below:
The Cultural Shift Method focuses on changing the culture and making healthy lifestyles attainable for all. Continuous meetings and creating tailored programs have resulted in sustainable health and wellness changes that improve the health of firefighters now while setting them up for the future as well.
Firefighters who have worked with me have become more aware of their food choices and how they impact their bodies; increased healthier cooking habits (while on a budget); and bettered their health. This filters into lower rates of nutrition-related health conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer; decreased sickness and absenteeism.
Interested in free resources surrounding my nutrition for firefighters? Check out these blog posts.
Firehouse Magazine features can be found here.
Interested in applying to work with me and create a nutrition program for firefighters? Click here to apply!
Interested in learning more about the nutrition services I offer? Click here to learn more.
I’m the nutritionist and educator behind Eats 2 Know, LLC. With a simplified approach to nutrition, I showcase that eating healthy is attainable, even if you’re on a budget or crunched for time.
The nutritionist and educator behind Eats 2 Know, LLC.
