Unfortunately, the reputation of tradies diets leaves a lot to be desired. When you think of smoko, many picture energy drink guzzlers, meat pie munchers, burger loving beasts, or so the rumours say…
What we do know for a fact is that being a Tradie is often incredibly labour intensive, with long hours and demanding a lot of energy. We also know there are many tradesmen and women out there who are health aware and feeding their bodies with the right foods to keep them going strong.
However, with the intense demands of the job, bolstered with some pretty shocking health statistics, we know there’s many of you out there who are struggling to make good health choices - not just for your physical health, but also for your mental health.
It might feel like that if you’re working hard all day burning energy, a meat pie and an ice break at 10am won’t cause that much damage. However, recent evidence suggests that it does cause significant damage. Sorry folks!
Notably, it has a huge impact on our gut and mental health. And that’s where Mood Food - Nutrition for Mental Health comes in. We’re a company built by dietitians who translate new research into reality, and teach people (especially those in demanding industries) how to make easy changes to your diet to support strong mental health. .
Why does what we eat affect our mental health when it’s completely separate from our brains?
Our gut is an absolute powerhouse and is often called our second brain. Many people think their guts are just for digestion, but digestion is just the tip of the iceberg. Your gut has a skillset so diverse that many are still trying to understand it, and lots of people have no idea just how powerful this nine-meter (!!!) organ is. So, let us enlighten you with some of our favourite fun facts about the gut!
Gut specs:
- 90% of serotonin (aka the happy hormone) is produced in the gut
- 50% of dopamine (pleasure and motivation neurotransmitter) is produced in the gut
- 70% of your immunity is controlled in your gut
Home to 39 trillion bacteria, if these gut bugs are not fed in the right way, all of these processes (and more) are affected. To be completely crystal clear, if you want to be happy and healthy, looking after your gut is the most vital key!
Given you spend most of your time at work, what you eat at work is absolutely vital to your gut health.
How to feed your gut bugs!
- FIBRE, FIBRE, FIBRE!
This is the number one food for your gut bugs. Mainly found in whole grain carbohydrates e.g. brown rice, oats, whole meal pasta, whole meal bread and crackers, quinoa, freekeh, and barley.
- EAT THE RAINBOW!
Your 39 trillion bacteria like to eat all different types of foods. We want you to aim to eat as many different plant foods as possible each week, 30 is the goal (we’re talking fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, herbs, spices, nuts and seeds). And don’t worry meat is still on the table, you just need the plants to go with it!
So, if you need a nudge in the right direction, ditch the fast food, grab an esky or cold pack and start packing your lunch, using these easy to implement food swaps that will make your weekly lunch planning easy.
Mood Food’s Top Swaps
To learn more, visit www.moodfoodnutrition.com.au
Instagram - @moodfood_nutrition
Facebook - @moodfoodnutrition
