Night shift dinner time

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Hi there,

I was wondering what do night nurses eat during their shift? (when they are lucky enough to enjoy couple minutes of dinner time) If I would look at your lunch-bag what kind of snacks could I find in there?

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I bring Polly o string cheese for quick protein, peanut butter crackers, coconut water; all things I can eat quickly that are nutritious for good energy. Almonds or pretzels if I have them. I make a veggie soup or pasta with veggies dish in case I have time to sit down and eat, and Greek yogurt. And coffee gets me through the last part of the night. Don't resort to junk food, being up at odd hours is hard enough on your body without loading it with crap!

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A banana, cheese stick, crackers and..... well... Swedish fish.

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I'll speak for where I work. My co-workers eat like pigs lol They order out every night--Chinese, Dominos, etc. EVERY NIGHT. And, they make fun of me for eating fruit, veggies, other healthy snacks...which is what I would recommend. I would recommend healthy, sustainable food. There's a reason I'm my size and they're their size...

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Emergency, CEN.

I don't eat at work. I drink coffee. I eat when I get home and just before I leave. My stomach doesn't like the gulp and dash I would have to do at work.

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When I worked nights I tried to eat "dinner" about 3am. My reason is that if I ate dinner on a normal shift it would be 5 hours before bedtime, so eating at 3am and going to sleep at 8am is theoretically the same as eating dinner at 6pm and going to bed at 10. I never ate after this 3am "dinner", and I tried to keep all my meals on schedule.

I agree with the comments above as well... healthy on-the-go snacks!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Float Pool, MICU, CTICU.

We usually eat between 12a-2a. My best advice is to pack something light and healthy. Granted, it's okay to head down to the cafeteria for a burger or fries at times. However, those pounds will slowly creep up on ya!

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Specializes in Critical Care.

I try to eat between 12-2. On a bad night, it's more like 4:30-5. I crave hot food at night. I usually bring a string cheese, nuts, and an Atkins meal or a lower carb Lean Cuisine.

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

Salads, cheese and crackers, fruit, yogurt sometimes soup in the winter.

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Specializes in ER, progressive care.

I usually bring leftovers from dinner. I also pack A LOT of snacks because I may not have time to actually eat my dinner, or I won't get to eat until 3A-5A (most of the time). For snacks, I like to pack string cheese, fresh fruit (especially bananas), almonds, Greek yogurt (I like the Chobani Bite kind), coconut water, cereal bars (I like the Kashi Honey Almond Flax, Dark Chocolate Coconut their soft 'n chewy bars)...for a quick fix, some crackers and peanut butter. I make sure I bring a huge 'ol water bottle with me to encourage myself to drink more water.

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Specializes in L&D.

I'm not on the night shift yet but will eventually. I'm having trouble deciding WHEN I should eat my meals during the night!

So far, I've eaten in the cafeteria once during my dayshift(I'm on third week right now) and the rest I have brought my lunch. I've brought leftovers (which are healthy b/c I'm already overweight and trying to lose so I'm doing a combo of Paleo and WeightWatchers)....I include fruit such as blueberries/apples and veggies with my dinner. So far, I don't really have time for snacking, but I know night shift can be more laid back/slow, so I'm hoping I'll be able to do my healthy meals/snacks and leave it at that.

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Specializes in Chemical Dependency.

I work nights unusually eat a light snack fruit crackers cheese or like a soup it's best not to eat heavy at nights since normally your body should be resting

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