When Healthy Eating Feels Complicated

Figuring out what foods are “healthy” can be confusing, can’t it? With so many diet trends and conflicting advice, making good food choices becomes even trickier when you’re short on time. This is especially true for shift workers juggling irregular schedules and limited food options.

Clean eating offers a straightforward approach to food choices that can make healthy eating less overwhelming. Instead of getting bogged down in complex nutritional details, it gives you a simple framework for making better food decisions on the go. Let’s explore what clean eating actually means, which foods to avoid, and why this approach might be particularly helpful if you work shifts.

What is Clean Eating?

At its heart, clean eating means choosing foods that are as close as possible to their natural state—the way our ancestors would have eaten them. Think about it this way: The less human interference between the farm and your plate, the “cleaner” the food.

Clean eating focuses on whole, fresh, unprocessed foods that occur naturally. These are foods you could hunt, gather, or grow yourself, rather than items manufactured in factories. While it’s great to understand nutrition labels and food science in detail, using this “ancestral proximity” rule of thumb can be helpful when making quick decisions in the supermarket or canteen.

The easiest way to stick with clean eating is to prepare meals yourself. This doesn’t mean you can’t ever eat out, but restaurant food typically contains more processed ingredients and additives. If you’re new to cooking, start with simple recipes and build your skills gradually.

The White Stuff Has to Go

One clear rule that virtually all clean eating approaches share: Ditch the white stuff! This means products made with refined white sugar and white flour.

Foods to limit or avoid include:

• White bread, pastries and cakes
• Sugary breakfast cereals
• Sweets and chocolates
• Fizzy drinks and fruit juices
• Processed ready meals
• Fast food

These foods provide minimal nutritional value while delivering loads of empty calories. Unlike whole foods that actually fill you up and fuel your body, these refined options only satisfy mental cravings temporarily without properly nourishing you.

Even worse, these foods wreak havoc on your blood sugar levels. When your blood sugar spikes and crashes, it triggers more cravings and causes symptoms like irritability and fatigue, making it even harder to stick with healthy eating. For shift workers already dealing with disrupted sleep patterns, these blood sugar fluctuations can be especially problematic.

The Advantages of Clean Eating

Moving to a cleaner diet offers numerous benefits backed by scientific research:

• Better nutrient intake – People eating more whole foods naturally consume higher levels of essential nutrients—like potassium, magnesium, and calcium—as well as vitamins A, C, D, E, and B12.1 These nutrients are better absorbed from food than from supplements.2
• Weight management – Whole foods are slower to digest, which helps you feel fuller for longer. That means less snacking, overeating, and weight gain.3
• Improved energy and reduced diabetes risk – Whole foods release energy slowly, which helps keep your blood sugar steady. That means fewer energy crashes, less brain fog, and more stamina to get through a long shift. Over time, this also helps reduce your risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.4
• Better mood – Ultra-processed food can mess with your mood, with studies linking them to higher rates of depression.5 Whole foods, on the other hand, help keep your brain’s feel-good chemicals—like dopamine and serotonin—on track. That means fewer mood swings and a better shot at staying mentally strong, even when life gets hectic.

Clean eating recognises that not all calories are created equal. The source of those calories matters tremendously for your health and wellbeing. By focusing on balanced amounts of proteins, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates alongside plenty of vegetables, you provide your body with the fuel it actually needs.

For shift workers, regular eating patterns are especially important. Try to eat at consistent intervals relative to your shift schedule rather than the clock. Packing homemade meals and snacks can help you avoid relying on vending machines or fast food when healthy options aren’t available.

Making Clean Eating Work for You

The clean eating approach isn’t about perfection—it’s about making better choices most of the time. Here are some practical tips:

• Eat regularly to avoid getting too hungry, which makes processed convenience foods much more tempting.
• Balance your plate with unlimited vegetables, quality proteins, complex carbs and healthy fats.
• Prepare food in batches when you have time, so healthy options are ready when you’re busy.
• Start gradually. Replace one processed food with a whole food alternative each week.

Conclusion

Clean eating doesn’t need to be complicated or restrictive. By simply focusing on foods that resemble their natural state and avoiding heavily processed options, you can improve your nutrition without becoming obsessed with details.

For shift workers especially, this straightforward approach offers a practical way to maintain energy, mood, and health despite irregular schedules. Remember that small, consistent improvements to your diet will yield better results than attempting a perfect but unsustainable overhaul.

The next time you’re faced with food choices when tired or rushed, just ask yourself: “How would my ancestors recognise this food?” That simple question might be your best guide to cleaner eating on the go.

References

1. Martínez Steele, E., Popkin, B. M., Swinburn, B., & Monteiro, C. A. (2017). The share of ultra-processed foods and the overall nutritional quality of diets in the US: Evidence from a nationally representative cross-sectional study. Population Health Metrics, 15(6), 1-11.
2. Harvard Health Publishing. (2015, June 1). Get nutrients from food, not supplements, from the June 2015 Harvard Health Letter. https://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/get-nutrients-from-food-not-supplements
3. Ludwig, D. S., & Ebbeling, C. B. (2018). The carbohydrate-insulin model of obesity: beyond “calories in, calories out”. JAMA Internal Medicine, 178(8), 1098-1103.
4. Jenkins, D. J., Kendall, C. W., Augustin, L. S., Franceschi, S., Hamidi, M., Marchie, A., … & Axelsen, M. (2002). Glycemic index: Overview of implications in health and disease. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 76(1), 266S-273S.

Berk, M., Williams, L. J., Jacka, F. N., O’Neil, A., Pasco, J. A., Moylan, S., … & Maes, M. (2013). So depression is an inflammatory disease, but where does the inflammation come from? BMC Medicine, 11(200).