STAYING ENERGISED FOR THE NIGHT SHIFT It’s no wonder those who work graveyard shifts or all-nighters describe the challenge of feeling revitalised or rested a bit like a ‘zombie chasing a caffeine drip’. MY SAY As this kind of work intensifies with the ever-changing trends in global production, can New Zealand food developers and manufacturers cater for those needing sustenance through the wee small hours? Working the graveyard shift or even pulling an all-nighter is an everyday reality for many. This can be challenging for anyone. It is also hard to feel revitalised or rested enough to head back to work the next day – not to mention doing it again and again in shift work. Although many shift workers say that they are used to working overnight, staying awake and inverting sleep patterns can lead to a number of negative consequences. In fact, it’s common for shift workers to get shift work sleep disorder (SWSD), which is characterised by insomnia, constant weariness, mistake-prone and accident-causing. Furthermore, night shift workers tend to turn to convenient food options such as chocolate bars and sugary cupcakes when they need an energy boost to stay alert and get them through. However, such snacks may not provide enough nutrition or the healthy energy that someone staying up late often would need. Yes, reaching for a night snack, especially a sweetened one, can help to offer a quick energy By Christian Philippsen boost, but it may also be bringing on precisely the kind of lethargic feeling that night shift workers are trying to avoid. This is because sweet confectionery products, including cakes, chocolates and cookies, tend to contain a high ratio of conventional sugars and thus high glycaemic carbohydrates – the main culprits of the energy spikes and crashes. It is especially important for shift workers, who already have to endure demanding sleep patterns, to eat healthily. Many confectionery products are sugar-laden and highly processed. They also often carry a large amount of high glycaemic carbohydrates that are digested very quickly, resulting in a fast, high release of glucose – the body’s main energy supply – into the bloodstream, thus causing an energy ‘spike’. For night shift workers, these spikes cause their blood glucose and insulin levels to rise, leading to an initial energy ‘boost’. However, these glucose stores are quickly depleted, causing a drop in blood glucose levels even below baseline, which translates to an energy ‘crash’, which is the sluggish feeling that people often feel after a meal. The benefits of all things healthy is impacting the consumer market in ways that could only be imagined a decade ago. Consumers these days are making an effort to eat healthier, either to look or feel better or for health reasons. According to a Nielsen study, 60% of consumers in Asia Pacific are choosing to eat less sugar, and nearly that amount again are opting for more fresh or natural food. Successful food manufacturers in tune with the market are offering consumers healthier options in view of demand trends. They are designing products that are suitable for low glycaemic dietary plans by incorporating functional carbohydrates, such as BENEO´s Palatinose which can be used to fully or partially replace sucrose or other high glycaemic carbohydrates, for slower energy release. This product has a unique physiological profile that helps support healthy nutrition – especially with regards to blood glucose management. Although classified as a sugar, it has a special molecular structure that enables it to be seen as a ‘good’ sugar. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it is hydrolysed four to five times more slowly by the enzymes in our small intestine as compared to high glycaemic sugars, yet it provides the body with the full amount of energy (4kcal/g). This results in a low glycaemic sugar that is fully digestible – thus making it ideal for providing sustained energy with gentler blood sugar levels that provide long-term benefits for glucose control, body composition and weight management. Products like this can be easily incorporated into various types of food and drinks. Derived from natural beet sugar, it has a sugar-like, mildly sweet taste and can be used in the development of a wide range of great tasting and healthy snack products, from cereals and baked goods, to dairy products and sports and energy drinks. Working the night shift is definitely not an easy task, and it can be one of the most challenging experiences when people have to do it for a long period of time. Nevertheless, we will continue to need shift workers, especially in today’s urbanising society and having cities that never sleep. Shift workers need to get enough rest in the off hours, and watch what they eat. Food products that allow for slow, sustained energy release are ideal. This way they help avoid the consequences of the extreme blood sugar peaks and dips, and can provide access to sustained energy release mechanisms and improved metabolic balance. New developments in sugar substitutes equip food manufacturers with the opportunity to formulate innovative snacks that not only taste great, but provide consumers with a healthier energy source. Christian Philippsen is BENEO Asia Pacific managing director. BENEO Cerealbar 22 NOVEMBER 2017
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