Fueling Farmers
We are about to embark on the ‘silly’ season however, to most, the workload may have never really stopped this year.
Through this time many of us are working longer than normal hours. We are in and out of machinery, always on the go and never really know when we are going to get a break long enough to eat. Even with the best of intentions I know I get up early to get a start, planning to have breaky closer to 8am, and miss the mark by a number of hours. Midday rolls around and I am wondering why my stomach is churning as I shovel something in on the go.
Nutrition is critical for this time of year, any time really, in order to function at our full potential. And it may come as no surprise that meal prepping, and a little planning can go a LONG way to keep you fuelled, energised and ready to tackle the next part of the day.
A farmer lunchbox which provides a variety of foods from a variety of food groups is key ingredient to fuelling a successful day’s work. A healthy lunchbox will:
Improve your energy for the day or week ahead,
Allow your mind to be clearer and your body to function optimally
Improve mental health.
Assist in fatigue management
While also:
Reducing the risk of diet-related conditions, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and obesity; and
Reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some types of cancers.
Coming up with a nutritional lunchbox idea and having food items that are easy, appealing to eat and also store well in a lunch box can be a challenge some time. The following are some tips, tricks and ideas that can keep it simple, improve motivation in the preparation while also ensuring that you are full and fuelled.
Firstly, HYDRATION. This is vital to a better day, better health, better harvest and silly season. So many farmers I know do not drink enough in the day and as a result are more tired, hungry and sore after a day’s work. Some simple ways to mitigate this are:
Pack a 5 litre or more water cooler for the way
Put an ice block, frozen drink bottle or something inside to keep the water cool when on the back of the ute. (however, it is strongly advised that you keep it in the shade or cab with you.
Pack a smaller, more portable drink bottle. Something that is around 600 – 700mills of water. This way you can track your intake a little easier. Simply count the number of times you filled this bottle up and make sure you are meeting the 2-3 litres a day.
Other tips include
Choose a healthy fat to include in your meal. This will keep you fuel for longer and aid in many functions of your body. Something like avocado, eggs or a handful of nuts are really easy ways to add these in.
Limit the sugary food and drinks. I know we can all crave that sugar hit during a long, hot day working. This actually won’t help you as much as you think. Maybe including some lemon, berries or other fruit into your water can meet the craving or have a glass of freshly squeezed juice or banana smoothie. Smoothies are great as you can freeze them the night before to ensure they are cold, ready and delicious for the next day.
Really focus on having all meals in the day. I know night shift can play havoc to your eating patterns as can the list of jobs that have to be done now. However, making sure you have had something in at the start of your shift, be it eggs, porridge, muesli or a nice hot meal for dinner. Then pack some easy snacks and a good lunch/midnight snack.
Plan your meals and when you will eat. How many of us get in the tractor and 3 hours in have eaten everything in our lunchbox? A simple dose of discipline will help with this and having some healthy snacks to reach for.
Have some healthy snacks at the ready. Boiled eggs, a few pieces of fruit, handful of nuts, fritters, granola bars or a homemade sweet treat. All simple and easy to eat.
Cook once, eat twice – or three times or four times…. I love this idea of cooking big batches of food and chucking them in the freezer. Anything in the slow cooker, Savoury mince, Lasagna, Stews, Curry, even Zucchini or Carrot fritters are so handy to have at the ready to whip out and reheat (or eat cold, I am kinda a fan of cold savoury mince sometimes)
Now, a little confession, I love cooking! Keeping my family fuelled with healthy meals is a labour of love that I take pride in and find joy in. I know not everyone shares this passion with me. So, if you are more a fizz in the kitchen than wizz, or you don’t like your kitchen looking like a food hall with constant mess everywhere, I have an idea.
Enlist the local bakery or café to help. Most people will have someone coming back from town a few times a day, be it the truck driver or the mechanic (hopefully not). Why not make an agreement with your local to do premade meals twice a day? A quick run of salad sandwiches/wraps and a hot meal for the evening would allow you more space to do what you do best, keep the business, family and team humming along.
If you are looking for some cooking ideas here are a few of my favourites:
This blog was written by Samantha Anderson, all recipes are also by her.
