Healthy Eating for Truck Drivers

Truck drivers’ well-being is an enormous problem in the industry right now and a big part of it is due to the temptations truck drivers face every day. Truck drivers may sit behind the wheel of an 18wheeler for as many as 16 hours a day. All that sitting, combined with unhealthy and harmful food options from a greasy-spoon truck stop can create an unhealthy lifestyle for drivers.

Truck drivers are faced with so much temptation at every truck stop. It is not hard to notice the increasing amount of eateries that decorate major highways in America and this poses a great threat to the health status of most truck drivers while on the road.

There are plenty of ways to resist the temptation of unhealthy junk food while running the roads of America. All it takes is a little preparation and determination while preparing for your trip.

HEALTHY EATING TIPS FOR TRUCK DRIVERS ON THE ROAD

Make Healthier Food Choices

Instead of hitting your favorite fast food restaurant and grabbing a burger, choose a salad instead. Go for grilled rather than fried. Bring some snack foods (nuts or seed, dried or fresh fruit, or whole grain crackers) from home so you have control over what you eat.

Eat Natural Foods as much as Possible

Processed foods are loaded with sugar, unnecessary fats, and chemicals. Consuming natural foods, such as foods rich in energy and vitamins, gives long-driving routine a boost. Large fluid intake such as water is also encouraged while on the go.

Exercise

One of the major challenges of a trucker is the continuous pressure. Making a delivery on time can be really frustrating. The easiest way to alleviate stress would be to work out. There are simple exercises you can do if you when you get to your next truck stop. For instance, lunges and squats, as well as jumping rope and jogging, are not hard to do in small spaces. Some truck drivers even use filled water-bottles inside their trucks to do curls while sitting in traffic. One other way to relieve stress while on the road is to listen to music. While listening, roll-up your window and sing or whistle along.

Get enough Rest

Among the very key elements in living a healthy lifestyle on the road would be to get a plenty of sleep. Experts recommend that healthy adults sleep for a minimum of seven, preferably nine, hours of sleep each night. Quality sleep can play an important role in your work performance and general awareness of well-being. Lack of sleep can lead to:

·       frustration

·       blurred vision

·       depression

·       acid reflex

·       diarrhea

Consumption of alcohol before bed time can prevent your body from reaching the deepest of sleep cycles when you hit the hay at night. No one likes going to work with a hangover. Also, try to eat a minimum of two hours before retiring.

In the end, a healthy trucker is a happy trucker and also a more productive trucker. There are many choices a driver must make while on the go to deliver their load and all truckers know that safety is the number one priority. However, it is important for a trucker to make healthy decisions while driving down the long and winding road of life.