Nutrition for wellbeing

Nutrition for wellbeing banner

What we eat, can not only have a massive impact on our long-term health and how well we age, but it can really effect how we perform at work, our energy levels and our mood.

Through our nutrition for wellbeing programme we want to provide you with the knowledge of, how what you eat can improve both your physical and mental wellbeing. 

Why are we offering it?

The results from our first ever national police wellbeing survey in 2019, told us very clearly that fatigue is a big issue within policing.

Eating more nutritious foods can help rebalance your energy, helping you get off that rollercoaster of sugar spikes and dives. Foods that provide a more gradual release of energy, keep you fuller for longer, and help reduce the desire to snack and graze will boost your energy and improve your performance.

This programme will help you to learn the importance of good nutrition and teach you how to improve the food choices you make to further promote physical and mental wellbeing. 

Introduction to Anna Earl

We are delighted to be working with Anna Earl to bring this nutrition for wellbeing programme to policing.

Anna, a former police officer herself, has her own nutritional therapy business, Nutrivival, which specialises in nutrition to support shift workers. The programme focuses on two of the findings from our last national police wellbeing survey, combating fatigue and boosting emotional energy.

Watch this video to hear directly from Anna on why nutrition is so important, what this brand new programme will include and how to get involved.

 

There is increasing science to suggest it is not just what you eat that impacts your health, but when you eat can play a vital role. This is why learning how to feed your body clock, especially if you work shifts, can be an incredibly effective health tool.

In this series of four webinars Anna will take you through the small changes you can make to improve your nutritional wellbeing. 

Webinar 1: Food for energy

In this webinar Anna discusses how we use food for energy, considering:

  • The importance of regulating blood sugar through food choices to release fuel around the clock. To promote more consistent energy and reduce the peaks and slumps.
  • Understanding the roles of glucose and insulin in energy metabolism, and their health implications.
  • How to reduce the risk of insulin resistance, the precursor to type 2 diabetes.

 

Webinar 2: What, when and how to eat

In this webinar Anna will talk you through:

  • What to eat on a night shift?
  • What is chrononutrition? Learn about your natural, internal body clock and its relationship with digestion to help you make more educated meal choices.  
  • Understanding the effects of different foods on your body, and how eating them at the ‘wrong’ times can impact your health.

Webinar 3: Mindful eating

In this webinar Anna will discuss how:

  • You can take the stress out of eating.
  • Our bodies digest and absorb food to fuel us effectively when we are in a relaxed state. Eating on the go and rushing this process has a significant impact on our health.
  • To develop techniques to eat in the right nervous state to reduce the occurrence of uncomfortable symptoms associated with eating under stress.

Webinar 4: Food for mood

This webinar looks at how what we eat can make a difference to our mood. Anna will look at:

  • How what we eat directly affects how we think and feel.
  • The concept of inflammation, when it serves its purpose to support our immune system, and when it can be detrimental to our health.
  • Which foods have a pro-inflammatory effect on the body? How can that negatively impact our mental health?
  • What foods and nutrients are beneficial to supporting our mood?

How to watch the webinar recordings

The recordings of webinars two, three and four are only available for individuals working in UK policing.

Create an Oscar Kilo account to get access

To watch the recordings you will need to create an account on this website. This is really simple, just click the button below to create your account. You will then be able to access the nutrition for wellbeing webinars in the login area. 

Create new account here

If you already have an Oscar Kilo account

Sign in to your Oscar Kilo account and use the button below to access the webinars in the login area. (You need to log in to your account first or you will see an access denied message.)

Watch webinar recordings

We are here to help

Creating an account also gives you access to lots of other resources only available to people working in UK policing. If you need further support or don't have a .police.uk email address please get in touch.

Festive eating

In this short video Anna looks at the challenges of eating healthy at this time of year, this advice can also be used for other celebratory events throughout the year.

Anna gives advice on how to make better food and alcohol choices without missing out. This video also contains a section on eating on a budget.

Refresh your wellbeing

In this short video Anna talks through a 15 minute task that looks at the pros and cons of keeping your eating habits and behaviours as they are now or whether it's time to adopt some healthy eating changes.

Anna gives advice on small steps you can take to refresh your wellbeing. This video also contains two recipes that can be used as an alternative to sandwiches for lunch or a night shift meal. 

 

Download decisional balance sheet

Healthy swaps

In this short video Anna looks at how you can increase the nutritional value of some of your meals and drinks. She gives some practical health swaps and recipes to help regulate your blood sugars and maintain a balanced diet.

Healthy snacks

In this short video, nutritionist Anna Earl looks at the healthy snacks we can have between meals. Anna talks about the reasons we snack, and the impact both short-term and long-term on the body. She gives advice on tasty, healthy snacks that can give more sustained energy for a longer period and still feel like a treat.

Recipes

Here are some great easy to follow recipes which Anna has put together. Why not give some of them a try? 

Find out more

Read more about the work Anna does by visiting her website - nutrivival.co.uk