Firefighters are a key community resource, and when they are safer, the community is, too. The City of Minneapolis recognized this and asked the Chef Marshall O’Brien Group to put together a program specifically designed for firefighters to look at nutrition, hydration and sleep. Here, we’ll explore the nutrition-focused best practices that we developed for the Minneapolis Fire Department—best practices that should be built into life both inside and outside the fire station.
Performance built on smart nutrition
First, recognize that nourishing is different from eating. Eating keeps you alive. Nourishing supplies your body with the nutrients that allows you to perform and feel your very best. When you are properly nourished, you not only perform better but are also safer on the job and, almost as important, you are more pain-free the next day. As you age, your body starts to wear down. Because the job’s demands don’t change, you must either learn how to take better care of yourself or suffer the reduced quality of life caused by your physically demanding job.
Start by looking at what nutrition can do for you. Firefighting duties involve a great deal of teamwork and, as such, smart eating should be a priority for the entire firehouse. Why should you do this?
Better energy—While many Americans suffer with low energy at some point in the day, firefighter fatigue and low energy is not just inconvenient, it is dangerous. Since you never know when you will be called to a potentially life-threatening situation, it is essential that you maintain high energy levels throughout the day.
Reduce pain and inflammation—When the activities you perform leave you feeling stiff and sore, the cause is inflammation. Smart nutrition includes eating an anti-inflammatory, anti-aging diet that provides more benefits than just fewer aches and pains. Chronic inflammation in the body is the #1 risk factor for heart disease, which is the #1 killer of firefighters. In fact, firefighters are 300 times more likely to suffer a heart attack on the job than any other profession.
Improved body composition—As a group, firefighters have one of the highest rates of obesity in the United States, ranking #3 out of 41 occupations. Obese and overweight firefighters are more likely to suffer from job-related injuries, heat stress and serious consequences like heart attacks.
Safer and superior performance—Putting these elements together, you can see you how smart nutrition can benefit your performance, both on and off the job. Smart nutrition gives you energy, reduces your risk of heart disease, and can help you achieve or maintain a healthy body weight. These factors benefit both your individual performance and safety and the safety of your entire crew.
Fuel your body needs
Lean protein should be a part of your diet every day. Chicken, beef, fish, tofu, turkey, lean hamburger, tuna and eggs are all great protein choices. Beans and legumes are also an excellent choice. Stay away from protein sources that are high in trans fats, such as pizza, sausage, cold cuts, and breaded and fried foods.
Focus on protein for post-fire/emergency recovery. Within 15–30 minutes after a fire or high-intensity activity, you need to start rehydrating and consuming protein for muscle repair and rebuilding. Consuming protein in this first 15–30 minutes triples the amount of glycogen in your system over waiting 1–2 hours to start. Find a low sugar, 10-gram-of-protein bar to eat right after your fire or big event, and avoid that pizza when you get back to the fire station.
Slow carbs, such as vegetables and fruits, should be a significant part of your daily diet. Choose vibrantly colored vegetables, which are generally more nutritious. Also, choose fresh or frozen vegetables, as canned vegetables are higher in sodium.
Whole grains are an excellent choice. Stick with whole grain breads and tortillas, brown rice and whole-grain pasta. Stay away from white bread, white rice and regular pasta.
Healthy fats are essential for longer and/or high-intensity job duties. The healthy omega-3 fatty acids in cold-water fish like salmon and tuna decrease inflammation in the body, reduce aches and pains, and lower your risk for heart disease. Healthy fats found in olive, coconut, safflower and sunflower oil, as well as nuts, seeds, butter, avocados and fish add flavor and satisfy your hunger. Avoid trans fats and refined oils by removing packaged cookies, crackers, snack foods, pizza, fast food and frozen breakfast products from your diet.
What NOT to eat
Eliminate foods with excess and added sugars. The sugar in foods like cakes, candies, cookies, soda and breads quickly raises blood sugar and insulin levels in our bodies. The quick burst of energy from a high-sugar food is always followed by low energy, fatigue and reduced mental clarity, all dangerous symptoms for a firefighter. In the long term, high sugar intake causes inflammation, which leads to diabetes, heart disease, and weight gain. Limit yourself to 36 grams (9 teaspoons) of added sugar per day.
Fast food is quick and easy but directly leads to health problems. Fast food contains high levels of trans fats and it slows metabolism. Fast food will negatively affect your energy level, mental clarity and, ultimately, job performance.
Caffeine in large amounts can be particularly problematic. While a cup or two (8-ounce servings) of coffee each day is just fine, too much caffeine leads to dehydration and a lack of quality sleep.
Processed and packaged foods are high in fat, sugar, sodium and additives, none of which is good for your body. Stick with simple meals using real food.
Improving the fire station food environment
Research shows that the eating behaviors of firefighters are influenced by both the working conditions and the food “culture” of the fire station. With this in mind, consider the following questions:
- If some individuals want to eat healthy, but the group consensus is fast food, does everyone have to go along with the group?
- Is healthy food available in the fire station for meals and snacks, or are the cupboards and refrigerator full of processed, high-calorie, low-nutrient junk food?
- What are the quality and portion sizes of meals served in the firehouse? Is the focus just on quantity?
Putting together your personal program
- Develop a routine and stay with it. A nutrition program is not meant to be a quick fix. Consistency is the key for long-term health and safety.
- Make changes at your own pace. Pick one or two recommendations each week and commit to making those changes. Before you know it, small changes will add up to major health improvements.
- Eat real food. The most important nutritional goal should be to eat whole, unprocessed foods.
- Plan ahead. If you must hunt for food or water, you will go without or eat the wrong things.
- Stay ahead of hunger. You should aim to eat every 3–4 hours, except when you are sleeping. This will keep your blood sugar balanced and ensure that your body will be prepared in the event of a fire or other strenuous call.
In sum
Change starts with awareness, but changes are more likely to occur due to peer pressure than for any other reason. Because of the safety risk for the entire squad, being in good shape and smart about nutrition is everyone’s responsibility. Being in a situation where your buddy is unable to rescue you is a real concern. A solid nutrition program involves baby steps. Make a few changes each week until you reach a level that works for you. This will ultimately help foster a culture of smart eating and drinking that leads to a safer fire station.
