In recent years there has been, quite rightly, a greater focus on seafarers’ mental wellbeing. But we should also take good care of our physical health.

Taking good care of our physical wellbeing enables us to better cope with emotional problems. A healthy diet, along with exercise and rest, plays a vital role in ensuring you maintain a healthy body and a healthy mind.

You are what you eat

What we eat impacts our physical and mental health, so it is important you pay attention to your diet, both on board and when back at home. Shipowners should make sure their vessels are provided with healthy and nutritious food.

Aim to have a balanced diet that includes all the main food groups.

Fruit and vegetables

Eat at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day. It doesn’t need to be fresh –you can also choose from frozen, tinned, dried or juiced.

Carbohydrates

This includes potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy carbohydrates. Starchy foods are a good source of energy and the main source of a range of nutrients in our diet. They should make up just over a third of the food we eat. Choose higher fibre wholegrain varieties where possible.

Dairy

Choose lower fat and lower sugar options. Milk, cheese, yoghurt and fromage frais are good sources of protein and some vitamins, and they’re also an important source of calcium, which helps keep your bones strong.

Protein

Beans, pulses, fish, eggs and lean meat are good sources of protein, vitamins and minerals. To make sure you get enough protein, try to eat more beans and pulses and two portions of sustainably sourced fish every week, one of which is oily. Try to cut down on red and processed meat products.

Oils and spread

Choose unsaturated oils and use in small amounts.

Hydration

It is important to drink plenty of fluids. Safe drinking water, lower-fat milks and lower-sugar or sugar-free drinks, including tea and coffee, all count.

Watch the calories

Different roles on board will result in different amounts of calories – or energy – being burnt. But when we eat and drink more calories than we use up, our bodies store the excess as body fat. This can lead to obesity, which in turn increases the risk of diabetes and heart disease.

Men need around 2,500kcal a day to maintain a healthy body weight, and women need around 2,000kcal.

Let’s get physical

Providing good exercise facilities on board can positively impact the crew’s wellbeing. In fact, scientific evidence has proven that physical activities can:

• Cause chemical changes in the brain which can help to positively change our mood
• Help people with mild depression and may prevent anxiety
• Improve self-esteem, self-control, and the ability to rise to a challenge

Exercise won’t make stress disappear, but it can reduce some of the emotional intensity and may enable you to deal with problems more calmly.

Whilst on board it may seem difficult to find time and means to exercise but even moderate exercise can lift your mood as well as assisting with better sleep.

Fight against fatigue

Fatigue has long been identified as a factor in maritime accidents. Therefore, adequate and good-quality sleep and rest is very important.

In the past sleepiness and fatigue were considered one and the same, but this is not always the case. A seafarer can suffer from fatigue without feeling sleepy. In broad terms, sleepiness is a short-term condition that comes on quickly and is simply caused by a lack of sleep. Fatigue, on the other hand, is a long-term condition that gradually takes hold and can be caused by a number of factors.

Managing fatigue on board may be difficult due to the pressures and long hours of work. But you can help yourself by making sure that you prioritise sleep during rest periods and avoid heavy meals, caffeine and alcohol before bed.

Recognise the signs of fatigue in yourself and colleagues such as slowed reaction time, impaired memory, struggling to stay awake, increased clumsiness and irritability.

In summary

Making healthy choices can:

• Improve your mood
• Lift your self-esteem
• Allow a more positive attitude
• Give you more energy
• Prevent fatigue
• Help you think more clearly
• Improve concentration levels

Source: https://www.nepia.com/articles/healthy-eating/