FIFO Lifestyle & Eating Guide - tips to staying well on a minesite

Working FIFO doesn’t mean you have to miss out on nutritional meals. There are a few simple additions you can make to your daily food to make it more interesting as well as nutritious.

Bring some food up from home – this is my number one recommendation – here are a few things that are easily transportable that can make a difference:

Nuts & Seeds – they are packed full of vitamins and minerals, add them to your breakfast or have them on their own as an afternoon snack. Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, almonds, walnuts, Brazil nuts are my personal favourites. Just remember not to overindulge in the nuts – about 5 almonds 2 walnuts & 2 Brazil nuts should be the daily limit.
Oats / Muesli – You can bring your own oats &/or muesli to site. Yes they do have them onsite, but I guarantee the ones you bring are better quality – it also means you can make your own porridge if you choose, or soak them overnight with some nuts and seeds for a great digestible breakfast.
Avocado – full of amazing fats, vitamins and minerals. A great addition to your lunch or as an afternoon snack on a rice cracker.
Rice Cakes - If you are lucky your site may provide rice cakes, if not then I recommend bringing your own. Most of the crackers provided contain nasty trans-fats and/or MSG. Try organic rice cakes which you can spread with nut butter, avocado, tomato just as an idea.
Yoghurt – did you know pretty much all of the yoghurt onsite is sugar/artificial sweetener laden, therefore offering no nutritional benefit? You can bring your own natural full fat yoghurt which means it’s a lot better for you and has beneficial bacteria in it. I recommend Mundella blue top.
Cans of Legumes - You can buy 4 packs of mini cans of chickpeas. These are especially good if the camp you are at don’t offer canned beans in the crib room. These are a great way to reduce the amount of meat you consume onsite as its so readily available you tend to overload on it.
Fancy something sweet – how about some Cacao powder in hot water with a little bit of
honey. Much healthier than reaching for the milo when you get the urge and rich in
taste.
Grated Carrot & Beetroot - If you really want to go all out then I recommend getting yourself a $2
grater from Kmart. They are nice and small so easy to take to site. You can
bring up a couple of carrots and beetroot and make delicious raw energy
salad whenever you choose.

Site Eating Ideas - 
If you choose not to bring any of your own food to site it might be a good idea if
you set yourself a few guidelines so you’re not eating like a king everyday!

Breakfast – because most people don’t have a cooked breakfast everyday at home, there is no
need to do so onsite as well. Sure go for poached eggs, but stay away from the grease. You could
always have the porridge on offer if poached eggs aren’t your thing.
Crib – now this depends on where you are as to how good it is. If you’re planning on having meat
for dinner - then how about go for the vegetarian option of beans/eggs for lunch. They might have
canned salmon/tuna that you can take as well. Try and have lots of raw salad material at lunch,
you could put it in a wrap or eat it straight out of the container. Take advantage of the fruit on
offer. Sometimes they provide a trail mix which is well worth taking.
Dinner – it is important to remember there is a buffet every night where you should fill half your
plate with veges, quarter with a starch such as rice/potatoes/pasta & the last quarter with protein
such as meat etc. Dessert is on offer every night, if there is something you love – it will be there
again as the meals are on a rotation. Limit sweets to once a week.
Drinking – the wet mess is a real challenge for some people. Try and limit your time there to once
a week maximum. If you try and picture a six pack of beer equalling a cake – you wouldn’t eat a
whole cake in one sitting, so you shouldn’t really have six beers each night.
Caffeine – this is a big one on a Minesite, the constant fatigue and culture surrounding it! Energy
drinks, coffee, tea – they all add to the toxic load on the liver so it has to work twice as hard,
especially if you drink alcohol at night, not to mention its addictive qualities! See if you can kick the
habit or at least limit it to one coffee per day. As for energy drinks – don’t consume these at all!

If you need some further assistance with your nutritional goals then please get in touch with me here!