Mission fuel
Knowledge Center
A digital field guide for the people who work the long shifts: what to eat, how to train the aerobic engine, and the plants behind both — documented with their traditions and their evidence kept apart.
Educational only. Nothing in this centre diagnoses, treats or prevents any condition. Traditional use describes recorded cultural practice; scientific evidence describes what controlled research currently shows. Speak with a clinician or pharmacist before changing your diet or combining herbs with medication.
Section 01
Nutrition
Targets, ranges and field notes for people who eat around shift work and hard training. General education — not individual dietetic advice.
Total energy in versus energy out. Every other target sits inside this number.
Target range
Estimate maintenance at roughly 14–16 kcal per pound of bodyweight for active adults, then adjust ±10–20% by weekly bodyweight trend, not by any single day.
Shift note
A 24-hour shift with heavy PPE work can add 800–1,200 kcal over a rest day. Under-eating on shift is the most common driver of the 0400 crash.
Repairs the tissue training breaks down and keeps you full during long shifts.
Target range
0.7–1.0 g per pound of bodyweight per day for people training hard. Spread it across 3–5 feeds of 25–45 g rather than one large meal.
Shift note
Pack one shelf-stable 30 g protein option per shift block. Protein is the single easiest macro to miss on a busy run of calls.
The fuel your nervous system and high-intensity work run on. Low carb plus night shift is a hard combination.
Target range
3–6 g per kg of bodyweight for most training weeks; push the higher end around heavy conditioning, rucks, or back-to-back shifts.
Shift note
Slow carbs pre-shift, fast carbs mid-call. Save simple sugars for when you actually need the immediate hit.
Hormone production, vitamin absorption, and steady long-duration energy.
Target range
0.3–0.5 g per pound of bodyweight, never below roughly 20% of total calories. Prioritise unsaturated sources.
Shift note
Keep fat lower in the meal right before hard work — it slows gastric emptying and sits heavy under a vest.
Digestive regularity, satiety, blood sugar stability, and gut microbiome health.
Target range
25–38 g per day. Increase gradually and raise water alongside it, or you trade one problem for another.
Shift note
Shift work wrecks bowel regularity. Fiber plus consistent water is the practical fix; loading fiber on shift day is not.
Even 2% bodyweight fluid loss measurably degrades reaction time and decision quality.
Target range
Roughly half your bodyweight in pounds, in ounces, as a baseline. Add 16–24 oz per hour of heavy sweating or PPE work.
Shift note
Add electrolytes, not just water, on hot calls — sodium 300–700 mg per litre. Pale straw urine is the field check.
Section 01.2
Meal Prep
Three repeatable blocks. Pick one, run it weekly.
- 01Roast two trays: one protein, one mixed vegetables at 200 °C.
- 02Cook one large grain pot (rice, quinoa, or barley) while trays roast.
- 03Build 5 identical base containers: protein + grain + vegetable.
- 04Vary only the sauce — that is what stops prep fatigue by day three.
- 05Cool fully before lidding; refrigerate within two hours.
- 01Two shelf-stable protein items (jerky, tuna pouch, shake powder).
- 02One slow carb (oats cup, rice cake pack).
- 03One fast carb for a call (dried fruit, gel, banana).
- 04Electrolyte sachets — one per four hours in heat.
- 05Nothing that needs a microwave you might not reach.
- 01Batch overnight oats for three mornings.
- 02Hard-boil a dozen eggs.
- 03Wash and cut vegetables so the default snack is already open.
- 04Portion nuts — the least controlled calorie source in most kitchens.
Section 01.3
Recipes
- · Sear seasoned chicken 4 minutes per side, rest, slice.
- · Warm rice with a splash of water and the garlic.
- · Assemble, finish with lemon and olive oil.
- · Combine everything in a jar.
- · Refrigerate 6+ hours.
- · Eat cold — no kitchen required.
- · Roast cubed sweet potato 25 minutes at 200 °C.
- · Add salmon to the tray for the last 12 minutes.
- · Wilt spinach in the residual heat, dress with lemon and dill.
- · Simmer broth with sliced ginger, garlic and turmeric for 15 minutes.
- · Add black pepper and a squeeze of lemon off the heat.
- · Culinary use — flavour and fluid, not a treatment for anything.
Section 01.4
Shopping Lists
Protein
Carbohydrate
Fat & flavour
Produce & fiber
Shift bag
Section 01.5
Nutrition Progress
Sign in to chart your logged calories, protein and consistency against these targets.