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Recommendations for front line officers

Good Nutrition in High Stress Police Situations

High stress police operations, such as crowd management during periods of civil unrest, is mentally and physically demanding. Crowd management often challenges you to push your body beyond normal limits without leaving recovery time, leading to poor performance, fatigue, insomnia, and injury. In the summer of 2020, you and your fellow officers repeatedly worked shifts that, in many cases, exceeded 12 hours for 10 to 12 days straight, leaving little time and few safe locations for appropriate nutrition, rest, exercise, recovery, or sleep.

Large numbers of arrests, long periods on bicycles, standing or moving in formations, and responding to threats are physically and mentally demanding tasks. Nutrition is an important factor in the successful performance of these demanding police operations.34 While you’re assigned to crowd management, you must be focused and prepared to carry out your assignments in uncertain and volatile operating environments.

Some considerations during high stress operations:35

  • Given the intensity of the assignment and limited food choices, you may find yourself relying on caffeine, nicotine, and fast foods. These poor dietary habits can lead to performance issues, which cannot be resolved by “cramming” healthy nutrition.
  • Weather also plays a significant role, particularly heat, which can cause you and your fellow officers to lose body weight due to sweat in a matter of hours, resulting in dehydration. These environmental exposures can inhibit physical readiness and effectiveness if nutritional needs and hydration are not properly met.
  • The effects of weather are often exacerbated by personal protective equipment.
  • Poor nutrition, under-eating, and dehydration can all contribute to fatigue, impaired performance, and even injury. Further, improper eating is detrimental to overall health.
  • High-intensity situations require higher levels of food and water intake.
  • High-protein foods rebuild and repair body tissues after high-output scenarios.
  • Always be mindful of caffeine and nicotine intake. Caffeine and nicotine lead to increased blood pressure, which can increase anxiety, especially in high stress situations.

Overcoming Nutrition Challenges

  • Try to eat healthy foods versus pre- packaged or fast food prior to, during, and immediately after intense physical activities. If possible, bring snacks of fruits and nuts or performance sports nutrition products, such as energy gels, bars, and drinks. Foods such as sport drinks, raisins, honey, bananas, or potatoes are ideal for recovery.
  • Snacks for night shifts should be low carbohydrate/high protein foods.
  • Drink one to two cups of fluid every 30 minutes even if you don’t feel thirsty. Increasing caloric intake can also help to replenish fluid loss.
  • Foods that are high in water, like fruit, are great for warmer weather.
  • High carbohydrate snacks are beneficial to consume when working in the cold.

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This project was supported by cooperative agreement number 2016-VI-BX-K001 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the SMART Office. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report was prepared by the National Police Foundation (NPF). The National Police Foundation is the oldest nationally known, non-profit, non-partisan, and non-membership driven organization dedicated to advancing policing through innovation and science.

The internet references cited in this publication were valid as of the date of publication. Given that URLs and websites are in constant flux, the NPF cannot vouch for their current validity.

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