When are the Best Times to Eat?
We have talked a lot about some ideas for healthy foods to eat, but how does the timing of what you eat factor into your overall health? Is there an ideal time to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Short answer—yes! Long answer—read on:
• Breakfast: According to Northwestern Medicine, breakfast “is all about breaking the ‘fast’ of a night without eating. It also sets the stage for your nutrition for the entire day and gives you the energy you need to face what the day will bring. Starting the day on an empty tank can leave you feeling drained and reaching for a candy jar or bag of chips by mid-morning.” Additionally, you should plan to eat breakfast within an hour of waking to avoid having your breakfast time bleed into your lunch.
• Lunch: The best time to eat lunch is about 4-5 hours after breakfast. “For example, if you ate breakfast at 7 am, eat lunch between 11 am and noon. If it is not possible for you to eat lunch until 2 pm on a particular day, then plan a snack in between those two meals. If you need to eat a snack, include a mix of protein and carbohydrates…The goal is to prevent becoming overly hungry between meals, which can lead to snack time beginning the moment you get home from work.”
• Dinner: If you have not eaten enough food throughout the day, it can be easy to overindulge at dinner to help compensate. Much like lunch, dinner “should follow the same schedule as your earlier meals, making sure there is no more than a four- to five-hour window between lunch and dinner. Some people will need to eat a snack between lunch and dinner because eating dinner at 4 or 5 pm is not always realistic.” That is, unless you are a fan of the early bird special or you have young kids at home.
This whole schedule might sound great, but what do you do if you simply do not feel hungry in the morning? Breakfast is the most skipped meal of the day, and if “you frequently skip breakfast, you have trained your body not to send hunger signals at that time because they have long been ignored. Your body needs energy in the morning, so fuel it accordingly.
If you begin to re-introduce breakfast daily, your natural hunger cues will return.” Another common pitfall to eating on a schedule is a lack of time. If we are honest, sometimes we do not have as much time as we would like, especially if we are trying to maximize our schedules and multitask. Whenever possible, “make it a practice to sit down and take time for meals. You digest your food better and enjoy your meals more—the tastes, textures and smells—when you slow down and focus on what you are eating. This habit is necessary for your overall well-being. Keep a consistent eating schedule as much as possible so that your body knows when to expect breakfast, lunch and dinner. If your schedule varies every day, have healthy snacks on hand for times when a meal needs to wait.”[1] This is where all of your meal prep planning can come in handy; healthy meals and snacks are much easier to have on hand when you are busy so you do not fall victim to vending machines and donuts in the break room.
What are your favorite meal planning ideas to help keep you on a consistent eating schedule? Check out some of the recipes on our blog for some food inspo and tag us on social media!
[1] “The Best Times to Eat.” Northwestern Medicine, Northwestern University, https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/nutrition/best-times-to-eat.