Timing really is everything, especially when it comes to nutrition. From weight loss to emotional eating, nighttime sleep to daytime energy, the timing of the food you eat plays a strong role in your health outcomes. Here are three timing guidelines to achieve better health.
1. Shift calories to the light of day.
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Studies suggest that eating the bulk of your daily food during the light of the day and tapering intake as the day ends helps to prepare your body for sleep. The key is to give your body energy at your most active time of day and to decrease that energy as your day comes to a close. Evening meals high in saturated fat are especially detrimental to sound sleep. High-fat meals disrupt your circadian rhythm, making it harder to drift off to dream land. Boost your breakfast, and enjoy a hearty snack around 3 p.m., which will help you taper in the evening.
2. Eat breakfast like a king.
Studies have shown that big-breakfast eaters are more likely to lose weight and reduce their waistline circumference than those who eat a large dinner. And the benefits go beyond pounds and inches. People who eat well in the morning have better blood-sugar control, healthier hunger-hormone regulation, more energy for work and workouts, and sharper cognitive function. Plan ahead for busy mornings, and enjoy make-ahead recipes like overnight oatmeal or mini egg frittatas cooked in a muffin tin. Stash easy grab-and-go breakfast staples, such as containers of yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, and packets of oatmeal.
3. Eliminate late-night snacking.
Late eating is a weight-loss time bomb. People who eat late not only tend to consume more calories over the course of the day, but are less likely to lose weight and carry weight around the midsection. As the evening darkness approaches, we have less self-control and tend to indulge in high-calorie comfort foods. Adding insult to injury, late-night snacking is often done mindlessly—in front of the TV. Decrease late-night temptations by closing down the kitchen after dinner, eating mindfully at the kitchen table, or enjoying a piece of fruit or cup of tea before serving a more indulgent snack.
