The Importance of When & What you Eat
What you eat is always emphasized when trying to be healthy but when you are eating what you are eating is equally important. The times you are eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner is just as crucial as the types of food you are consuming on a daily basis. Consistency is important, it is beneficial for you to create some form of eating schedule so your body knows when it is to expect food throughout the day. This helps keep you from overeating and maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle.
Breakfast
Breakfast sets the tone for the rest of the day. It is said that you should eat within the first hour or so of waking up because your body is being prepared for the day ahead of you. The ideal breakfast hours should be between 6 am to 10 am because it isn't too close to your next meal and it gives time to digest what you have just eaten.
Portion sizes and what is inside your food are also important because if you have too much of a heavy meal right away or if it is with too much sugar then you may crash mid-day or have your sugar levels rise. It is recommended to focus on grains and protein in the morning for this exact reason, like natural peanut butter toast on whole grain bread.
Lunch
Your metabolism is at its highest point between 10 am to 2 pm so in order to take advantage of this fully it is recommended to eat lunch during this time. Eating lunch between those hours provides you with prime digestive function and prevents you from having that post-lunch slump.
Lunch in comparison to breakfast should be on the lighter side because you are most likely at the peak of your day whether at your job or at school and you need to be at your highest concentration, so you can exude maximum brainpower. Some examples of prime lunches for you to try at this time are perhaps a chicken tortilla wrap or seared salmon with rice.
Dinner
Dinner should usually take place about 5 or so hours after you have eaten your lunch for the day, ideally between 5 pm to 6 pm. During these hours your body had reached the last bit of its best metabolic time before it begins to decrease its breakdown time of turning your food into energy.
The more time you give between your last meal and when you go to sleep the more beneficial because it gives your body the time to absorb and break down what you've been eating. You will in return feel more renewed and well-rested, especially when you wake up in the morning.
Eating Schedule Hacks
Life gets busy and maintaining a consistent eating schedule between, exercising, socializing, working and studying can be a constant challenge, but here are some ideas that may help make this a bit easier.
1. Meal Prep
Pan your means in advance, whether it's deciding what you will eat for the week or the next day or buying the ingredients in advance, every bit of planning helps make it easier to stick to it. You can store already prepared food in the fridge and heat it up throughout the week as necessary, it also saves you a lot of time throughout the day.
2. Try Things
Don't be afraid to fluctuate your eating times, slightly, on different days. It's all about trial and error until you understand what the best times to eat are for you. Everyone is different and not everyone will take favorably to one set of rules. Add in different elements such as exercise and see how it impacts your everyday routine until you build one that works for you.
No matter what you decided to do be sure to make fresh ingredients a focal point in your diet since this can be what makes the difference and puts you one step closer to achieving your nutritional prime.