Everyone has heard the phrase ‘you are what you eat’. Well, it turns out, when you eat is just as important. You could have the perfect diet, full of vegetables, nuts, lean meats, and more. But, if you’re eating at the wrong times, it could be doing your body more damage than you know. This is because our bodies are designed to eat at certain times.
Eat during the daylight hours
One of the most effective diets is the circadian rhythm diet. This is based on the theory that our bodies are designed to be active when the sun is out, and inactive when night comes. Therefore, our bodies only need fuel when we’re active. There is another theory behind this diet though. If you assume that the sun is up for 12 hours and down for 12 hours, it gives our bodies 12 hours to fast. This prompts your body to use stored fat as fuel, helping you to burn extra fat. If you’re struggling to stick to a diet, this is one of the simplest methods out there.
Don’t skip breakfast
For years, people have been skipping breakfast as a way to lose weight. As it turns out, this is almost certain to make your overall eating habits worse. There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, your breakfast is the first meal of the day, so you will spend all day burning it off. If you start with a balanced breakfast that’s full of energy-rich foods (eggs, apples, bananas, fatty fish, etc), you will feel more energized for the day and experience higher levels of concentration. Another reason that breakfast is so important is that it stops you from overeating throughout the day.
Have a big lunch
This might seem counterintuitive, but a big lunch is important. Eating a lot at lunchtime will keep your metabolism running at its best level. Plus, it will ensure that you’re using all of the energy from the food you consume. When calories aren’t used for energy, they are stored as fat. Your lunch should be full of vegetables (at least a third of the plate) and protein-rich food (like chicken or chickpeas). This will keep you full of energy for the rest of the day.
Consider a fasting diet
Fasting diets have become increasingly popular in recent years. Intermittent fasting is the most famous fasting diet. Popular versions include the 16:8 diet, where you have an 8-hour window to consume your calories and 16 hours to fast each day. You can also try to learn the prolonged multi-day fast, whether water fasting or low-calorie fasting.
However, it’s important to research these diets before you start – not eating for long periods can be dangerous.
Eat a light dinner
In Western culture, it’s pretty standard practice to eat a big meal at night. However, this isn’t the best way to consume your daily calories. Think of it this way – you wait until the evening to consume your biggest meal of the day. Then, a couple of hours later, you go to bed. That means all of those extra calories are being turned into fat when you sleep. It’s much better to eat a big lunch and then a light dinner.
Don’t snack during the night
By this point, you’ve read a couple of times that unused calories are turned into fat when you sleep. Because of this, you should attempt to avoid late-night snacking where possible. If you’re struggling to get to sleep because of hunger pangs, there are a few healthy snack options you should keep in the house. These include mixed nuts, kiwis, bananas with almond butter, and pistachios.
