Importance of Meal Timings – Our body needs energy to do daily activities from the carbs, fats, and protein from our meals. But today, everyone lives a fast-paced life and does not have proper meal times. Sometimes, too much workload makes us miss a meal of our day. Most of us don’t follow a proper eating schedule. However, not having proper meal times can affect your overall wellness.
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You should consume your three important meals with timely snacks to tackle your day-to-day work. It will fuel our bodies with enough energy to tackle our day-to-day tasks. While there are no hard and fast rules for having strict meal timing, having a constant eating pattern is still essential and can offer numerous health benefits. Generally, nowadays, most people depend upon their hunger cues to eat. Still, when we skip meals or do not have proper meals a day, these hunger cues might not indicate well and thus disrupt our eating cycle, affecting our overall health.
So, instead of hunger cues, you should follow proper eating patterns. This article will explain the importance of meal mining and the benefits of following a constant meal schedule. We will also tell you the best time for having breakfast, lunch, and dinner with periodic snacks.
Benefits of Regular Meal Timings
Due to today’s hectic lifestyle, most don’t eat on time. Untimely eating habits also lead to an increase in the consumption of unhealthy, processed foods, which can cause various health issues, including issues related to digestion. It also disrupts the metabolism cycle and can cause various severe problems, from obesity to heart attacks. So having proper meal timings is necessary and saves you from various diseases by offering the following benefits.
Manage Blood Sugar Levels
People with diabetes need to manage their blood sugar levels. So when there is a long gap between meals, it results in dips in blood sugar levels, while eating at proper time intervals can help manage blood sugar levels. Suppose you are skipping your meals or not having proper meals. In that case, there are higher chances that carbohydrates will not be adequately distributed in your body throughout the day, which disrupts the glucose levels in the body.
So you should consult your healthcare expert and get advice about your meal timings. These can vary from person to person due to age, gender, work type, or medication. So consult your doctor and prepare a proper eating chart to manage your blood sugar levels.
Maintain Circadian Rhythms
having constant meal timings is not only limited to managing blood sugar levels but also having a well-balanced diet, proper sleep, and disciplined meal timings helps manage the cyclic rhythm of our body. Following proper meal timings directly links the body’s circadian rhythms, allowing the internal clock to regulate the sleep cycle and wakefulness and thus automatically offering many health benefits. So, if you have a circadian rhythm disorder, sticking to a proper meal schedule can significantly help you.
Allows Ideal Gap Between Meals
Typically, a main meal needs a time of 3-4 hours for proper digestion, so you should put a gap of around 3-4 hours in your three main meals, and you can have meal snacking, which can reduce your food cravings. Thus, proper meal timings will save you from overeating and prevent bloating or constipation-related issues. Eating mindfully can also save you from the risks of diabetes and obesity.
What is the best time to eat your meal?
Best Time for Breakfast
The best time for having your breakfast is within 1-2 hours after you wake up. It helps break your overnight fast and provides the essential nutrients that produce energy to kickstart your data and tackle your daily activities. If you do not have a proper breakfast, you will not get the proper energy for your daily activities, and you will feel tired and unable to provide your 100% at work. Breakfast is an essential meal of our day that you should never skip.
Best Time For Lunch
The perfect time for your lunch should be between 01-02 pm. The gap in between allows your breakfast to be digested fully. Your lunch should be packed with a well-balanced nutrient meal with the main focus on protein such as chicken and fish or plant-based options such as chickpeas and lentils, along with the carbs and healthy fats from olive or avocado oil, and fiber-rich vegetables and whole grains.
Remember not to push your lunch too late. If you have to push your lunch timing due to an untimely meeting, you might eat something unhealthy, leading to overeating. So try to finish your lunch between 01-02 pm as it is the perfect time to have your second main meal.
Best Time For Dinner
Now you have your lunch done by 02 pm so that you can go with some light snacks around 04 pm, and you should have dinner between 07-08 pm. Having dinner during this time can save you from the issues of acid reflux or heartburn. Also, having an early dinner is beneficial for people with diabetes, as a late-night dinner can spike blood sugar levels. Moreover, experts suggest having dinner before 02-03 hours of bedtime.
Best Time For Snacks
The best time for snacking is around 11:00 am, 04:00 pm and 08 pm. Remember not to have a gap of more than 4-5 hours in your main meals. So it would be best if you also had a snacking option. But the type of snack matters. Having scnaks does not mean you can go and eat oily, junk or processed foods, instead go with lighter and healthier options. Thus, proper meal timing will save you from overeating and offers numerous health benefits.
So now you know how disciplined meal times are essential for overall wellness and the best times for your main meals. Meals are essential to our lives because they fuel our bodies and enable us to tackle day-to-day complexities. However, skipping meals or not having a proper meal at all can lead to various health issues such as diabetes, obesity, and many more. If our information has helped you or you want us to cover any other topic, please let us know in the comment section below.
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