Meal timing for feeling your best

Soooo many of us aren’t eating consistently or timing our meals supportively-whether it be because we’re waking up and aiming to ignore hunger as long as possible, lack of prioritization to care for our bodies’ needs, or difficulty with interoceptive cues (ex: sensation of hunger). I mean hey- it’s hard to care for our bodies in this hustle and grind, capitalist culture. Regardless of the reason, inconsistent meal timing or eating isn’t supporting long-term health & wellbeing. Let’s dive into why you may want to put a bit more thought into meal timing.

Breaking the Fast: 

Most of us have heard at some point in our lives that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. So… what happened? Diet culture and the thin-ideal are so ingrained and pervasive in our society; between celebrities and others in our lives promoting intermittent fasting, hustle culture, and misunderstanding about our bodies’ needs, many people have eliminated breakfast from their routine. However, skipping this meal often does more harm than good. Consuming even just a small snack within an hour or two of waking helps stabilize blood sugar levels, provides much-needed energy, and discourages the restrict-binge cycle. The restrict-binge cycle often leads to eating more than you’d like or to an uncomfortable level of fullness, feeling almost out-of-control around food sometimes. Timing your meals/snacks appropriately also supports the circadian rhythm!

The circadian rhythm, known as the “internal clock” is a 24-hour bodily system which controls sleep/wake cycles also likely plays an important role in the timing of physiology, metabolism, and behavior-as well as appetite regulation. Regulating the circadian rhythm helps the body and all of its systems perform optimally. This system becoming dysregulated is associated with a greater risk for developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and potentially other chronic diseases or conditions!

If you don’t already eat breakfast, I invite you to add a small breakfast back into your routine this week and see how you feel! If you struggle to feel hungry in the AM, remember that caffeine depletes appetite- and that a tummy rumble is not the only sign of hunger (shakiness/jitters, anxiety, irritability, lightheadedness, fatigue are also signs!). Some ideas: a serving of fruit & some nuts, a serving of yogurt, or even a protein shake or smoothie to kickstart your day. 

Keep fueling the fire: 

So, you had breakfast. Excellent! 1 meal down, more to go. We will chat more about the timing of your meals & snacks, but first let’s discuss your body’s total energy expenditure.

Consider that your body is a car and the total energy it needs for one day is a full tank of gas. If you have plans to use your car for the full day-which requires a full tank of gas- are you going to fill it up to just ½ tank of gas, or give it a full tank? Of course this isn’t a perfect example, because we can turn our cars off and on whereas our bodies are always on and therefore alwaysssss using fuel. 

The majority (60-70%) of your total energy need is spent just keeping you alive. The next largest chunk (15-20%) is spent on non-exercise activity thermogenesis, which is just a fancy way of saying movement that isn’t intentional exercise (think activities of daily living & other movement- brushing your teeth, walking around, showering, etc). Another 5-10% of our energy is used for breaking down food. Yes, digestion takes energy! Finally, 0-5% is used for intentional exercise. Obviously these numbers might look a bit different for professional level athletes who are dedicating manyyy more hours per week to exercise- but for the general population, this is what it looks like. 

Considering how much of your energy is used just keeping you alive, hopefully you can see that your body has SIGNIFICANT needs each day regardless of what you do. Let’s honor that need by providing our “vehicle” consistent fuel by timing our eating every 3ish-5 hours! Waiting too long between meals can lead to low blood sugar for some people (some symptoms of which being irritability, trouble focusing, nausea, dizziness, headache, and sweatiness). So, if you ate breakfast at 8AM, don’t wait until 3 PM for your next meal or snack! Additionally, eating meals at the same(ish) time daily supports regular digestion- our bodies really do love consistency. Finally, remember that every 3-5 hours isn’t a rule. If you’re hungrier sooner, honor that hunger! If you’re hungry an hour after having a meal or snack, that can be an indicator that it was missing something- check which macronutrient was missing, if it had fiber, or if you simply needed more (hint: a dietitian can help you suss this out).

Ah, Snacks:

Many of us may have heard at some point “snacking is bad for you!”, but this couldn’t be further from the truth! Snacking can help with supportive meal timing- especially when we consider what we want a snack to do for us. Pair a combo of  protein-, carbohydrate-, and/or fat-rich foods for sustained energy & fullness, to help meet your body’s energy needs, and to support optimal blood sugar regulation. A mid-morning and/or mid-afternoon snack can help bridge the hours between meals and provide missing nutrients. 

Some easy snack ideas include a piece of fruit with nuts/seeds or nut/seed butter, carrots and dip (hummus, ranch) with a string cheese, yogurt and fruit, homemade energy balls, or cheese, crackers, and baby bell peppers. Feel free to throw in your favorite snack and consider what macronutrients might be added to it to support you feeling your best (ie: chips + a protein shake/string cheese, etc.). Everyone has different preferences, goals, etc and I’m not gonna tell you not to eat something (except for foods that you’re allergic to, foods that have gone bad, or yano, non-food items). 

Check out this blog post for more balanced snack ideas!****

Example day of eating:

8 AM (Breakfast): Greek yogurt bowl with berries, mixed nut butter, granola

11:30 AM (Lunch): Black-bean bowl w/peppers & onions, pulled chicken, salsa, shredded cheese, lettuce

3PM (Snack): Apple w/almond/peanut butter, string cheese

5PM (Dinner): Roasted sheet pan chicken sausage, brussels, and red potatoes w/garlic  

Dessert: not a requirement for our bodies, but often a requirement for my personal soul 😋

I hope this article has reinforced the idea that meal timing to eat consistently can help you feel your best and support your health. If you feel like you currently struggle with meal timing, challenge yourself to consuming 4x/day for a week and notice how you feel, how your energy levels are, and if you experience less bingey-behaviors in the evening. It may take some time for your body to adjust if your tummy-rumble hunger cue has been “turned off”, but it’ll be so worth it!

Challenging diet culture and eating more often throughout the day may feel difficult at first, but I invite you to trust the process. If you want to dive deeper, work on healing your relationship with food, and build a more peaceful relationship with food and your body, I can help! Reach out here.

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I truly enjoy creating content to help folx like you live your most informed, peaceful life with food & your body.

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Although I am a registered dietitian, I am not YOUR dietitian. All content and information on this website is for informational and educational purposes only, does not constitute medical advice, and does not establish any kind of client-provider relationship by your use of this website. A client-provider relationship with you is only formed after we have expressly entered into a written agreement with you that you have signed including our fee structure and other terms to represent you in a specific matter. Although we strive to provide accurate general information, the information presented here is not a substitute for any kind of professional advice, and you should not rely solely on this information. Always consult a professional in the area for your particular needs and circumstances prior to making any professional, legal, medical, and financial or tax-related decisions.