WHEN IS THE RIGHT TIME TO EAT MY MEALS?

 In between schooling and working finding the right time to take your meals can be quite challenging but then planning your meals ahead and even preparing them ahead so they can be readily available when needed helps you to avoid starving yourself before eating which in turn prevents you from overeating or replacing  breakfast with midday snacks high in salt, sugar or fats which increases the risk of you getting obese or overweight.

Eating at the right time helps in weight control and also prevents mood swings and dramatic hunger pangs.

When is the exact time to eat my meals?

The 3 main meals that you eat in a day are Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Breakfast: 

Breakfast means breaking the fast. It is the meal you take 8-10hrs after the previous meals i.e between 6-10a.m and it is usually referred to as "the  most important meal of the day". 

It is from breakfast you get to refuel your body and obtain  the energy you need to get through the day to avoid feeling tired or fatigued throughout the day. 

Lunch:

Lunch times are usually at work or school so your lunch should usually be lighter than dinner or breakfast as you need to be able to maintain your concentration during these hours. Eating a heavy lunch during work hours can cause you to feel tired or sluggish and be less productive. Instead of overeating after a late lunch you can eat snacks that contains carbohydrates and proteins to keep you filled and energized.

Dinner:

Eating heavier meals at dinner because you're trying to compensate for skipping breakfast and lunch or eating only midday snacks should be avoided because your body's digestive function begins to slow down around the last hour.

Dinner should be between 5-6pm but it is usually unrealistic for you to have dinner as early as 5-6pm which is 4-5hrs after lunch.

Some of the factors that stops you from eating your meals at the time you are supposed to  includes;

1. Not feeling hungry;

This usually happens because you've trained your body not to send hunger signals at that time and because you've always being ignoring those signals. However, reintroducing breakfast will cause your natural hunger signals to return.

2. Not enough time to eat:

Rushing through meals is a very common act instead of rushing through your meals you should take time to sit and enjoy your meals this would help you digest your food better and also improve your overall wellbeing.

Preparing a meal schedule and being consistent with it would help you eat at the right time. Each meal should be 4-5hrs apart and this schedule would help you maintain your weight and also prevent overeating.

Thanks for reading!

Article by:

Olamide Oladejo

Food, Nutrients & Health

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