by Seth McBride, Marketing Intern
Once upon a time, we believed that consuming an extra helping at dinner would aid our survival. As times have changed, we now have a surplus of food that has led to an epidemic of obesity. In our modern times of plenty, it is healthier to eat smaller meals that focus on key nutrients rather than stuffing ourselves.
A study published by the Nutrition Journal in 2011 debunked the common myth that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Oftentimes, we believe that the more you eat for breakfast, the less hungry you’ll be throughout the day. However, larger breakfasts do not satiate you for extended periods of time. This means that you actually tend to consume more calories as the day progresses after eating a big breakfast.
Lunch should be the largest meal of the day because your metabolism corresponds to how long you’ve been awake. In other words, you’re more likely to burn off the calories from a large lunch than a large breakfast or dinner. Go out on a limb and think of us as plants in the sense that there are specific times each day that our body is able to utilize the sugars we consume.
Don’t sleep on an empty stomach. While dinner should be the lightest meal of your day as you become less active, it’s still important to eat. Whatever you do, don’t skip a meal. Skipping dinner means there is an extensive time gap between meals, which can result in disrupted sleep patterns, craving sweets, nausea, and ravenous hunger. Also, be sure that your dinner is light because excessive amounts of sugar and fatty foods can overload your digestive system. This can result in fatigue, both mentally and physically, the following day. And don’t forget to wait two hours after eating dinner to fall asleep, allowing your body the recommended amount of time for digestion.
The most important benefit of eating light is that you will begin to eat at the right time of day. When foods are eaten at the wrong time of day, your body stores more fats. Not only will you lose weight, but you will also feel revitalized when your sleeping and eating schedules complement one another. So much so, you’ll live healthily ever after.