[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]There’s a saying, “eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper” – the premise being: consume the bulk of your intake earlier in the day rather than later. Is that helpful and realistic given the lifestyles of many people? Keep reading to find out.
What is chrononutrition?
Chrononutrition is eating according to one’s
circadian rhythm – otherwise known as the body’s internal or biological clock. While circadian rhythm is most often linked to its role in regulating sleep-wake cycles, it impacts many other processes in the body including digestion, absorption of food, metabolism and calorie expenditure.
Chronotype identification
There are two chronotypes often referenced – morning and evening types. Yet, most people fall somewhere in between. There’s a test used in research called the
Morningness-Eveningness questionnaire to help people determine their individual chronotype. Based on your own lifestyle, you likely already know whether you are an early bird or night owl.
Chronotype can be influenced by genetics, environment and age. People are more likely to become morning types as they get older. Being aware of your chronotype may assist in planning and creating a health-promoting eating schedule.
Eating timing and health impacts
Cardiovascular concerns
Data from a
study in Spain found a link between evening chronotypes and higher cardiometabolic risk factors like higher blood levels of triglycerides and inflammatory proteins and lower HDL cholesterol levels and less robust circadian-related rhythms than morning types, regardless of whether a low-fat or
Mediterranean diet was consumed.
Weight management
Another
study found that chronotype is a significant factor in the connection between meal timing and
obesity. Higher calorie intake in the morning was associated with lower body mass index (BMI) only among earlier chronotypes, whereas higher calorie intake at night was strongly associated with higher BMI only among later chronotypes.
Other
research found enhanced fat burning in a group of individuals who ate three meals per day compared to those who skipped breakfast and had a late night snack. Calorie and activity level were the same for both groups, with eating timing being the only difference.
“The findings from this study reveal that breakfast eating triggers fat burning to happen much sooner during sleep/rest. This occurs when meal timing is synchronized with higher metabolic activity which is earlier in the day for most people,” said Kevin Kelly, Ph.D., one of the Vanderbilt University study researchers.
Diabetes risk
Another
study, after adjusting for known type 2 diabetes risk factors, showed a 21% increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes in men who skipped breakfast compared to those who ate
breakfast. Also appears that breakfast skippers have a greater preference for late dinners, common trait among evening chronotypes.
Additional
research reveals a potential solution for evening chronotypes desiring to keep blood sugar levels in check is to include and consume more protein at any later meals. However, it is still best for people with diabetes or those aiming to deter diabetes to eat during the day than at night, unless need to treat an evening low blood sugar episode.
What about those who work overnight shifts?
Such schedules can lead to
misalignment of the normal body clock and raise health risks like diabetes, heart disease and obesity. Frank Scheer, Ph.D, Director of the Medical Chronobiology Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston has studied shift work schedules extensively. His advice is to aim to eat the majority of intake during daytime rather than nighttime, perhaps well before shift starts and after ends in morning. Conceding this may not always be practical to forgo eating during entire night work shift, so he suggests to opt for
protein-oriented snacks and especially limit simple or refined carbohydrates. Such snacks include
seeds,
nuts,
nut butter or low fat cheese as examples.
Putting chrononutrition into practice
1. Build up breakfast.
Don’t skip morning eating, and ideally eat something within an hour or two upon awakening. Prep a bit the night before if mornings are rushed for you. Keep it
carbohydrate and protein balanced, with perhaps some vegetables added in when possible. No need to stick to traditional breakfast fare either -- lunch or dinner leftovers can be great morning fare.
2. Lean in to lunch.
Similar to breakfast, ideally you won’t skip lunch. Pack a healthy lunch and bring it to work so there’s less chance of getting too busy with daily demands that you ultimately miss this meal. Or, if you’re working from home, consider altering your schedule so there’s time for lunch to be a larger meal than dinner.
3. Dial back dinner.
Consider scaling back at dinner, in quantity or timing or both. Try not to eat dinner too close to bed time. Make sure your plate is filled predominantly with non-starchy vegetables and lean or unsaturated fat protein sources such as fish, skinless chicken, lentils or
beans. Keep carbohydrates like white pasta, rice, potatoes or bread to a minimum.
4. Dine during the daytime.
Aim to eat mostly during the daylight hours. This doesn’t mean you have to abandon socializing and restaurant get-togethers in the evening time. Just try to make eating during the day a priority most of the week.
5. Nix the night nibbling.
Consider the kitchen and cupboards closed after dinner. Set a goal to stop snacking at least two to three hours before bedtime.
Bottom line
Since every person’s chronobiology is unique, coming to clear cut conclusions regarding chrononutrition requires more study. Meanwhile, it is likely advantageous to rise earlier, eat most of intake during day hours and
get suitable ZZZs by not delaying bedtime. At the same time, don’t forget the quality and quantity of what you eat is still important.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title="Featured Products" border_width="2"][vc_row_inner equal_height="yes" content_placement="middle" gap="35"][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="162369" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1663105364178{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/sunfood-organic-wellness-super-blend-sleep-well"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="162367" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1663105382526{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/atlas-bar-protein-bar"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="162368" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1663105399379{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/the-functional-chocolate-company-sleepy-chocolate"][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]
