After optimizing our calorie intake and personalizing our healthy eating regimen, we just need to put the cherry on top: eating the right amounts at the right times. 

The amount and type of food you put in your body is much more important for long-term health and longevity than the timing. But getting the timing right can help to manage energy levels, control appetite and promote good sleep. 

Let’s take a look…

The ranking

Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper. This little bit of wisdom has been around for decades, yet many people still do it the other way round. 

Yes, you can find articles swearing by a vast array of alternative eating patterns online. But most professionals recommend this old bit of wisdom. 

A big breakfast high in protein and healthy fats will supply your body with plenty of gradually releasing energy over the course of the day. 

A moderate top-up of slow-releasing energy around lunch can keep you going throughout the afternoon. Moderation is key though: drowsiness from a heavy lunch can really hurt your productivity. 

Dinner should be something small but filling. It’s aim is to keep away any distracting hunger before bedtime without putting any extra stress on the body when it enters recovery mode in sleep. 

Doing it the other way round can easily leave you listless in the morning (typically the most productive time of the day) and heavy and uncomfortable in the evening (hurting your sleep quality). Poor meal timing can also drive you to graze on unhealthy snacks throughout the day, really hurting your long-term health.

The timing

Intermittent fasting has become quite a buzzword in recent years. It’s often touted as a good weight loss strategy because it regularly puts the body in a state where it needs to draw on fat reserves for fuel. Or perhaps it just works because you have less time to consume calories. 

Most serious scientists agree that intermittent fasting can have some benefits, but simply eating healthy foods in moderation is much more important (1, 2, 3).  

Personally, I just use the principle for maximizing my sleep quality. On a typical day, I’d have a small dinner about 3-5 hours before bed, leaving me just comfortable at bedtime – not hungry and not bloated. 

Then I sleep soundly for about 8 hours, wake up and go through my morning routine that includes a large breakfast 1-2 hours after waking up. This results in 12-15 hours of intermittent fasting.

Given the importance of sleep, this is an important benefit.  

Fasting after feasting

During the holiday time, you’re likely to have one or two very large dinners. This is all well and good, but it could seriously disrupt your healthy eating pattern. 

Luckily, fasting can help to quickly restore your overall energy balance after a feast. Indeed, if you cancel the calorie imbalance with a day of fasting, you can get back to your normal healthy eating regimen the very next day.

Such a quick recovery is very important to keep your healthy eating habits strong enough to last a lifetime.