Chrononutrition: why when you eat matters
We all know what we eat, and how much of it, has a huge impact on our weight and our health. But just how significant is meal timing – when we eat – on whether we gain or lose body fat?
The emerging field of chrononutriton, or the study of the relationship between temporal eating patterns, our circadian rhythm and our metabolic health, has already given us a great insight into how meal timing affects our health. Is it better, for instance, to eat the bulk of our daily calories at breakfast? Or should lunch be the main meal or the day? Or have the Southern Europeans got it right, by consuming large dinners very late at night?
Science-based nutritional educator Dr Alan Flanagan reveals what we know so far about the optimal times to eat for weight-loss and better metabolic health in general.
The founder of Alinea Nutrition and former barrister also reveals what our current understanding of chrononutrition means for your health if you don’t have control of when you can eat, because you’re a shift worker, for instance, so have breakfast at 8pm and dinner at 8am.
And what does it mean if you voluntary dictate when you eat, such as when following some type of intermittent fasting meal plan? Dr Flanagan explains everything you need to know about chrononutrition to start eating for a healthier mind and body.