Fall Back, and Move Dinner Up!
Tonight, we turn the clocks back an hour. We get a little extra sleep, and now the sun will set around 5 o’clock for the next few months.
While I hate the clock change, it is a good reminder that our bodies keep time too. Our built-in clock, called our circadian rhythm, that tells our organs when to be most active. That clock has a lot to say about when we eat.
Contrary to what many believe, the time you eat matters almost as much as what you eat.
Your body runs on a schedule
Your body handles food best earlier in the day. In the morning and early afternoon, your cells respond well to insulin, the hormone that moves sugar out of your blood and into your cells for energy. As evening comes, that response slows down, and your body begins winding down for rest and repair.
Same meal, later time
In a 2020 study from Johns Hopkins, 20 healthy volunteers ate the same dinner at 6pm one night and at 10pm another, and went to bed at 11pm both times. After the late dinner, their blood sugar peaked about 18% higher, and their bodies burned about 10% less fat overnight.
You may be thinking, “Well, of course! No one should eat a big dinner right before bed.” You’re right. What surprised me is how much a smaller shift matters. In a study from Spain, 32 women ate the same meals for two weeks. One week, they had lunch at 1pm, and the next week, at 4:30pm. When lunch came later, their blood sugar response jumped 46%, and they burned fewer calories at rest. That was a midafternoon change, nowhere near bedtime!
A French study that followed more than 100,000 adults found something similar at dinnertime. People who usually ate their last meal after 9pm had a 28% higher risk of stroke and related conditions than those who finished before 8pm.
Eating earlier can help too. In a study at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, men with prediabetes ate the exact same foods for five weeks, but they finished their last meal by 3pm. Their insulin sensitivity improved, and their blood pressure dropped by 11/10 points, even though they didn’t lose any weight.
Breakfast like a queen!
You may know the old saying: eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper. The science backs it up. In a 12-week study published in the journal Obesity, overweight women ate the same 1,400 calories a day. One group ate a 700-calorie breakfast, and the other saved those 700 calories for dinner. The big-breakfast group lost an average of 19 pounds, more than TWICE the 8 pounds lost by the big-dinner group. Their blood sugar, insulin and triglycerides also improved, while triglycerides actually rose in the big-dinner group.
Your “fall back” plan
- Front-load your day. Make breakfast or lunch your biggest meal. For those of us on the Raw Challenge, that’s the perfect time for a giant salad or a hearty wrap.
- Move dinner up. Aim to finish eating about three hours before bed. With the sun setting around five, an earlier dinner will feel natural.
- Keep dinner light. A big salad, a raw soup or lightly steamed vegetables give your body less to process while it rests.
- Close the kitchen. Pick a time when eating ends for the night, and late-night snacking will start to fade away.
- Get morning light. Step outside within an hour of waking. Morning light helps set your internal clock for the whole day.
So as you set your clocks back this weekend, move your dinner up too. Your body has been keeping time all along, and it’s time we listened!
We’re heading into week three of our 30-Day Raw Challenge in the Healing Community, and I’m so proud of this group! Members have been sharing their colorful plates and telling me how much they love the weekly guides, and some have already reported losing weight. Each guide includes a full menu, a shopping list, a prep plan, and every recipe, so there’s no guesswork. Plus, we cook together LIVE every Wednesday at 7pm Eastern. It’s not too late to jump in! New members can start with the Week 1 guide right away. I’ve also extended the anniversary rate through Wednesday, November 4. You can join for $19 a month (down from $29) or $190 a year (down from $300). Join us at https://member.rubylathon.com/community.
Dr. Ruby 🌿 | With love and light
References
- Bandín C, Scheer FA, Luque AJ, et al. Meal timing affects glucose tolerance, substrate oxidation and circadian-related variables: a randomized, crossover trial. International Journal of Obesity. 2015;39(5):828-833.
- Gu C, Brereton N, Schweitzer A, et al. Metabolic effects of late dinner in healthy volunteers: a randomized crossover clinical trial. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2020;105(8):2789-2802.
- Jakubowicz D, Barnea M, Wainstein J, Froy O. High caloric intake at breakfast vs. dinner differentially influences weight loss of overweight and obese women. Obesity. 2013;21(12):2504-2512.
- Palomar-Cros A, Andreeva VA, Fezeu LK, et al. Dietary circadian rhythms and cardiovascular disease risk in the prospective NutriNet-Santé cohort. Nature Communications. 2023;14:7899.
- Sutton EF, Beyl R, Early KS, et al. Early time-restricted feeding improves insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, and oxidative stress even without weight loss in men with prediabetes. Cell Metabolism. 2018;27(6):1212-1221.
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