The human body needs at least 3 to 4 hours to completely digest any meal. Therefore, there must be a minimum of four hours between any two meals. A gap that is both shorter and longer than that will result in overeating and acidity, respectively.
Plan to eat breakfast within an hour of waking. This way, your breakfast doesn't blend into a mid-morning snack or grazing followed closely by lunch. Lunch should be about four to five hours after breakfast. For example, if you ate breakfast at 7 am, eat lunch between 11 am and noon.
05/6The ideal gap between breakfast, lunch and dinner
Your body takes 3-4 hours to digest a meal properly. Thus, the gap between two meals should not be more than 4 hours. A gap longer than this can lead to acidity. You must eat snacks and fruits in between the meal.
Results of another large observational study suggest that healthy adults may prevent long-term weight gain by: eating less frequently. eating breakfast and lunch 5 to 6 hours apart.
The goal is to eat every 3 to 4 hours in order to keep your blood sugar consistent and for your stomach to optimally digest. Setting this schedule consistently across days can also help curb overeating which can lead to bloating or indigestion.
The benefits of eating small and frequent meals. Nutritionist Vandita Jain, eating small and frequent meals can help in keeping the metabolism intact. "For weight management, it is important to keep the metabolism in equilibrium. Eating every 2-3 hours maintains body processes and metabolism remains intact," she says.
After the first meal of the day, depending on what was had and how balanced it was, most people find that they need to eat again every 3-4 hours or so. Including a protein-rich food, high-fibre starches, veg/fruits and fats in your meals will likely result in feeling full and satisfied for longer.
A 3 to 5 hour gap between your meals are proven to very effective and ideal for weight loss. Our digestive system takes 3 to 5 hours to digest the food completely. So, the ideal gap between your meals should not be more than 5 hours. Exceeding the time limit may cause acidity in the stomach.
While many folks still plan their days around “three square meals,” it turns out the number of meals you eat may not be so important. How you eat those meals is what matters most when it comes to decreasing the risk of heart disease and other health problems that come along with being overweight.
What time should you eat? According to the theory of five meals a day, you should eat every three hours. Therefore, examples of eating hours for five meals are: 7:30 (breakfast), 10:30 (second breakfast), 13:30 (lunch), 16:30 (afternoon tea), 19:30 (dinner).
Experts say that having a late-night meal keeps the body on 'high alert' at a time where it should be winding down, which can have dangerous implications for our health. Researchers have now said that we should never eat within two hours of our bedtime, and ideally, nothing after 7pm.
This is a common myth, but it is indeed a myth. Setting a specific time to stop eating by really doesn't make sense, as we all have different schedules. Our bodies do best if we eat often during the day (ideally every 2-4 hours).
Usually, dieticians recommend 10 minutes of light walking after a meal. If you have consumed a meal or overeaten, just walk around for a while. This will push the food further and will also quicken the process of digestion. You can lightly stroll either indoors or out in the open to ease out your uneasiness.
The idea behind eating within the first hour of waking for blood sugar and hormonal imbalances is that your body is primed and ready to receive nutrients at that time—it's been a while since you last ate, after all—and balancing both out from the jump can lead to an uptick in energy.
Safety Concerns
For most people, there are no serious dangers involved in eating one meal a day, other than the discomforts of feeling hungry. That said, there are some risks for people with cardiovascular disease or diabetes. Eating one meal a day can increase your blood pressure and cholesterol.
Eggs enriched with omega-3 and sourced from free-range farms tend to be the healthiest eggs. Eating one to three eggs per day can have several health benefits, but this varies from person to person. At this level of consumption, people can expect minimal changes in their cholesterol levels.
Rather than going for three to four high-calorie meals in a day, one should eat every four hours to shape your belly.
World renowned nutrition expert, Dr. Eric Serrano agrees that most people would be better off sticking with 3 meals per day. “The liver has a 4-hour clock and when we eat more frequently than this, we break the body's natural digestive rhythm.” Serrano recommends eating at 8 am, 12 pm and 5 pm.
Low blood sugar causes people to feel irritable, confused and fatigued. The body begins to increase production of cortisol, leaving us stressed and hangry. Skipping meals can also cause your metabolism to slow down, which can cause weight gain or make it harder to lose weight.
The Theory: Nutrition experts tend to recommend eating 3 balanced meals (350 to 600 calories each) and 1 to 3 snacks per day (between 150 and 200 calories each). The calories for each meal and snack depend on a variety of factors including, height, weight, age, gender and activity level.
A good rule of thumb, Kopp suggests, is not to go more than three to four hours without eating. For example, if you eat lunch around noon, it would be a good idea to have a snack around 3 p.m. and dinner between 6 and 7 p.m.
Waiting too long between meals—in the range of six hours or longer—could create some unpleasant symptoms of low blood sugar. You might experience shakiness, fatigue, or irritability (yep, getting "hangry" is a real thing).
What's the best time to stop eating before bed? It's best to stop eating about three hours before going to bed. That allows plenty of time for your body to digest the last food you ate so it won't disrupt your sleep, but leaves a small enough window before sleep that you won't go to bed feeling hungry.