What if we have been wrong for years? While attention has long been paid only to the content of our plates, another data turns out to be just as decisive: the time we eat. This is all the stake of chrononutrition, an approach explained by Julie Boët, dietician-nutritionist, who proposes to eat according to the natural rhythm of the body, without excluding any food or fall into the trap of regimes.
Chrononutrition, an internal clock that dictates our meals
Eating pasta at midnight or skipping breakfast does not have the same effect on the body as if these meals were taken at other times of the day. Julie Boët is categorical: “The moment when you eat can play a role just as important as the content of the meal, especially when it comes to losing weight or simply feeling better. Our body has its own rhythms, a bit like an internal clock that influences our desires, our energy, our digestion. This is called the circadian rhythm. He is not there to complicate our life, but on the contrary to guide us. At times of the day, our body is more effective in transforming and using what we eat. To others, it is slower, more “in standby”, and it will tend to store more easily“. The idea is therefore not to create additional constraints, but to better listen to this internal mechanics.
The expert recalls that chrononutrition must remain flexible, and that it is practiced “Without falling into rigidity“. In other words, no strict diet, but a food organization in accordance with the hormonal and energy needs of the day.
How to adapt your meals to the rhythm of the body?
Chrononutrition offers to structure the day in a simple and intuitive way, with benchmarks that are easy to follow:
- A generous and fatty breakfast to launch the day well;
- A lunch rich in protein and starchy foods to support activity;
- A light snack but composed of quality carbohydrates and proteins around 4-17 h, in response to the natural peak of insulin;
- A light, even optional dinner, because the body then needs rest.
The principle is clear: the fats and sugars consumed in the morning are used as fuel, while they are more stored in the evening. This internal clock logic would therefore avoid excess storage without prohibiting anything.
Aim for balance more than perfection
For those who are worried not to eat “on time”, the dietician wants to be reassuring: “It is not a question of following rigid rules. If you have an irregular schedule, if you jump a meal for lack of appetite or eat later one evening, this will have no significant short -term impact. The main thing is to target balance over the week, even the month. The body is resilient: it is the global habits that count“. In practice, it is above all a question of learning to observe your sensations, to identify your moments of real hunger and to identify the foods that are sustainable.
Adopting chrononutrition is therefore not a question of revolutionizing everything at once. As Julie Boët sums up: “Do not forget: it is not a question of changing everything overnight, but of learning to live better in accordance with your biology“. A gentle adjustment, thought to last.