Eating early in the evening could well be a winning reflex for your health. While the Spanish only sit down to eat after dark, others, like the English, finish their dinner before 8 p.m. But does mealtime really have an impact on the body? According to several dieticians interviewed by journalist Danielle Sinay for Glamor US, dining before 7 p.m. would promote digestion, sleep and the regulation of blood sugar.
The right timing for dinner according to experts
For Sara Riehm, a registered dietitian at the Orlando Health Center for Health Improvement, it all starts with a question of your internal clock. “Ideally, dinner should be eaten at least three hours before going to sleep“, she explains. “This allows our meal times to align with our circadian cycles and our food to be properly digested“. The body functions according to a very precise biological rhythm: the earlier the meal is taken, the more digestion takes place in optimal conditions.
Better digestion also leads to more restful sleep. Samantha Cochrane, a registered dietitian nutritionist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, says:Eating at least two to three hours before going to bed can promote sleep and digestion“. She adds: “Digestion can actually keep you awake if you eat too close to the time you go to bed to sleep, and eating earlier can prevent you from suffering from acid reflux or indigestion“.
Direct effects on blood sugar and metabolism
Beyond digestive comfort, dinner time would have a key role in the management of sugar levels. Sara Riehm warns: “As the body prepares for rest, our insulin sensitivity decreases, meaning we don’t respond as well to the insulin our body produces, negatively impacting blood sugar levels and increasing the risk of developing diabetes if it happens often enough“. In other words, eating late would cause the body to store more sugar and fat.
The expert also discusses the concept of “dietary jet lag”, when meals are no longer aligned with the body’s natural rhythm. “When our diet does not match our normal circadian rhythm, sometimes called dietary jet lag, it can increase the risk of developing obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.“.
Eating early, a simple gesture to live better
Without disrupting your lifestyle, bringing your dinner forward by a few hours could therefore have a beneficial effect on your health. Better digestion, more peaceful sleep and more stable blood sugar levels: according to specialists, this small schedule adjustment can be enough to align the body with its natural rhythm and prevent certain metabolic disorders.