The Circadian Rhythm and Eating.
November 4, 2021
The Circadian Rhythm and Eating.
When I first became a Health and Performance Coach in the early 2000s there was a common saying;
“Eat Breakfast like a King, Lunch Like a Prince, and Dinner like a Pauper.”
Eating this way provided great benefits and results, on the scales, with performance and recovery…eating this way utilises the natural function of the Circadian Rhythm.
What is the Circadian Rhythm?
The Circadian Rhythm is the natural internal process that helps control your daily schedule for sleep and wakefulness. It is our cells working on a day-night cycle.
With this cycle, we have discovered that our metabolism runs at completely different speeds depending on the time of day or night.
What do we know and how we can use this with our eating?
We are able to better handle, or “put away” food in the morning. Our sensitivity to insulin is highest in the morning meaning our blood sugar spike following a meal is least pronounced in the morning. As the day goes by this changes, we are less able to control our blood sugar. Meaning that if we are eating large amounts later in the day then this becomes a particular problem…a problem that can lead to weight gain and an unhealthy body.
On this single idea of blood sugar response alone, it is worth noting that it is better to take in most of our calories earlier in the day than later in the day. A sensible eating schedule would look like this:
Morning – Muesli, Fruit and other Healthy Carbohydrates, and always Protein.
Afternoon – Move away from the Carbohydrates and focus more on Proteins like Fish & Chicken with Salad and Vegetables.
Evening – The evening meal will be more oriented towards protein and healthy fats like avocados, olive oil, nuts, etc.
Notice the word evening and not night. Eating late impacts the Circadian Rhythm, which impacts the ability and quality of our sleep and recovery. Something to be covered in another post.
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The Circadian Rhythm and Eating.
November 4, 2021
The Circadian Rhythm and Eating.
When I first became a Health and Performance Coach in the early 2000s there was a common saying;
“Eat Breakfast like a King, Lunch Like a Prince, and Dinner like a Pauper.”
Eating this way provided great benefits and results, on the scales, with performance and recovery…eating this way utilises the natural function of the Circadian Rhythm.
What is the Circadian Rhythm?
The Circadian Rhythm is the natural internal process that helps control your daily schedule for sleep and wakefulness. It is our cells working on a day-night cycle.
With this cycle, we have discovered that our metabolism runs at completely different speeds depending on the time of day or night.
What do we know and how we can use this with our eating?
We are able to better handle, or “put away” food in the morning. Our sensitivity to insulin is highest in the morning meaning our blood sugar spike following a meal is least pronounced in the morning. As the day goes by this changes, we are less able to control our blood sugar. Meaning that if we are eating large amounts later in the day then this becomes a particular problem…a problem that can lead to weight gain and an unhealthy body.
On this single idea of blood sugar response alone, it is worth noting that it is better to take in most of our calories earlier in the day than later in the day. A sensible eating schedule would look like this:
Morning – Muesli, Fruit and other Healthy Carbohydrates, and always Protein.
Afternoon – Move away from the Carbohydrates and focus more on Proteins like Fish & Chicken with Salad and Vegetables.
Evening – The evening meal will be more oriented towards protein and healthy fats like avocados, olive oil, nuts, etc.
Notice the word evening and not night. Eating late impacts the Circadian Rhythm, which impacts the ability and quality of our sleep and recovery. Something to be covered in another post.
