One of the most important things you can do for your health is to eat your last meal early in the evening and then don’t eat anything before you go to bed. This is one of the fundamental teachings of Ayurveda and Western Medicine is now in agreement with this philosophy too.
For thousands of years, Ayurveda has been advising people to eat with and sync to the rhythms of nature. This means eating during daylight hours when we can actually see what we are eating and we have the energy to fully digest it. This is because the body’s ability to make use of the nutrients in food fluctuates throughout the day with our neurotransmitters and our body clock is naturally in sync and determined by the cycles of daylight. This is known as the circadian rhythms. There is plenty of research that now proves that there is an established connection between disrupted circadian rhythms and chronic clinical diseases. Most notably, when the circadian rhythms are out of sync, people are at risk of chronic sleep disorders, weight gain, impulsivity, slower thinking, and hormonal imbalances, swings in body temperature and erratic eating habits. Circadian rhythm disruption has also been linked to disorders like diabetes, obesity, and depression. Eating an earlier and lighter meal at night also helps to reduce chronic inflammation which is now linked with pretty much all of the chronic diseases.
For many people in the west, the habits of both snacking at night and eating a big heavy meal at night have become normal. However, for optimal health, the evening meal should be light and then the best thing is to stop eating after dinner and let the body digest the food.
When the sun is highest in the sky, our digestive system is at its strongest and able to deal with a hearty meal. Making lunch the biggest meal of the day is the healthiest way to eat. This is also when the highest amounts of insulin are available to help us process the carbohydrates. If we snack before beak, our bodies find it hard to deal with the carbs when they should be getting on with the business of sleeping. This is a formula for weight gain and increased fat storage.
The way that we metabolise the same foods during the day and night is different. Food eaten through the day when you are active is more likely to be metabolized where food eaten at night is more likely to be converted into fat.
The word breakfast literally means to break the fast and this is because the healthiest thing for us to do is to go all the way from the evening meal, which in an ideal world should be eaten by 6 in the evening, to breakfast. Just changing this one habit can make the difference to someone who is struggling with food and weight.
Eating an earlier, lighter dinner gives your brain and other organs of the body time to replenish and re-energize for the next day instead of using energy to digest a late meal. By not eating in the evening, you are more likely to feel much fresher and energetic the next day, up and ready to eat a good breakfast. Something like a bowl of delicious homemade soup is an ideal evening meal.
Of course we don’t all have the luxury of eating our main meal at lunch, being home in time to make a light meal and then eat it before 6. Many people have jobs or commitments that mean working through the night and sleeping through the day. We all just have to do the best we can and make the most of the resources that we have. Thank goodness we have people who are willing to work shifts and provide emergency services and care. I have worked shifts in the past and they really did mess with my body clock. So now I have so much gratitude that I am lucky enough to have the option to eat early, get to bed early and eat through the day. I don’t take it for granted.
I know that just changing this one habit has made a big difference to me. I feel like some of the struggles I used to have with snacking and trying to summon up willpower to not eat sugary foods have just fallen away and I don’t think about it anymore. I’ve made other changes too, but I feel like this change has been one of the main ones that have helped to reset my body to factory defaults and it just wants healthy things now.