Over the last 15 years as a dietitian, I have learned to swallow my pride and admit when I got it wrong. Embarassing, yes. Though in Adam Grant’s newest book, Think Again, he argues that the ability to change your mind is a sign of intelligence, so I’m going to go with that for now.
As part of my nutrition education spiel 10 years ago, I regularly recommended eating breakfast “within an hour of waking up” to “boost metabolism” and get the day started off right. At the time, breakfast was promoted by professional resources and media alike as the most important meal of the day. Plus, I have always been a big fan of breakfast and eat within 15 minutes of getting up each morning — a personal bias, no doubt.
Since that time, however, I have been humbled by parenting a non-breakfast-eating teenager and staying open to new research. And while I continue to be a die-hard breakfast eater, there is so much more nuance involved in meal timing than my 10-years-ago self gave credit to.
Appetite and metabolism are influenced by many factors, including genetics, environment, and a complex orchestra of hormones that manage everything from appetite to alertness. Yet, in our diet-obsessed world, many have mistaken their appetite as a reflection of their character.
Why, then, did I generalize that everyone should become a breakfast eater? In short, I was parroting the information that I was spoon-fed as a student and young dietitian — information that emphasized gross generalizations.
Challenging these generalizations is what Put Your Food to Work is all about:
The “right” eating strategy can’t be summed up by a diet, a meal plan, or macro counting, because the food (aka fuel) your body needs is unique and varies day-to-day and throughout the seasons of your life.
This makes it daunting for me to write about nutrition because my words can only be generalizations.
Please remember this as you scroll. It is nearly impossible to speak to the complexity of nuance in the two-second average spent viewing a social media post. Posts which are often misrepresentations of research (or frustratingly, not based on research at all) that aim to get the “click”, the “like,” the “follow.”
My breakfast cheerleading was based on research from the time:
Breakfast eaters weighed less
Breakfast-eating children and teens performed better at school
Breakfast eaters had better nutrient intake than breakfast skippers
The reality is that I can still argue that all three of these points remain valid.
But…nuance.
We are too complex to be generalizations.
Plus, with the ongoing trend of intermittent fasting, skipping all sorts of meals has become fashionable these days.
Yes, intermittent fasting, specifically time-restricted eating (a type of intermittent fasting where eating is limited to the same “window” every day), has research to suggest that it may help manage body weight and improve blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, and other markers of health.
But…nuance.
A time-restricted eating intervention is only effective if it is realistic enough to be sustainable and provides enough nutrition within the eating window to avoid nutrient deficiencies and loss of muscle mass.
These days, I discuss meal timing as follows:
Provide consistency — eating at about the same time each day does your metabolic hormones a service by giving some predictability and avoiding an overreaction of your hunger hormones. And this routine is unique to you. It isn’t based on a “what I eat in a day” post or what your neighbor swears by.
Appetite is information — ignoring messages of hunger from the body results in it yelling louder and louder until it gets its way. So if you are hungry in the morning, listen. If you aren’t, listen to that too. Then continue to pay attention to your appetite as the day goes on to avoid the pitfalls of hunger taking control - quick sources of energy to pull you out of “hangry” (read: sugar, carbs, caffeine).
What you eat matters — proponents of intermittent fasting too often underplay the importance of nutrient density consumed within the eating window. While time restricted eating may have several health benefits, there is also the risk that it decreases intake of several important nutrients (protein, fiber, etc, etc). Regardless of when you consume the first meal of the day, starting with some combination of protein + healthy carb + healthy fat is generally a good starting point to help manage appetite, blood sugar, and get you started on meeting your many nutritional needs for the day. Yes, I call out that I just used the word “generally” — nuance still applies1.
Sustainability — I am not in the business of quick-fix short-term solutions. Finding ways to feed yourself that are realistic and sustainable is the foundation of what I live and teach. My brief experiment with intermittent fasting showed me that it was neither realistic nor sustainable. Delaying breakfast was in direct opposition to my morning hunger signals. Passing on dinner meant missing out on valuable time to connect with my family and model healthy eating habits to my growing daughters. My experiment didn’t last long.
There is nothing magical about 7 pm — continue to listen to your body when it comes to timing your last meal of the day. Sure, most people experience improved digestion and sleep when they limit food intake for the 2-3 hours before bed. Plus, since the foods we tend to reach for after dinner aren’t usually high on the nutritional-value list, having an eating cut-off time can be helpful for some. On the other hand, however, going to bed too hungry may also interfere with sleep quality, blood sugar regulation, and more. So instead of falling into another generalization, explore nuance. What time do you go to bed? How well do you sleep? What is your body telling you? You will be wise to listen.
Flexibility wins — in my experience, the sweet spot between routine and flexibility is the key to sustainability. For those who lack a healthy lifestyle structure, they will likely benefit from more. Yet, in all of the books, podcasts, and other health-related content I consume, the downfalls of too much structure are rarely addressed. I have so much more to say on this point (from personal experience), but for now, suffice it to say, perfection is not the goal. Sometimes you’ll be in the groove of a routine, and sometimes you won’t. And that’s nuance.
I’m not feeling so embarrassed anymore - I think I can get used to the freedom of being able to change my mind.
Thanks for being here,
~Allison
As I will dive into in later posts, there will always be exceptions to the types and amounts of nutrients that different people need based on current medical conditions and unique health concerns. Job security for me :)
Fantastic read and so true! We are all different… love the part about general rules in finding your personal eating routine.
My mother is a big on breakfast person and I can hardly eat anything within three hours of waking up. My mother can't stand large dinners and prefers to eat basically something like some crackers and cheese, MAYBE some grapes if she's feeling peckish, but if I don't load up on some heavy proteins I go to bed hungry.