When Do You Eat?

What time do you eat your meals? Do you know the how much time your digestion rests between meals or how long you fast from the last thing you eat at night until you break your fast at breakfast the next morning?

Did you know that when you eat can be more important than what you eat? If you ate the same exact food and same quantities on two different days, but one day you grazed on the food all day and the other you only ate during meal times, do you think there would be a difference? The answer is yes. It’s called intermittent fasting. Just as in other areas of our lives, where we have activity balanced with recovery, the same is true for our digestion. On average, it takes three hours to digest a meal. Your body needs to break down the food, use the nutrients, and excrete the waste. Then it is ready to do it again. If you eat every hour, the food can get backlogged in your system. You may feel bloated or experience gas as the backlogged food ferments in your system. In order to help your digestive system, give it time to do its job before eating again. You may feel hangry as you adjust to this three-hour window, so work on it gradually. If you were eating every hour, then try waiting an hour and fifteen minutes until you eat again. Add fifteen minutes each week until your meals are three hours apart. Drink plenty of water or herbal tea between meals to stay hydrated and keep the edge off. This rest between meals will also help decrease inflammation and stabilize blood sugar. Your body will thank you.