When is the best time to eat?

However, the best time to consume energy is when the body is at its most active, a time when the metabolism is elevated or when there is a need for extra nutrition. Perhaps the first instance should be in the morning, starting with a good breakfast. Remember while asleep the body has had no nutritional supply for up to ten hours so cells are ready to effectively use up the energy from food. Also, the body needs it’s supply of essential nutrients in the morning, especially protein, because excess or circulating proteins have been used up to help recover muscles, hair, skin, nails or to create millions of antibodies to defend against bacteria which may have entered the body during sleep. This means extra energy will be used to help replace the protein lost. Reduce your calorie intake as the day passes by. Better still divide your daily calorie intake into 5 meals a day- breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner (after every 3 hrs). Try avoid eating big meal after 9 pm.

Another good time to eat is after exercise. Have a big meal about 30-45 minutes after a weight training session. During this time enzymes responsible for energy production are most active and energy-storing hormones within the blood are suppressed. This means there will be less chance energy will be stored as fat. Carbohydrates will be immediately taken up to replenish the low glycogen stores caused through exercising, the protein will be needed to aid recovery and growth of new calorie-burning muscle tissue and most of the fat from the meal will be needed to fuel many of these reactions. After a good workout most meals are likely to be utilized completely for recovery.