Everything in life has time to be, luckily nutrition is no different. The importance of a diet is well known, however, it’s even more important when in the day you consume certain foods. When choosing “what to eat for breakfast/lunch/dinner” in addition to what you “want” it is important to take into account how the body will use the received energy. 

In this blogpost, I would like to share what foods are best to eat at different times of the day.

Let’s dig in!

Breakfast

Start your day with a large glass of water. It will save your body from dehydration, that is, dehydration after sleep. We lose moisture at night, so in the morning the body is in dire need of water. Pure mineral is preferred, but you can drink water with lemon juice to have a source of Vitamin C which is best absorbed first thing in the morning.

I would like to encourage you to observe and decide when it is best for you to eat breakfast. It is very beneficial for your digestion to have rest time, often “rest time” during sleep is simply not enough. When our digestive system doesn’t have the essential rest, our body and mind will show symptoms such as fatigue, clouded thinking, constipation, skin irritations/acne, hormonal disbalance, burn out, energy crash by noon… I can keep going but I would like to list a few examples. Therefore, you need to listen to your body when it needs food and not load yourself with food out of habit.

When you meet hunger and know how you feel when hungry and how your body reacts to hunger, eat slightly before – when you know your body well enough, you will be able to read the signs instantly.

I know people who simply don’t need breakfast, it’s an overload to their system that they prefer to skip it. Personally, I prolong my digestive rest with a bulletproof coffee as long as I feel comfortable and some days I too skip breakfast. There are people who love breakfast and you shouldn’t cut out such pleasures unless it’s a must. What I would advise then is to have “alert” time a little earlier than you normally would. For example, if you wake up at 8 AM and have breakfast by 9 AM, try to wake up at 7 AM and have breakfast by 9 AM. This one hour can make a drastic difference to your hormonal balance and energy levels in the morning.

When you do eat breakfast, it should be moderately dense and full of vitamins, because in the morning the body is especially susceptible to everything useful. Choose what will wake up and fill your body with energy for full mental and physical activity. Slow carbohydrates like cereals and whole-grain breakfast cereals work best for this task. They saturate well and give strength for all accomplishments. Green vitamin cocktails are a good addition to slow carbs. Color in this case matters: it is in green vegetables and fruits that chlorophyll is contained, which is close in composition to human blood. Don’t forget healthy fats. Without a source of healthy fats in the morning, our digestive system doesn’t have enough energy to carry and absorb the nutrients. Healthy fat won’t make you fat, I promise! In fact, as it helps passage of nutrients it does exactly the opposite, it aids fat loss.

If you feel like eating some time after breakfast, an apple will do. The pectin in apples works best in the morning, lowering cholesterol levels.

Lunch

During the day, the body works most actively, so it needs a lot of energy.

If you feel hunger only by lunch time, don’t worry! It only means that if you force yourself to eat breakfast, your body is not perceptive to the nutritional content and it can be empty food, a load to carry throughout the day. Therefore, enjoy your first meal at lunch time!

The calorie content of lunch may well be up to 40% (or more) of the total daily intake. During day time it’s best to consume starchy foods.  A portion of baked potatoes with fresh vegetables is most beneficial. The starch contained in root vegetables will give you a feeling of fullness, which will last for a long time, and vegetables contain the necessary trace elements and vitamins. Scientists confirm the benefits of such a meal, because it not only satisfies the requirements of your stomach, but also helps to control blood sugar levels.

Don’t forget about protein too. It is during the day that processes are most active in cells, the main “building material” of which is protein. Any variation on the theme of legumes or cereals can be a great meal.

You can have a snack after lunch with nuts, but the main thing is not to overdo it: 30 g of almonds will be enough. Studies have shown that almonds as a snack reduce hunger, and the body also receives the necessary dose of fatty acids, with which it will work to improve the condition of your skin and hair.

Dinner

When preparing dinner, it is important to remember: what we eat today will determine how you will feel tomorrow and how easy it will be to start the day tomorrow morning. If you want to meet the morning with ease, you need to consider how easy it is to absorb your last meal approaching bed time.

Therefore, it is much better to give preference to vegetables, salad or cream soup as a last meal. Vegetables are digested quickly and do not overload the digestive system. You would be surprised, but there is another reason to eat vegetables in the evening. They also have a beneficial effect on the nervous system: for example, spinach will help fight insomnia and headaches, and the magnesium contained in green peas will help to relax the body. Ofcourse, you can do the research and find what vegetables are rich in what elements. If I feel extremely tired, I enjoy having a banana, the potassium helps my body settle and let the day go.

There is one take away that I would like you to take from this blogpost: we can combine foods whenever and in whatever form we like! For example, I don’t always eat “breakfast” for breakfast. I will have “breakfast” for lunch: protein from eggs, starch from vegetables, fat from avocado and slow carbs from whole grain bread. For “dinner” I often have a smoothie with banana and spinach and some superfoods. You see, the foods are optimal for the time of the day but meet the criteria that makes me happy and fits my lifestyle.

Bon appetit!