It isn't just the food you eat that can impact your weight and health, it's also when you eat it. Most people are brought up thinking that dinner should be the biggest meal of the day, meaning they opt for a light breakfast and lunch.
However, research has found that a smaller dinner and larger lunch could be the key to helping you shift those weight. Even if you have a really healthy diet, eating your biggest meal in the evening is not the best option, according to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
The research found that those who ate half their daily calories at lunch and then just 20 per cent at dinner managed to lose 5 kg on 12 weeks. This is compared to the 4 kg that those who had a bigger meal in the evening lost in the same period.
Food intake among both groups was exactly the same, it was just the time of day when the most food was consumed that changed the results.
However, it isn't just the benefit of better weight loss or management that eating your largest meal at lunch has to offer. There are a few other reasons refuelling fully at midday could be the best option for you.
Food is what gives you more energy and enables you to get through the day. If you eat a big meal at dinner, this energy gets wasted as you'll be going to bed just a few hours later. However, eating more at lunch will give you the boost you need to get through the rest of the day without having to deal with the dreaded mid-afternoon slump.
This can help you achieve more with your day, feel less tired as it goes on and mean you get more out of it as you won't be too tired to move once you finish work. To make the most of the energy that comes from a big lunch, choose a meal that includes complex carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats.
