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As with many things nutrition-related, sometimes it seems like the guidance around meal timing ping-pongs back and forth between contradictory recommendations. “Eat three square meals a day.” “No, eat six small meals per day.” “Wait several hours between meals.” “Go ahead and graze all day!” It’s enough to make you wonder whether there are any trustworthy parameters around meal timing at all.
But before you throw up your hands and eat whatever, whenever, you may want to consider a few important factors. Accounting for optimal digestion, energy, and blood sugar levels can help you make the best decision about how long to wait between meals. Here’s what to know for planning the best meal schedule for health.
Optimal meal timing for digestion
Don’t we all want a gut that chugs along as smoothly and predictably as a rail train? Though there’s not a lot of scientific research behind the question of timing meals for optimal digestion, expert advice has long hovered in the three- to five-hour range.
“For the average person, spacing out meals this way is probably the better route to go. This better allows your gut to ‘clean up shop,'” says gut health dietitian Amanda Sauceda, RDN. According to Sauceda, in the periods between your meals, the gut acts as a “migrating motor complex,” contracting to push undigested food through the digestive system. “When you eat, the migrating motor complex gets interrupted. You don’t want to be eating all the time because the ‘cleaning’ will stop.”
On the other hand, if you suffer from a digestive disorder, you might want to time your eating occasions closer together. People who have difficulty digesting fat or who experience acid reflux after larger meals may feel better with smaller portions throughout the day. Your doctor or dietitian can guide you on best practices for meal timing with conditions like IBS, IBD, or GERD.
Fortunately, though, there’s no need to worry that spacing out your meals one way or another will interfere with how well you absorb nutrients. “Your digestive system is extremely smart and adaptable, so when you eat it will deliver the right enzymes to help break down your food for better absorption,” Sauceda says.
Optimal meal timing for blood sugar
Just like digestion, your blood sugar is in a constant state of flux, depending on when (and what) you eat. When you eat carbohydrates, your blood sugar rises, then slowly falls. Waiting too long between meals—in the range of six hours or longer—could create some unpleasant symptoms of low blood sugar. You might experience shakiness, fatigue, or irritability (yep, getting “hangry” is a real thing). And of course, becoming ravenously hungry can lead to overdoing it on calories when mealtime finally does roll around.
So what’s the best timing for keeping blood sugar steady? According to Sauceda, even folks with issues like diabetes and prediabetes can stick to the 4-6 hour range between meals, unless advised differently by their doctor.
“I am always hesitant to say smaller or larger meals are better for blood sugar control because this is super individualized, but I tend to lean to three meals and a snack,” she advises. “You want to avoid grazing. If you’re eating smaller meals but you’re eating all the time, that isn’t ideal for blood sugar or digestion.”
Making meals more satiating
Spacing mealtimes hours apart isn’t so easy when your meals don’t really fill you up. If you’re looking to wait longer between breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it’s critical to make your meals satiating.
Sauceda recommends starting with a framework of protein, fat, and fiber at every meal. “Protein is the most satiating nutrient, so you want to start there,” she says. Build in foods with healthy fats (like olive oil, fatty fish, nuts, and seeds), then include a source of fiber to keep digestion slow and steady. Foods like whole grains, fruits, veggies, and legumes are all great choices.
Finally, make sure you’re taking in enough calories at every meal to keep your belly from grumbling. According to research from 20141, eating more slowly and mindfully might also help keep you fuller longer.
The takeaway
For most people, leaving three to five hours between meals will give your gut enough time to reset, which can help with digestion. Eating plenty of protein, fiber, and fat at each meal will go a long way in making your food more satisfying so you aren’t constantly on the search for a snack.
