We've always been told that we have to watch what we eat, and to make sure we eat better foods in order to lose weight, become fitter and feel better. But how often do we talk about when we should eat certain types of food?
While this doesn't seem as important as changing what we eat, it definitely still has a massive effect on our body, and can cause significant changes.
Ensuring that we eat the right foods at the right time will allow our bodies to function at maximum efficiency throughout the entire day. This is extremely important for busy people, and for people always on the go.
As a general guide, we recommend starting the day with a higher amount of carbohydrates, and as the day goes on, slowly reducing our sugar intake. The reason for this is that we use carbohydrates as our main source of energy. As most people are busy from morning to afternoon, this is when we need the most amount of energy. By 3pm we should have consumed at least 75% of daily carbohydrate requirement.
With protein, we recommend doing the exact opposite. Starting the day off with a lower amount, and as the day goes on slowly increasing our consumption. Our reasoning for this is that protein has a huge impact on our hunger levels. As we reduce our carbohydrate intake towards the afternoon, it is easy to feel quite hungry if we aren't replacing it. This is where our protein intake should begin increasing to make sure we don't get those 3pm cravings.
Not only does protein help reduce hunger levels, it also helps our muscles recover from any resistance training we have done that day. This means that while we sleep our bodies can repair and build our muscles to be stronger. However, this process only occurs when we are resting, which is why it is important to increase our protein levels at dinner time, just before we go to sleep.
If you are unsure if you are eating the right foods at certain times, ask your Personal Trainer and they will go through your food diary with you, and make recommendations. This is the easiest way for us to help you, and for you to get a better understanding of when you should eat.
*Disclaimer: Individual results vary based on agreed goals. Click here for details.
