It is not about WHAT you eat, it is WHEN you eat.
Edit: Originally from the blockchain blog, and I wanted to share the thought of timing when you eat. Not focusing on the importance of what you eat as much.
Before you go up in arms, yes WHAT you eat is extremely important too, but WHEN you eat it I would argue is even more.
Your body has fasted for about 6 to 8 hours (ideally), and is practically empty. Am I saying you should eat right away? Not at all, and in fact you probably shouldn't. The transitional period is something I think people should consider more, think of it more like an exponential pattern rather than linear.
Today I woke up at 5:30AM for no particular reason, and after resting in my bed for about half an hour I decided to eat...
I had a pot of organic tea already brewed, so I put another on the pot for later in the day. Additionally I had an apple cider vinegar-turmeric-ginger tonic, and a greek yogurt with hemp seeds. Honestly this is probably one of my best breakfasts I've had in a couple weeks, even if I ate a whole meal another day.
Here is why...
Firstly, the fact that I am even eating anything in the morning is already a first step, for I am not a morning person. I don't usually wake up in the right groove. With that in mind it usually takes me a couple hours to truly wake up, and more importantly be productive. Which eating correctly is productive, so I don't usually get that healthy meal in the early hours, let alone anything half of the time.
Despite that being the case I KNOW that eating a bit in the morning, or having some sort of cleansing tonic/lukewarm lemon water is great for your system.
Taking that cleansing tonic/drink will prime my stomach for receiving food later, and more importantly the lemon water will hydrate the brain. Your body will start up, you feed it a piece of fruit and/or greek yogurt, then towards lunch time you are much more efficient at eating for that day. That is where your first meal will take place, following after that will be dinner.
How many meals?
Now personally I am bad about consistency since everyday is different for me for work, and since it is physically challenging work it changes my caloric needs. Most people follow the three meals a day ritual, but if you follow that previous philosophy I mentioned earlier then you drop a meal.
How much should you eat? Well that depends on your life in general, as well as where you want your body to be in time. There are even some out there who only eat one meal a day, and I find myself doing that as well by mistake some days. They believe it is most efficient as you are only processing a meal once every 24 hours, and spending the rest of your time in a fasted state.
There is a LOT of nuance to that idea, enough for multiple posts, so I am going to go over it quickly. Firstly eating minimally has been scientifically proven to be wise for the longevity of our cells. In many cultures too it is part of the philosophy of life, such as in some east Asia countries. Fasting itself is another conversation as well, which aims to change how often your stomach is in use.
Think about it your stomach is like an engine, but it doesn't just burn up the calories. A new scientific theory in recent years talks about how each and every food communicates with your body differently. Meaning it also gets digested differently from each other.
Steak and potatoes, an United States classic, but many people say it is bad for you to combine together. The reason being the meat needs to be in an acidic environment to be digested, but the starches in potatoes counteract that state. Meaning they consistently fight between each other being consumed.
Not to mention the other theory out there that your genes impacts what you should eat, otherwise known as the DNA diet.
Each of these factors should make in to what and when you eat. Along the way you worry about eating healthy, but what is healthy?
Healthy Foods?
The idea behind this post is about when you are eating, but why? Shouldn't we worry about what we are putting in our body? Of course being healthy has to do with what you eat, as the saying goes "You are what you eat". That rings true even to this day, but I think there should be another "When you eat healthy foods is the key to your success".
Think of our days, weeks, energies, and mental states as waves. They come and go like the tide, and when you understand that then it will effect your eating habits. You want to eat because of the need of fuel and energy for your day, and some days more than others. That is why you reach for the unhealthy snack in the afternoon because your energy wavelength is not synced well with your consumption.
Maybe you have to go to work early, maybe you have a short lunch window (in high school my lunch was a measly 22 minutes long), or perhaps you don't have time during your commute. Regardless of the reason, it is the external factors that are forcing you into a timing schedule that is not fruitful to your energy.
The timing of your eating is not helping, so by shifting your lunch an hour, or even dinner, then you may have a much better life experience.