We all know the saying “eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper”. But is there any truth behind this? We’ve done our research, and here are 5 reasons why you should consume a heavier breakfast, not dinner.
1.Processing of carbohydrates
Our body finds it more difficult to process carbohydrates in the evening. This could be due to reduced insulin sensitivity at night. This is particularly pertinent to the 20% of the workforce who are night shift workers and eat when they are meant to be sleeping.
2.Burning off fat
When we eat during the night we burn less fat. It’s still unclear why, but it may have something to do with how well fat is absorbed and transported from our gut in the day and night.
3.Circadian Rhythm
Eating a small dinner seems to make sense if we factor in our circadian rhythm – our 24-hour body clock that helps us determine what time it is. It receives light from the eyes and tells us when we should wake up and when we should go to bed. It also tells us the best time to digest food is during the day. Yet dinner tends to be our largest meal and we eat almost half our daily kilojoules in the evening.
4.Circadian Misalignment
Circadian misalignment- the mismatch of sleep/wake cycles and eating. Consuming a heavy dinner can cause post-meal levels of sugar and fat in our blood to be unusually high. For people who regularly work (and therefore eat) at night, this can lead to persistently high levels of fat and sugar in the blood, and an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.
5.Lowering your BMI
Eating a big breakfast, medium lunch and small dinner is the key to lowering your BMI. Breakfast kick-starts and boosts your metabolism, helping you burn calories throughout the day. It also helps you focus at work or at school by giving you the energy you need to get things done. Some health professionals advise eating most of our kilojoules during the day and eating a smaller dinner as a way to lose weight.
With that being said, you should kick start your day right heavy, hearty, and nutrition filled breakfast! See some of our favourite breakfast recipes here!
Amazin' Graze granolas are the perfect addition to your breakfast as its packed with traditional rolled oats, nuts, seeds and other superfoods to keep you full longer. It's flavoured with nature's best ingredients so you can be the best version of yourselves.
