Some night owls don’t turn on the stove until 8:30, only eating out when the late-night vibe draws a crowd. Others are hungry people who shy away from late-night dinner reservations, swearing off an early meal before the sun goes down. As my mom says, who wants to sit around eating on an empty stomach for hours when all the cool kids are eating?
Dinner time tends to be earlier. RecipeIn New York City, more people are making reservations for 5:30 pm and fewer for 8 pm than in the past, according to online reservation platform , which said that last year, the number of dinner reservations made before 5 pm doubled compared to 2019. YelpNot to mention, an unexpected benefit of a 5:30 dinner is being able to pick and choose what you want at a restaurant that books out seven hours in advance and often for weeks.
No matter where you sit on the pendulum of the debate about the best time to eat dinner, there’s a growing body of evidence that eating an earlier meal can help improve your overall health and well-being.
The health benefits of an early dinner
May help prevent heartburn
If you often suffer from heartburn or acid reflux after meals, eating dinner earlier can help, says Tara Schmidt, registered dietitian at Mayo Clinic Dietetics.
Eating a meal three to four hours before bedtime can help prevent indigestion, which can keep you up at night and slow down digestion, Schmidt adds. Eating dinner early gives you time to go for a walk or be active afterwards, which is better for digestion than sitting down or going straight to bed, Schmidt adds. Digestion works best “when there’s light and your body is active,” Schmidt says. “Your blood sugar goes down because it went up when you were eating, but if you exercise, your blood sugar goes down.”
Finishing your meal by 6:30 p.m. and going to bed around 9:30 or 10 p.m. will give your body enough time to digest food and help reduce reflux, indigestion, and heartburn, says Ilana Murstein, R.D., nutritionist, and author of “The Psychology.” Love the food that loves you.
You might make better food choices
Eating earlier in the evening gives you time to make healthier decisions about what to eat, says Muhlstein. You can create a nutritious meal with whole foods, rather than grabbing readily available, highly processed foods from your pantry or freezer when bedtime looms. “When you come home from work hungry, it’s a great opportunity to fill up on nutritious, satisfying foods like protein and veggies,” she says.
Have you ever had that angry, grumpy friend who starts to get annoyed while waiting for dinner at 8pm? Yes. If you’re hungry right after a long day of work, but you don’t usually eat until later, you might find yourself mindlessly snacking on food out of hunger and boredom while you wait.
“Thinking that 5:30 p.m. is ‘too early’ for dinner can lead to snacking on processed carbohydrates like chips or crackers, which can lead to overeating,” Muhlstein says.
If you’re still hungry after an early dinner, don’t worry; it might help to adjust the time you eat. If you need to snack, Schmidt suggests sticking to foods that are easy to digest and have a high water content, like fruit, or foods high in fiber and protein, like whole grains, to keep you full.
It may lower your risk of disease
Eating late at night increases your total calorie intake, Increased risk of obesityResearch suggests that leptin A, the hormone that makes you feel full, declines later in the day, which could lead to overeating. Eating earlier can also help with insulin sensitivity, especially if you have diabetes or are obese.
“High insulin levels inhibit the body’s ability to burn fat,” says Muehlstein. “Lowering insulin levels is essential for anyone trying to lose weight and convert existing fat into energy. Eating dinner earlier and adopting a ‘dinner only’ approach increases the amount of time your body is in a fat-burning state.”
Research suggests that a type of intermittent fasting called early time-restricted feeding, which involves restricting eating to a six to eight hour window early in the day, can help stabilize blood sugar levels, but it’s not ideal for everyone, and it’s important to speak to a qualified professional before embarking on a strict fasting regimen.
Another benefit of eating an early dinner is that, just as a regular bedtime is important for your health, eating meals at roughly the same time helps regulate your body’s natural sleep, or circadian, rhythm. “Irregular eating patterns may increase your risk of disease,” Schmidt says.
You are benefiting from quality time
Eating dinner with early risers optimizes not only your physical health but also your social health. Planning to eat dinner early allows you to be conscious of the time and gather with others to enjoy a meal together. 2021 Survey An analysis of data from the American Time Use Survey found that families who eat dinner by 6:15 p.m. report spending more quality time with their children.
Many studies have Eat dinner with other people It boosts mental health and happiness, and gives meaning to hectic and mundane experiences.
How to switch to a 5:30pm dinner
- Even if you don’t have an early bird special, find a dinner time that works for you. If you’re hungry after a 5:30 dinner before bedtime, that might be too early. Consider eating at 6:30 or 7:00.
- Avoid late-night snacking. Schmidt warns that eating an early dinner and then snacking late at night can negate the benefits: “We know that eating late at night increases your risk of obesity.”
- Plan for busy days: “My kids have sports every Wednesday, so I’m going to make Wednesday a Crockpot Wednesday every week, instead of waiting until practice is over so I have to go in, get changed, make dinner and head out again,” Schmidt says.
Remember, the experts say this: what What you put on your plate is more important than when you eat it: half your plate should consist of non-starchy vegetables, a quarter of lean protein, and the remaining quarter of whole grains or starchy vegetables.
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