What should your biggest meal be

Having the largest meal at night leads to sleep disturbances, acid reflux and other long-term digestive problems. He noted there is controversy around whether breakfast or lunch should be our biggest meal, but a definitive line can be drawn around late afternoon, after which we get a diminishing return on what we eat.

Okolo also pointed out the prevalence of reflux disease due to eating later. A full stomach causes a great deal of acid, which leads to sleep disturbance and a number of health consequences, he explained. Pre-Industrial Revolution, Lohman explained, society was more agrarian. Families worked on their own farms. People controlled their own work schedules, and were already near the house, no travel time needed. The evening meal was typically leftovers, often cold.

As we moved further into the 20th century, though, and people began commuting greater distances, often from suburbs into cities, it became impossible to go home midday to eat. This flip of the midday and evening meals was born out of necessity, but not without concern it could negatively impact health. Elsewhere, uneasiness about late-night eating began appearing. In other parts of the world, people follow much more health-friendly patterns. Approaches taken in parts of Africa and Southeast Asia make more sense for our bodies, Okolo said.

There, people are more likely to be working on farms, eating heavier meals earlier and burning that food off, and then eating lighter at night. Although you shouldn't skip breakfast, some research shows that waiting until lunch to eat your largest meal may still be beneficial. Both groups ate a similar number of calories throughout the day.

Making dinner your largest meal may help you lose more fat and less muscle, resulting in better overall body composition at the end of your diet. If you're trying to lose weight, the most important thing is to eat fewer calories, and this may be easier to do if you eat more of your calories earlier in the day rather than later in the day. The study authors also note that timing of your meals isn't the only important factor involved. Meals that are low in energy density, meaning they don't contain many calories per gram, help you eat less no matter when you eat them.

Nutrition Nutrition Basics Food and Health. By Jessica Bruso Updated June 25, Jill Corleone is a registered dietitian with more than 20 years of experience. Here are 8 things that happened. I was forced to pause in the middle of the day. Making and eating a decent-sized meal requires more time and effort than grabbing a sandwich.

Because of this, I was forced to actually take advantage of my lunch hour. Taking some time off in the middle of the day when I was not thinking about work or trying to multitask meant that I was actually concentrating on my meal, not just gobbling it down with one hand on the keyboard eating is just one of these 4 things you shouldn't do at your desk.

It also gave me time to recharge so I could return to work with more energy for the rest of the afternoon. I ate less. My lunches used to be leftovers from the night before or a salad with shrimp—whatever was quick and easy.

For dinner, on the other hand, I felt the need to cook a big meal: anything from stir-fry to curry to chicken with roasted vegetables and potatoes. Flipping my meals, however, didn't change the reality of my schedule, and even cooking something simple took up a significant chunk of my lunch hour. So while I started taking the time to make a protein like fish with vegetables, I rarely bothered to make a second side like potatoes.

The result was that my new biggest meal of the day lunch was smaller than my old one dinner —but I didn't miss the extra food at all. I avoided the afternoon slump.

We all know the feeling that creeps in right around 3 o'clock in the afternoon: the fatigue, endless yawns, and a burning desire for a nap here are a few more ways to avoid that afternoon slump. Making it through the rest of the workday is a struggle. When I started eating bigger lunches, this was one of the first things to disappear.

I would be working full-steam ahead in my office and suddenly realize that it was 4 or PM. I was even able to ditch my normal afternoon coffee.

I slept better. I never realized that my dinners were having an effect on my sleep. I typically have dinner by 6 PM and don't go to bed until about 10 PM, so I thought I was giving myself plenty of time to digest.