Listening to your body is beneficial, but experts say that to achieve better health, you need to integrate different elements. Thus, choosing the healthiest foods, getting a good night’s sleep, managing stress, staying hydrated and exercising all influence that healthy goal.
In terms of meal times, circadian rhythms are a topic that could help us better understand the benefits of respecting a schedule in our daily life. The body’s biological clock, light and darkness influence our activities.
The topic is so relevant that in 2017, scientists Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W. Young received the Nobel Prize in Medicine for demonstrating how cells have their own “internal clock” that helps synchronize the sleep cycle, body temperature, appetite, digestion, fat metabolism, hormonal fluctuations, food intake and detoxification processes. This cycle is found in humans, animals, plants and microbes, and its imbalance generates major problems.
For this reason, for those of us who do not adhere to natural schedules for productivity, eating or resting, it is necessary to make changes to avoid imbalances that later take a toll on our health.
What is the circadian cycle?
Nutritionist Carmen Rosa Guillén shares that eating times have a direct influence on our metabolism, in the quality of our nutrition and our lives. “We function thanks to these circadian cycles that are driven by light, sun, wakefulness, sleep and rest. Our body responds thanks to them,” he adds.
“There are certain hormones that are released in the morning to give us energy and prepare us to work physically and intellectually, and when night falls our body secretes other hormones for rest,” says Guillén.
According to Chinese culture, in the natural cycles of the body, each organ has a schedule in which it functions at its “maximum power.” For example, the lungs are active between 3 and 5 a.m. Therefore, exercises such as those performed in meditation are most effective at this time.
In countries like the United States, where there are changes in timetables due to the onset of winter or spring, it has been proven that when people sleep one hour less, just one week after the change, heart problems increase by 25 percent. When the cycle changes, this percentage decreases in the same proportion.
Experts recommend listening to your body, its sensations and needs to find those moments when you feel better about certain activities. You will probably need to retrain him to establish healthier routines.
Guillén explains that dinner should be eaten before nine o’clock at night, and it is recommended that it be a meal that is filling and makes you feel good. The best thing to do is to eat something with vegetables, fats, proteins or a fruit for dessert.
To break the night fast, it is important to eat in the morning. At six in the morning the body begins to activate because it is our time of wakefulness, from that time onwards breakfast should be a source of protein, fibre, vegetables and fat, “a breakfast that is only sweet – bread, waffles, pancakes, cereals – may not sustain us and we may be hungrier and sleepier and influence our weight,” adds Guillén.
Lunch time is between 12 and 14 hours, and it is the time when you can have the most variety with the different food groups. You can have a healthy snack both mid-morning and mid-afternoon.
In this regard, nutritionist Helen Arango adds that for people who do not suffer from any illness, the recommendation is to eat five times a day; for patients with kidney disease, diabetes, or other illnesses, this suggestion could be six or seven times in light portions.
“Metabolism and gastric capacity must be stimulated every two or three hours,” Arango shares. His recommendation is that we start eating 30 minutes after waking up; breakfast allows us to perform up to 75 to 80% better, he shares.
What happens if we skip a meal? Experts explain that lose weight It becomes more difficult when you skip meals, so it is important to have a set schedule. Each person, due to their activities and tastes, may need personalized guidance from a nutrition expert to help them balance their daily life and integrate it for the benefit of their health.
A schedule for each organ
Leticia Rodríguez, a doctor in biological medicine at the Hunab-ku Clinic, explains when each organ works best and what could be beneficial in improving meal times and other activities.
• 1 to 3 a.m.: liver. It is important to rest at this time.
• 3 to 5: Lungs. Ideal period for breathing exercises.
• 5 to 7: Large intestine. It is recommended to start the hydration cycle.
• 7 to 9: Stomach. Better absorption of vitamins and minerals. Ideal for breakfast.
• 9 to 11: Spleen and pancreas. Ideal for concentration at work and for exercise.
• 11 to 13: Heart.
• 13 to 15: Small intestine. Lunch is recommended at this time. It is important to walk a little while the body absorbs nutrients.
• 15 to 17: Bladder. A tea is ideal for this time.
• 17 to 19: Kidneys. Take advantage of the opportunity to study and exercise.
• 19 to 21: Pericardium. Being related to the heart, it is an appropriate time for romantic and family relationships, and dinner could be at this time.
• 21 to 23: Oxygenation, circulation, digestion and energy assimilation. Stillness is recommended.
• 23 to 1: Gallbladder. Ideal for sleeping and resting to help internal cleansing processes.
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