When it comes to healthy eating, you’ve likely heard far more about WHAT and HOW MUCH, versus WHEN, to eat.  It makes sense. Most experts say you first need to know if you’re eating too much or not enough, then focus on the right macronutrient balance for your goals.  You could be eating too little and your body goes into starvation mode and holds on to all the fat, burning muscle instead; and who wants to waste time or a workout?  We want every second and effort to be helping us get closer to our goals and becoming healthier.  I'm finally a believer that eating the right foods, in the right amounts, but at the wrong time, can hold you back from getting the most of your metabolism.  The American Heart Association stated that paying attention to the timing and frequency of your meals yields a healthier lifestyle, better cardiovascular health, helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels, a better metabolism and consistent energy levels throughout the day.  Sounds like ALL WINS to me!  Let me break down the MOST IMPORTANT things so this isn't so overwhelming.

What is Nutrient Timing?

Eating macronutrients at certain times — before, during, or after workouts — is called nutrient timing.

The concept of nutrient timing includes the rules of protein timing, or the “anabolic window” after workouts when muscles are most receptive to protein. This matters when you're doing cardio or heavy lifting.  Basically, if you're sweating during your exercise, IT MATTERS. Carbs should be part of your pre-workout snack, which would ideally be a 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein about an hour before your sweat session begins. This will give you adequate energy to avoid bonking during your workout.

Do you need to eat breakfast, lunch AND dinner?

Breakfast is the first food-related decision you make each day.  It breaks your body out of its nightly fast, spurring your metabolism, giving you an energy boost and providing your brain with fuel to help you concentrate and focus throughout the day.  Eating every 2-3 hours will help you maintain all of these benefits throughout the day. 

While some people can skip breakfast and still balance the rest of their day in terms of calories and nutrients, most fine it hard or impossible.  “If you skip breakfast and then you are ravenously hungry by noon and eat double what you would normally eat for lunch, then you haven’t done yourself any favors,” Benté says. Studies have shown that men who eat breakfast are less likely to gain weight compared to those that skip it.

I love Amy Shapiro, M.S., R.D., C.D.N.'s analogy... “eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.” 

Lunch is your best bet for getting a midday energy boost and avoiding the afternoon slump.  “We need lunch to keep our energy up throughout the day and to prevent us from overeating later,” says Shapiro, a New York-based nutritionist.   What if you just don’t have time for lunch some days? Shakeology to the rescue!! By itself, Shakeology can't replace a meal, but when combined with other healthy foods like fruits, nuts, seeds, yogurts,nut butters, avocados, or various milks, it can.  And it's probably the densest, cheapest, lunch you will find.  WIN!!  

My husband started taking Shakeology to work for two reasons: 1) helps us save money and 2) saves him time in the office, bringing him home to our family earlier.   More times than I'd like to count, a meeting runs late or the day doesn't go as planned and his lunch break is the first to go.  He then goes from 6am to 5pm without eating and shows up HANGRY at home, grabbing the first available thing.  Guess what that is??? PROCESSED FOOD!  That ruins his metabolism and dinner appetite. 

His favorite shake recipe is: medium banana, TBSP of peanut butter, 1 cup spinach, 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk, 1 cup of ice, 1 scoop of Cafe Latte or Chocolate Shakeology, and blend.  If you have a double walled tumbler it can stay cold for 8+ hours.  This is so easy y'all; I usually whip up 3 at a time for our family and we drink it then, or save them for later in the day.  As you get to know me, you'll realize I like savings in time and my wallet. 

Dinner is my favorite meal of the day because I get to hear about everyone's day and the kids are warn out and willing to listen (usually).  A light dinner about three hours before bed is the best way to let your body get a head start on digestion, prevent acid reflux, and not interfere with your ability to get to sleep — and stay asleep.

What Is the Best Thing to Eat Before Bed?

If you want to make your bedtime snack part of your recovery routine, you’ll want to consume Beachbody Performance Recharge, which contains casein. a slow-absorbed protein improving muscle gain and fat loss, accelerating overnight recovery, combating exercise-induced muscle soreness, and promoting muscle protein synthesis.* And with the slow release of amino acids it's easy to digest,” says Benté.   Casein is not to be confused with whey protein, which the body absorbs quickly, and is a good idea after a workout.

Benté shared this too, "to determine the timing for your last meal.  Look at what time you need to get up, and work backwards.  i.e. If you have to get up at 6 a.m., you will want to be in bed by 10 p.m., so you’ll ideally have dinner by 7 p.m. That gives you 11 hours between meals, and if you eat dinner earlier or tend to eat breakfast later, you’ll naturally have more hours between meals."  That's where intermittent fasting comes in, but that's for another newsletter ;)

Look, the weight loss industry is a BILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY so looking at a magazine ad or infomercial about a stranger, or celebrity, and deciding to starve yourself, solely do juicing or liquid fasts, or never eat a carb again, isn't the safe answer or even realistic.  If you lose weight that way, and you likely will, what comes off easily goes right back on, even easier.  Been there, done that!  

I researched Beachbody and Shakeology almost to exhaustion and spoke to pediatricians, obstetricians, general practice doctors and dietitians before chosing this solution for our family.  There's nothing fake or magical about it so we added Shakeology (70 superfoods and protein) and eliminated processed foods as much as possible, while implementing portion control and exercise.  Beachbody is about all four of those concepts and I'm excited to have learned how timed nutrition can help Travis and I even further our results, in a natural way.  You won't find a gym, personal trainer or diet program that can offer all four of those components.  

resource: Beachbody on Demand January 8, 2018 | BY: Grant Stoddard