Should We Eat Around The Circadian Rhythms?

The objective of using the circadian rhythms is to consume calories in the right rhythm throughout the day. This will allow us to keep proper resting periods, while also maintaining the necessary energy during the day.

We have all heard the various ways that we can lose a few extra pounds. Whether you exercise regularly or intermittently, you may have heard about the circadian rhythms to guide your diet? In this article, we’ll explore all about this practice.

What are circadian rhythms?

Although it’s a complicated concept to understand, here we will try to simplify it as much as possible. So let’s consider that our bodies work differently during the day than they do during the night.

We are mainly diurnal beings. In other words, all our bodily functions, including metabolism, is at its peak during the day. Meanwhile, at night these functions are mainly dormant.

That being said, we must also understand that sunlight sends certain signals to our bodies or our “biological clock”. These signals go directly to our hypothalamus, which has a direct influence over the speed of our metabolism at a given time.

This part of the brain absorbs sunlight and generates adrenaline to help us function in the daytime. It provides melanin and serotonin to help us rest during the night. So, how does our metabolism change during the day according to this cycle?

How effective is this practice?

If our goal is to lose weight, the most important thing to keep in mind is to have a diet that is low in calories, drink lots of water and exercise regularly. However, we must give our body enough calories to meet its daily functions. Otherwise, we might get the urge to visit the fridge at night.

Our low-calorie diets must go hand in hand with the type of activity we expect to do. If we don’t give our bodies the calories they need during the day, at night we will have to eat more. And, during the night is when our metabolism is getting ready to slow down.

Without a doubt, this practice will lead to weight gain in the long term. Most probably, in the night we will feel much more hungry, leading us to consume more sugars and carbohydrates.

Sugars and carbohydrates are appropriate for a healthy breakfast. At that time you will most probably use up their energy throughout the day and not risk gaining weight.

The real problem is when we eat them at night when we don’t need that much energy. Your body then transforms any excess carbohydrates and sugars into fat, and they accumulate in the areas that change your body shape. This practice will become harmful if it is a regular behavior in your everyday life.

Now, you must be wondering if this diet around circadian rhythms really works. Well, it does, and here is the secret to achieving optimal performance.

The secret to the circadian rhythms: guided diet

There is a well known saying that states we must “eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dine like a pauper“. This is, in fact, the secret to this circadian rhythm diet.

There is scientific support for this practice. In the morning, our insulin levels rise, allowing us to better digest carbohydrates and sugars. However, in the evening, the insulin levels drop and the body starts to store the carbohydrates and sugars that it can no longer process.

Thus, this is the reason why it’s never recommended to ingest carbohydrates and sugars at night. And so, a diet guided by the circadian rhythms is effective, as long as we keep in mind the correct nutritional data.

Remember, it’s not all about the calories. It’s important to make sure that the calories we put into our bodies also carry balanced nutrition with the correct nutrients. If we consume empty calories without any nutrients, then our bodies will respond accordingly.

In summary, a low-calorie and balanced diet with a big breakfast a medium lunch and a small dinner will definitely help you lose weight. Additionally, this practice can help maintain the right natural weight for our bodies.