If you only think about which food to eat or like what food i can eat then you are missing nutrient timing, nutrient timing is very important to your health. The effective way of eating is not just about what you eat but also when you eat. This idea is called nutrient timing, it’s like you are eating your food with your body’s natural timing.
1. The Circadian Advantage
Your body works on a 24-hours like when your body is in sync, it is also known as the circadian rhythm. This rhythm controls everything from sleep to hormone release and also your metabolism. Eating in sync with this rhythm will support your body to keep healthy and well, This practice is called chrononutrition.
Main point: If you eat food in the early morning it will help your body to digest food.
Eat Early: In early morning your body handles sugar more effectively, especially carbs, eating in morning may support better metabolic health and weight management.
The Early Dinner Rule: If you eat late night (close to bedtime) it can affect your health in a bad way like higher blood sugar and weight gain, so try to finish eating at least 2–3 hours before you go to sleep.
2. Protein Power
You most likely heard about anabolic window somewhere. This is the belief that you must drink a protein shake within 30-60 minutes. It’s like a post-workout but if you don’t drink it you will lose all your muscles. For most people, this idea is just exaggerated and not truth
Main Point: post-workout protein consumption is not that important then consistent or distributed protein consumption.
Spread it Out: You should take protein daily because it is very important for muscle growth and maintenance. You can distribute a good amount of high-quality protein (like 20-40 grams) across all your meals and it shows effectives on your body like it helps in muscle growth after roughly 3-5 hours.
The Morning Edge (New Research): Some big research suggests that eating protein in the early morning (Breakfast) can be beneficial for your health/body. Scientists observed that consuming a higher intake of protein in breakfast may enhance your muscle growth and strength. especially for older adults. If you are looking to boost your muscle growth then you should try to make breakfast protein-rich.
The Pre/Post-Workout Reality: If your last meal was a few hours ago, then you can consume protein and carbs mix 1–4 hours before your workout so that it can help you to fuel your performance. After exercise, you have 4-6 hours to eat your next meal but the sooner the better, like if you eat soon then it helps your muscles heal and you will get your energy back.
3. Carbs for Fuel
Your body likes to eat carbohydrates because it’s a high-intensity fuel source of your body. If you take them at the right time then you will regain your energy when you are doing exercise.
The main point is eat or drink before exercise and get refills after.
Pre-Workout Fuel: you should eat carbs meal 1-4 hours before you start exercising because it is very important for maximizing your muscle glycogen storage which is very important for performance. especially if you are doing high-volume activities (lasting 45 minutes or more). and make sure to eat simple carbs like bananas so that you don’t feel your stomach full.
During Long Workouts: If you do exercises for over 1 hour then you should eat or drink 30–60 grams of carbs like sports drinks for each hour to maintain your blood sugar and also to prevent less fatigue.
Post-Workout Recovery: After having a hard workout that drains all of your energy. You should eat carbs with some protein within a few hours. It will help you to quickly restore your energy, so that you can recover fast. Well, having a good mix of about 4 parts of carbs and 1 part of protein (like a glass of chocolate milk or a turkey sandwich) is a good effective approach.
Conclusion
I suggest you keep things simple. Top athletes may focus on every little detail. But the basics work best for most of the people who just want good health and performance.
Prioritize Consistent Protein: Make sure to distribute protein with all of your meals and also eat daily protein.
Eat Early: Try to eat the majority of your calories in the early morning.
Fuel Your Workouts: Make sure to eat carbs 1–4 hours before you start exercising and a carb/protein mix shortly after.
Avoid Late-Night Eating: You should stop eating 2–3 hours before you go to sleep so that your body can rest and digest properly.
