Each month, we will be hosting a group coaching session within our Facebook Group and posting the notes here for your reference. We’d love for you to come and check out the group!
This month we are chatting about meal timing.
Why Do People Focus So Much on Meal Timing?
A lot of people get hung up on meal timing – whether they are trying to improve their health, body composition, or performance. This is even more evident with the recent popularity of intermittent fasting and time-restricted feeding.
When Should You Eat?
I know I often have clients asking what time they should eat, including when they should start and stop. What I tend to ask people in return is – when do you WANT and NEED to eat?
The specifics of meal timing are not actually important for most people – even for those who are very active. Getting more specific only matters in certain scenarios – for example:
- An athlete training twice a day who needs to recover quickly
- Someone training for more than 2 hours at a time
- A person training fasted
- A child attending school who needs to eat breakfast to ensure concentration and energy levels
- An adult with a structured day who needs regular fuel to stay productive
What About Everyone Else?
But for most of us, we can choose what works best for our lifestyle. You might:
- Eat every couple of hours – or prefer a few big meals
- Skip breakfast – or make it a non-negotiable part of your day
- Grab a post-workout snack right away – or enjoy a cooked meal within an hour or two
It’s really about looking at what makes you feel your best.
Appetite Is One of Your Best Guides
Even if there was an ideal ‘time schedule to eat by’ that we could prescribe – that would mean completely ignoring your individual lifestyle, preferences, and most importantly – your appetite!
Eating to your appetite is one of the most valuable food and nutrition-related skills you can learn. We actually have an in-built mechanism to help us work out when we should eat – which is pretty amazing.
Don’t Get Lost in the Details
Getting caught up in nutrient timing can cause us to lose sight of the basics – like getting enough sleep, eating enough vegetables, or (from a sports perspective) getting enough protein and carbohydrates to fuel and recover properly.
If you’re already getting the foundations right, including enough calories and nutrients, the timing likely has little further impact – even for elite athletes.
The Bottom Line
As long as we eat the right foods in the right amounts, meal timing and frequency are largely a matter of personal preference.
What’s much more important is:
- What you’re eating
- How much you’re eating
- How you’re eating (fast vs slow, distracted vs mindful)
- Why you’re eating (hunger vs stress)
- Being consistent
If you’re getting all these right and want to go further… then you can think about tweaking when you’re eating.
Meal timing is all about consistency and balance. Eating regularly throughout the day helps support energy levels, training performance and recovery without the need for strict rules or complicated meal plans.
If you’d like extra guidance in planning your meals and optimising your nutrition around your lifestyle, check out our nutrition program for structured, evidence-based support.