Every individual likes to know what time he eats, how fast he eats and even how much he chews can affect the number of calories he consumes. There is a complex biological interaction taking place in our bodies, influenced by the type of food we eat and how quickly we consume it.
A diet full of fresh vegetables is undoubtedly better for you than a diet dominated by cheeseburgers. However, this is far from the only consideration, as the timing of food also plays a crucial role in how well we digest it and what nutrients our body extracts from it.
One study showed that overweight and obese women lost more weight if they consumed most of their calories at breakfast, compared to those who ate most of their food in the evening, even though they ate the same number of calories in total.
Another small study by researchers in Britain found that shortening the amount of time between your first and last meals of the day can lead to you eating fewer calories overall. Scientists believe this could be because our circadian rhythms are linked to the way we digest and metabolize our food – an emerging area of research known as chrononutrition.
Similarly, eating earlier can also help, as researchers in Spain found that those who ate lunch earlier lost weight or maintained a lower weight more easily than those who ate after 3 p.m. When we eat food, the number of calories we take in depends on the structure of the food, which determines how easily the nutrients are released.
Changing the structure of the food changes its texture, how quickly it is metabolized, where it is metabolized and where the nutrients are absorbed.
