As the winter chill sets in, it's not just our wardrobes that need a seasonal update. According to a leading nutrition expert, our evening meal schedule requires a significant shake-up to support our health during the darker months.
The Science Behind Early Winter Dinners
Catherine Norton, Associate Professor of Sport and Exercise Nutrition at the University of Limerick, has explained that adjusting our dinner time earlier can profoundly impact our mood, metabolism, and overall wellbeing. Writing in The Conversation, she emphasised that while people often feel tempted to eat later during winter, we should actually be doing the opposite to support our internal body clock.
'As winter settles in, paying attention to when you eat may be just as important as what you eat,' Professor Norton stated. 'Aligning mealtimes with your body's natural rhythms can help steady energy, mood and sleep.'
The expert highlighted that numerous bodily functions follow circadian rhythms, including digestion, hormone release (including those assisting with sleep and digestion), and even the number of calories we burn throughout the day.
The Ideal Winter Eating Window
Professor Norton advises that the best time to finish dinner is 'ideally between 5.30pm and 7.00pm, or at least two to three hours before bedtime'. This recommendation presents a particular challenge for those working traditional 9-5 jobs with long commutes home.
Recent research supports this earlier eating pattern. A 2020 YouGov poll found that while 34% of Britons eat between 6pm and 7pm, and 23% eat between 7pm and 8pm, science suggests these timings might need to move even earlier during winter months.
The growing field of 'chrononutrition' suggests that 'when we eat may be nearly as important as what we eat'. One study Professor Norton referenced found dramatic differences between early and late diners.
'Those who ate dinner at 10pm experienced 20% higher blood sugar peaks and burned 10% less fat than those who ate at 6pm,' she explained.
Proven Health Benefits of Earlier Meals
A major review of 29 trials revealed significant advantages to eating earlier, having fewer meals, and consuming the majority of one's calories earlier in the day. These benefits included greater weight loss and improved metabolic markers such as lowered blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
Professor Norton emphasised the importance of avoiding meals too close to bedtime, noting that other research has linked late-night eating with increased risks of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
She explained that aligning your mealtimes with your circadian rhythm represents a promising approach to preventing metabolic conditions, especially when combined with other healthy lifestyle choices.
However, the expert stressed flexibility over rigid rules. 'The real key is intentionality—making choices that serve your health, not rigid rules that create stress,' she added. 'The healthiest rhythm is the one that harmonises with both your biology and your lifestyle.'
Professor Norton recommends treating meal timing as a flexible tool rather than a strict regulation. 'This means taking into account your goals, how often you exercise, how close to bedtime you normally eat, how you feel depending on the time of day you eat dinner and what's realistic given your schedule.'
For those regularly eating after 9pm and experiencing sluggish mornings or restless sleep, experimenting with earlier meals could prove beneficial. For others with late training sessions or social dinners, the focus should shift to meal quality rather than timing, opting for lighter, balanced meals and allowing adequate digestion time before sleep.
