Book a Discovery Call. Our bodies are amazing at telling what time it is based on a few major cues: Exposure to light Timing of meals Social interactions Body temperature Your gut knows when to digest food based on what time it is. For dayshift: Fuel your body every hours when possible.

Focusing on energized eating and frequent fueling is key for telling your body what time it is and creating consistent energy throughout the day. The typical schedule is breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, evening snack optional. If you must wake up at AM to start your shift, you may actually want to wait until AM to have your breakfast if possible.

Your gut will be more ready for food and it allows for better timing for your meals throughout the day. Not every shift work job allows for consistent break times. Having back up portable snacks for eating on the run is one option, the other is adding your snack onto your lunch and breakfast to ensure you are hitting all your nutrient needs.

Have at least one meal with your family when possible. Some research studies are showing shift workers mental health and overall wellbeing is improved when they can eat with their family or friends for at least one meal of the day.

For nightshift: Follow the typical day time meal schedule as much as possible. This helps communicate to your body what time it actually is, which helps keep you on the right circadian rhythm.

When you wake up, start with the next meal or snack that would typically occur at that time. If you wake up at h, start with a balanced snack and move onto your dinner meal next. Even when working night shift, eat as many meals as possible at roughly the same time as we normally would during the day.

Minimize eating between midnight and h. Remember, your gut wants to rest and restore overnight. Having big meals in the middle of the night leads to multiple health concerns.

Fuel your body well outside of these hours and use a small balanced snack to help combat your sleepiest time or if feeling very hungry.

Once you decide on a general eating window and talk to a professional to make sure IF is right for you, it's time to jump in—but not necessarily all in. Some experts suggest starting just a couple of days a week and working your way up, while others recommend gradually increasing your fasting window from 12 to 14 to 16 hours.

Even though food is off-limits during fasting hours, non-caloric drinks and exercise are not. Research says they could even stave off hunger. For liquids, that includes water, black coffee, and unsweetened tea just skip the cream and sugar.

What's more, exercising in a fasted state 3 can supercharge your body's fat-burning potential—but again, listen to your body. Now for the food. Yes, fasting gives you the freedom to consume what you want during the eating window, but it's not an excuse to go pancake-pizza-Pringles wild.

And with inflammation being the underlying contributing factor in almost all modern-day health problems, this is something you definitely want to keep under control.

That means yes to proteins , healthy fats , and carbohydrates from whole food sources. Skip the ultraprocessed foods and drive-thru; just don't skip the focus on delicious. With less time spent on food prep and planning, it may even make you more creative in the kitchen. Here's an idea of what to eat and when to eat it on a fasting diet, depending on which eating window you choose:.

Intermittent fasting has been associated with a variety of promising science-baked perks, however, like most diets and regimens, it isn't for everyone. Experts recommend you ease into fasting and as always, speak with your doctor to determine the right plan for you.

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, avoid fasting altogether as fasting promotes fat burning and fat is essential for pregnant women. It can also lead to reduced milk supply and inadequate nutrient intake for both mom and baby. Additionally, if you have a history of an eating disorder, you should also avoid fasting as it can be triggering for anyone with a history of eating disorders.

According to board-certified internist Vincent M. Pedre , if you have gut issues, food sensitivities, sleep disturbances , anxiety , or chronic stress, fasting can sometimes trigger your fight-or-flight response, which may exacerbate these issues.

If you've decided to give intermittent fasting a try, the fasting plan is a great beginner-friendly option. To ensure it's right for you, start with just a couple of days a week and work your way up.

Be sure to listen to your body, though. If you feel lightheaded or weak, or you feel like fasting is impairing your day-to-day activities, always eat something. RELATED STORY: Does Intermittent Fasting Help With Healthy Weight Loss?

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Author: Allison Young. By Allison Young. mbg Contributor. Allison Young is a freelance writer based out of Phoenix. She writes about health, fitness, travel and relationships.

Aja Gyimah, R. Registered dietitian. Aja Gyimah is a registered dietitian with a passion for teaching people how to use food to live healthier lives. What is intermittent fasting?

Your gut will be more ready for food and it allows for better timing for your meals throughout the day. Not every shift work job allows for consistent break times. Having back up portable snacks for eating on the run is one option, the other is adding your snack onto your lunch and breakfast to ensure you are hitting all your nutrient needs.

Have at least one meal with your family when possible. Some research studies are showing shift workers mental health and overall wellbeing is improved when they can eat with their family or friends for at least one meal of the day.

For nightshift: Follow the typical day time meal schedule as much as possible. This helps communicate to your body what time it actually is, which helps keep you on the right circadian rhythm. When you wake up, start with the next meal or snack that would typically occur at that time.

If you wake up at h, start with a balanced snack and move onto your dinner meal next. Even when working night shift, eat as many meals as possible at roughly the same time as we normally would during the day.

Minimize eating between midnight and h. Remember, your gut wants to rest and restore overnight. Having big meals in the middle of the night leads to multiple health concerns.

Fuel your body well outside of these hours and use a small balanced snack to help combat your sleepiest time or if feeling very hungry. Have a light breakfast before bed. By Raina Beugelink — Registered Dietitian Nutritionist February 9, Trending Topics.

Share This Article. Subscribe to Emails from Revive. Contact Us admin revivewellness. Although I would agree that precise or strict timing of meals and snacks is unnecessary, there are benefits to having somewhat of a consistent eating schedule throughout the day.

We need a certain amount of energy each day, and at different times throughout the day, to thrive. This energy comes from the carbs, fats and proteins we consume.

Regular meals and snacks allow for more opportunities in the day to give our body the energy and nutrients it needs to function optimally, allowing us to engage in all the things we need to do in the day. Ever feel absolutely drained by 3pm and ready to take a nap? protein, calcium, iron, fibre.

Or skipping an afternoon snack might result in being overly hungry, eating more quickly, and possibly eating past your comfortable fullness level at dinner time.

Regular meal timing also helps to promote regular digestion. Going extended periods of time without eating can increase our likelihood of eating more quickly or eating more than we may need at our next meal, which can negatively impact digestion. The MMC is an electromechanical wave of muscle contractions through your gut that acts to sweep through leftover undigested food.

Consistent meal timing has been shown to promote regular circadian rhythms. Studies have shown that people with irregular eating patterns may have more difficulties processing insulin and may experience increased inflammation. The average person experiences a fast anywhere from hours each day naturally, without needing to put a restricted time on it.

Feeding your body regularly throughout the day helps to reassure your body that you do have access to adequate food. This reassurance helps to build trust between you and your body. I recommend having something to eat within 2 hours of waking up in the morning.

This will break your fast from overnight and provide your body fuel to start the day. When we wake up and ask our bodies to engage in work meetings, getting kids ready, a morning workout and more, without providing it any fuel to do so, it has to try to get by in its fasted state.

After the first meal of the day, depending on what was had and how balanced it was, most people find that they need to eat again every hours or so. Whereas a smaller, less-balanced meal might only keep you satisfied for an hour or so. Your body has an innate wisdom to guide your eating throughout the day, we just need to develop and strengthen our ability to hear it.

In our last blog post, we introduced the different types of hunger and different ways to respond to them.