The gut clock

The strong connection between dietary patterns and circadian rhythm must not be ignored

- LUKE COUTINHO

Do you know our dietary patterns, appetite, and satiety are all regulated by our circadian rhythm? Unfortunately, we do not align our eating habits to it and revolve it around our work schedules, social calendars, and convenience instead, not realising the pressure we put on our bodies to work against what it's designed for.

With my years of experience in coaching patients across the globe, I am convinced that not everyone needs a diet plan. Just by tweaking their meal timings and aligning it with the circadian rhythm, they can start to see noticeable improvements in their health like high energy levels, alertness, better sleep, digestion, and water retention, waking up with a flatter stomach, no bloating, clearer skin, lesser cravings, and so much more.

What does eating according to the circadian rhythm mean? In simple words, it means aligning our meal timings and patterns to the sunset and sunrise, because of its impact on our digestion. As per the circadian rhythm, our digestive fires wake up as the sun rises, peak around noon, and slow down as the sun sets.

Eating in accordance with this rhythm means we consume our first meal of the day after sunrise, eat a substantial lunch in the afternoon, and our last meal of the day with, or close to, sunset, followed by fasting through the night till the next morning.