Some night owls don’t turn on the stove until 8:30, only eating out when the late-night vibe draws a crowd. Others are hungry people who shy away from late-night dinner reservations, swearing off an early meal before the sun goes down. As my mom says, who wants to sit around eating on an empty stomach for hours when all the cool kids are eating?
Dinner times are trending earlier: In New York City, more people are making reservations for 5:30 PM and fewer for 8 PM than in the past, according to online reservation platform Resy. Last year, twice as many dinner reservations were made before 5 PM compared to 2019, according to Yelp. Not to mention, a 5:30 PM dinner has the unexpected benefit of giving you your pick at restaurants that tend to book up weeks in advance.
No matter where you sit on the pendulum of the debate about the best time to eat dinner, there’s a growing body of evidence that eating an earlier meal can help improve your overall health and well-being.
The health benefits of an early dinner
May help prevent heartburn
If you often suffer from heartburn or acid reflux after meals, eating dinner earlier can help, says Tara Schmidt, registered dietitian at Mayo Clinic Dietetics.
Eating a meal three to four hours before bedtime can help prevent indigestion, which can keep you up at night and slow down digestion, Schmidt adds. Eating dinner early gives you time to go for a walk or be active afterwards, which is better for digestion than sitting down or going straight to bed, Schmidt adds. Digestion works best “when there’s light and your body is active,” Schmidt says. “Your blood sugar goes down because it went up when you were eating, but if you exercise, your blood sugar goes down.”
Finishing your meal by 6:30 p.m. and going to bed around 9:30 or 10 p.m. will give your body enough time to digest food and help reduce reflux, indigestion, and heartburn, says Ilana Muhlstein, R.D., nutritionist, and author of Love the Food That Loves You Back.
You might make better food choices
Eating earlier in the evening gives you time to make healthier decisions about what to eat, says Muhlstein. You can create a nutritious meal with whole foods, rather than grabbing readily available, highly processed foods from your pantry or freezer when bedtime looms. “When you come home from work hungry, it’s a great opportunity to fill up on nutritious, satisfying foods like protein and veggies,” she says.
Have you ever had that angry, grumpy friend who starts to get annoyed while waiting for dinner at 8pm? Yes. If you’re hungry right after a long day of work, but you don’t usually eat until later, you might find yourself mindlessly snacking on food out of hunger and boredom while you wait.
“Thinking that 5:30 p.m. is ‘too early’ for dinner can lead to snacking on processed carbohydrates like chips or crackers, which can lead to overeating,” Muhlstein says.
If you’re still hungry after an early dinner, don’t worry; it might help to adjust the time you eat. If you need to snack, Schmidt suggests sticking to foods that are easy to digest and have a high water content, like fruit, or foods high in fiber and protein, like whole grains, to keep you full.
It may lower your risk of disease
Eating late at night can lead to higher total calorie intake and increased risk of obesity. Research suggests that leptin A, the hormone that makes you feel full, decreases later in the day, which may lead to eating later in the day leading to overeating. Eating earlier can also help with insulin sensitivity, especially for people with diabetes or obesity.
“High insulin levels inhibit the body’s ability to burn fat,” says Muehlstein. “Lowering insulin levels is essential for anyone trying to lose weight and convert existing fat into energy. Eating dinner earlier and adopting a ‘dinner only’ approach increases the amount of time your body is in a fat-burning state.”
Research suggests that a type of intermittent fasting called early time-restricted feeding, which involves restricting eating to a six to eight hour window early in the day, can help stabilize blood sugar levels, but it’s not ideal for everyone, and it’s important to speak to a qualified professional before embarking on a strict fasting regimen.
Another benefit of eating an early dinner is that, just as a regular bedtime is important for your health, eating meals at roughly the same time helps regulate your body’s natural sleep, or circadian, rhythm. “Irregular eating patterns may increase your risk of disease,” Schmidt says.
You are benefiting from quality time
Eating dinner with early risers may optimize your physical health as well as your social health. Planning to eat dinner early allows you to be mindful of the time and gather with others to enjoy a meal together. A 2021 study analyzing data from the American Time Use Survey found that families who eat dinner by 6:15 p.m. report spending more quality time with their children.
Numerous studies have shown that eating dinner with others improves mental health and well-being, adding meaning to what can often be a hectic and mundane experience.
How to switch to a 5:30pm dinner
Find a dinner time that works for you, even if it’s not an early bird special. If you’re hungry after a 5:30 dinner before bedtime, it might be too early. Consider trying eating around 6:30 or 7 p.m. Avoid late-night snacks. Schmidt warns that eating dinner earlier and snacking later in the night can cancel out the benefits. “We know that eating late at night increases your risk of obesity.” Plan for busy days. “My kids play sports every Wednesday, so every Wednesday is a Crockpot Wednesday because instead of waiting until practice is over, I have to go in the house, get dressed, prepare dinner, and go out again,” says Schmidt.
Remember, experts say what you put on your plate is more important than when you eat: Half your plate should consist of non-starchy vegetables, a quarter lean protein, and the remaining quarter whole grains or starchy vegetables.
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