A few days ago, I ate lunch at 10:00 AM. A very filling, substantial lunch at that! I’ve noticed that ever since I had a baby, different routines in my day have been gradually moving up (including bedtime after a busy day with a toddler!) A couple years ago there is no way I would have ever eaten lunch so early in the day. I seemed to have a subtle rule in my head that lunch should not be eaten before 12:00 PM. I’m not sure why I had that rule, and I don’t think I realized it was really a “rule” I had, but I remember even if it was 11:45 AM and I was hungry, I would not eat lunch yet. Because it was “too early”… says who?!
What I have learned over the years is that the exact time I eat meals is not nearly as important as honoring my hunger and eating consistently throughout the day. There are so many rules about eating that we hear about on social media, in the news, from friends…the list goes on. Working with clients I often hear about new rules they have created for themselves, and we work through those to become more flexible so we can take the best care of ourselves. As a dietitian, I do believe in the importance of having some sort of plan when it comes to our food choices, but it’s beneficial to have a plan that is not rigid and can be adjusted based on changes in our day or what we need in that moment.
So, when I ate lunch at 10:00 AM, I really didn’t think too much about it. I had several work meetings during my lunch hours that day, and I knew if I just had a snack at that time, it really wouldn’t give me the energy needed to get through all my meetings well without becoming ravenous. I chose to be proactive and do what I needed to do in that moment, and I felt great!
Do you have rules (either subtle or obvious) that you try to follow with your diet? Give us a call today if you would like to learn how to create a flexible and balanced eating pattern that works best for you!

By Julia Blackford RDN,LD

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