Maintaining balanced meals can be difficult with busy schedules, long commutes, and family obligations. Many people struggle to eat nutritious meals throughout the day or skip them altogether in favor of a larger dinner later on.

When you eat may be just as important as what you eat. Research suggests that meal timing could play a role in disease prevention and weight management—a concept known as “chrononutrition.”

When You Eat Could Matter as Much as What You Eat

Chrononutrition, also known as time-restricted eating, examines how the timing of meals affects metabolism through the body’s circadian rhythm. This internal clock regulates key biological functions, including sleep, body temperature, and mental alertness.

Eating in sync with your natural rhythm may support overall well-being. Chrononutrition can also help with weight loss, blood pressure, and glycemic control.

“Aligning your meals with your circadian rhythm may be associated with various health improvements, including reduced risk for chronic disease like diabetes and hypertension,” Lisa Young, PhD, RDN, an adjunct professor of nutrition at New York University, told Verywell. “This pattern of eating may also lead to improved sleep.”

How a Shorter Eating Window Can Benefit Your Body

Chrononutrition boils down to shortening the window of time when you eat each day, according to John Hawley, PhD, director of the Centre of Human Performance and Metabolism at Australian Catholic University in Melbourne.

For example, if you typically eat breakfast at 7 a.m. and dinner at 8 p.m., you could aim to reduce that 13-hour window to 10 or 11 hours. This approach can be especially beneficial for people living with obesity or type 2 diabetes.

Hawley emphasized that time-restricted eating is not the same as intermittent fasting. He said fasting “upsets” the concept of chrononutrition because long periods without food disrupt the body’s circadian rhythm.

“Time-restricted eating is all about maintaining the normal circadian profile throughout the day,” he added.

Late-Night Snacking Can Disrupt Your Metabolism

Avoiding late-night meals is a key component of chrononutrition. The body initiates a hormonal response every time you eat, and doing so when you’re not moving around much at night can increase hunger and appetite while impairing metabolic function.

“In the evening, blood glucose levels are high,” Hawley said. “Because you’re likely lying down and not doing anything, it stays elevated. By moving evening meals earlier, time-restricted eating helps lower that nocturnal glucose profile.”

Think of it as a chain reaction: Eating earlier may help regulate blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of diabetes and obesity.

Simple Ways to Align Your Meals With Your Circadian Rhythm

Sometimes late-night meals are unavoidable, but regularly snacking before bed or skipping lunch for a large dinner can take a toll on your health.

Keeping your sleep cycle on a consistent schedule is the first step to having a regular eating window. “If you sleep from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., aim for breakfast an hour or so after waking—sometime between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.,” Young said.

If you do need to eat later than usual, be mindful of what you choose. Hawley said high-fat or carbohydrate-rich foods aren’t ideal for late-night eating. Instead, choose a lean protein.

“In the next decade or so, we hope there’s enough solid, evidence-based research on time-restricted eating to include timing in dietary guidelines,” Hawley said. “It’s incredible that that’s currently lacking, but it is.”