Written by John Immel, Asheville, NCA healthy daily routine with regular mealtimes is essential for good health.

While the mind loves the freedom to eat whatever, and whenever it wants, the body loves stability. And eating off schedule not only causes indigestion, it confuses your body's biorhythms.

Ayurveda has been teaching the importance of regular mealtimes for thousands of years as part of a daily wellness routine.

Today, research supports this important concept. Let's take a look.

Digestion: Your Energy Hog

Digestion demands lots of bodily resources, which must be carefully coordinated.

For example, your body requires sufficient blood to support good digestion. If there is not enough, you may experience gas and bloating as your undigested food will begin to ferment.

To ensure adequate blood supply to digestive organs, your body actually schedules increased blood delivery during meal times.

When you eat off schedule, blood supply to digestive organs is less. This not only causes indigestion, but also confuses the body's biorhythms.

On the other hand, when your body can count on you eating at a particular time, it can be ready with sufficient resources to do a good job of digesting your food.

What Are the Best Times to Eat?

In general, Ayurveda recommends eating breakfast at 8 am, lunch at noon, and dinner at 5:30 pm. Try to eat within an hour of these times.

However, if you miss a meal, or have to eat at other times, choose light, easy to digest foods so that you will be hungry on schedule for the next meal. Follow this rule of thumb for each meal: Breakfast is the spiritual meal. Lunch is the joyful meal. Dinner is the gentle meal.

Breakfast: The Spiritual Meal

• The morning is the best time for prayer and spiritual practice. A no-frills meal complements developing spiritual awareness.

Lunch: The Joyful Meal

• Eat your biggest meal of the day at lunchtime when the sun is at its peak and your digestive fire (agni) is strongest.

Dinner: The Gentle Meal

• By 3 p.m. your organs are likely as tired as you feel after a long day's work. Dinner should include gentle foods only,

  When you eat after 5 pm, dinner should become simpler and simpler the later it gets:

  • At 5pm, beef okay unless Kapha is aggravated
  • At 6pm, chicken okay
  • At 7pm, fish or veggies only
  • At 8pm, soups, easy to digest veggies and small portions only.
  • At 9pm, small bowl of rice
  • At 10pm, glass of almond milk
  In general, it's best to eat early enough to ensure food will completely digest before sleep. After 8 pm it's important to baby the digestive tract. Overnight, undigested food becomes stagnant blood that provokes Kapha and mucus.

Mealtimes & the Doshas

Your body type is also a consideration when planning when and how you eat.

Vata may eat smaller meals more often. At breakfast, Vata individuals should include simple proteins such as ten almonds.

Pittas naturally secrete more enzymes and bile than other doshas, making them hangry.

They also tend to get caught up in mental activities, missing meals or eating later than normal. Meanwhile, their bodies produce digestive enzymes at their normal meal times, irritating their intestinal linings and causing inflammation.

Kapha can eat fewer meals and skip breakfast altogether.

After sunset Kaphas should avoid heavy foods.

Wait at Least 2 Hours After a Meal Before Eating Again

The stomach processes food for approximately two hours while slowly releasing it into the duodenum. For this reason it's best to wait until the stomach is empty before having another meal or snack.

Avoid water after meals, or sip it very slowly.

Here are some tips for healthy snacking.

Preparing the Stomach and Taste Buds

Bitter, pungent, salty and sour tastes help kick start digestion. Bitter food & herbs such as neem or dandelion stimulate peristalsis.

While Europe stimulates digestion with alcoholic aperitifs, Ayurveda recommends lime for its sour taste.

A ginger, lime, salt appetizer refreshes the taste buds, stimulates saliva, and brings blood flow to the digestive tract.

Do I Have to Spend All Day in the Kitchen?

Are you too busy to cook?

We find that eating out, fast food, and even making a sandwich takes more time than cooking soups. Check out this fast and easy way to cook soups.

In the morning I cook all three meals at the same time. First, I start a soup, then a pot of rice. Next, I cook my oatmeal or fry an egg for breakfast. This method of cooking is fast, easy, and healthy.

And, the rest of my day is kitchen free.

The Fundamentals of a Healthy Daily Routine

Why not let the fundamentals of a healthy daily routine make your day?

Here's a summary of best mealtimes:

• Eating meals at the same time each day (preferably 8am, 12 noon, and 5:30pm)
• If these times don't work, create a schedule where you can at least eat at the same time each day.

And for even better results, add these bedtime routines:

• Avoid anything that strains eyes after 9pm (reading, TV, computer, bright lights)
• Go to bed at the same time each night (preferably 10 pm)
• Even if you have insomnia, avoid getting out of bed or using the eyes.

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