We all know our well-being is affected by numerous factors. Two of the most important ones are the time we spend sleeping and physical activity. But a new study published early this year points out a third critical factor for our health.
In a nutshell: researchers visited L’Aquila, a province in Abruzzo, Italy, with a high population of nonagenarians and centenarians. We are talking about people almost 100 years old!
Inquiring about their lifestyle, investigators discovered they ate a lot of vegetables, seeds, legumes, and fruits. They also kept active by walking around town and attending to their own lands.
But more interestingly, they found out that these healthy people eat roughly at the same hour every day: 7:13 pm.
Food and sleep
Sure you know about the circadian rhythm, the body’s natural clock. It helps us to intuitively know when to be alert or sleepy, and it can be influenced by things like light and darkness, food, exercise, and stress.
When the day is coming to an end, the body is getting ready to rest. When we eat late at night -or too close to our bedtime-we disrupt this process, experiencing trouble falling asleep, indigestion or acid reflux, and even insomnia.
Eating earlier gives our body time to process food, use that energy and maintain our natural rhythm.
Best time to have dinner
Knowing all that, now we can understand why the people of L’Aquila live longer than others on this side of the world!
Keeping a low-calorie diet, exercising frequently, and respecting a dinner schedule gave their bodies a healthy and natural structure.
Eating early dinner ensures them a good night’s sleep, which influences their energy levels the next day. As we can see, it’s all connected!
Are you thinking about trying this idea? Check out my Instagram for easy, healthy, delicious cooking recipes you can make home.
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