Meal Timing Guide

Inside this guide

BEST FOODS FOR EACH MEAL OF THE DAY Nutrition Reference  Educational Use Eating the right food at the right time makes healthy eating easier. Page 1 Best Time to Eat: What To Prioritise at Each Meal Breakfast, post-breakfast snack, lunch, evening snack and light dinner What you eat matters, and so does when you eat it. Each part of the day has a different job: breakfast refuels after the overnight fast, lunch is usually the biggest and most balanced meal, evening snacks beat the energy dip, and dinner is best kept light. Below are 6 good options for each slot, with why they suit that time of day. Options tagged South Indian are easy to find in a typical South Indian kitchen. Breakfast Around 6:30 - 9:30 AM After the overnight fast, protein and slow-digesting carbs steady your blood sugar and keep hunger in check until lunch. FOOD / MEAL WHY IT'S GOOD AT THIS TIME TYPE Eggs (boiled or bhurji) with whole wheat toast Protein first thing in the morning keeps you full for longer and cuts mid-morning cravings. Moong dal cheela or Pesarattu with chutney Made from lentils, so you get protein and fibre together instead of plain refined carbs. South Indian Idli with vegetable sambar Sambar adds dal protein and vegetable fibre to light, easy-to-digest idlis. Add an egg or paneer for more protein. South Indian Ragi dosa or ragi porridge Finger millet digests slowly, so energy releases steadily, and it brings fibre and calcium. South Indian Oats with curd or milk, nuts and fruit Oat fibre (beta-glucan) keeps you full, and the milk, curd and nuts add protein. Vegetable upma with peanuts Vegetables and peanuts add fibre and protein that plain rava upma lacks. South Indian Post-Breakfast Snack Around 10:30 - 11:30 AM A small bridge to lunch.…