This Is The Absolute Best Time To Eat Dinner — Really

Is there one ideal time to eat dinner? Some early birds eat it super-early, others (especially in parts of Spain) eat it really late. But what's the perfect dinner time, especially if you're trying to not gain weight?

A diet company called Forza Supplements asked that very question to 1,000 healthy eaters, and it turns out that the ideal time to eat dinner is between 6 and 6:30 p.m., with the ideal minute being 6:14 p.m.

Why? A few reasons. One, if you eat lunch at the time they suggest (about 12:30), by 6 you'll definitely be hungry enough for dinner. Two, if you eat dinner on the early side, your body will have a chance to digest it all before you go to sleep; because you're least active when sleeping, those excess calories in your stomach will be stored as fat if you eat late. And third, eating dinner late increases your blood sugar and insulin, which makes it harder to fall asleep.

As a rule of thumb, dinner should be eaten at least three hours before going to sleep, and it should also be the lightest meal of the day, as you don't need too much energy via food at night. The biggest meal of the day should be breakfast, which provides you with the energy needed to start your day on the right foot.