What’s the best time to eat dinner for weight loss and blood sugar control?

It was probably similar in Southeast Asia, where people in traditional agricultural societies ate their evening meal while there was still light. They were likely to snack or graze on morsels of food throughout the day whenever they felt hungry, rather than adhering to three rigid mealtimes. 

It all changed during the Industrial Revolution in the 1800s. Factory workers in Europe and the US probably ate dinner as late as we do now as machines were kept working to optimise production, and workers didn’t leave until past 8pm. Those 12-to-16-hour shifts they had cemented the modern schedule for mealtimes that we still follow today. 

“The mealtimes we think of as ‘normal’, breakfast when the sun rises, lunch at midday, perhaps a snack mid-afternoon and dinner when the sun sets, are largely a product of work, culture, technology rather than the fixed human biological clock,” said Reutens.

WHAT ABOUT IN SINGAPORE? 

Singaporeans generally eat dinner at around 6pm to 8pm, said the dietitians that CNA Lifestyle spoke to. “A few key factors tend to shape the mealtimes of Singaporeans,” said Sow. “Long work hours and working overtime are probably the biggest as they routinely push meals later than planned.”