The Best Time to Eat Lunch for Better Digestion, According to a Registered Dietitian

Credit: Milky Way / Getty ImagesKey TakeawaysEating lunch around the same time each day can help your digestion feel smoother by giving your body a more reliable routine.

A midday lunch often works well because eating too early may leave you hungry long before dinner, while eating too late can lead to overeating and discomfort.

The best lunch time is one you can keep fairly consistent with your schedule, since regular meal timing matters more than hitting one exact hour.

Whether you eat lunch at the same time every day or at different times during the week, the time you choose to eat matters for your overall health. Studies show that consistently eating lunch late in the day can cause a decrease in resting energy expenditure (or slow metabolism). It can also affect your energy throughout the day, your sleep, and your digestion too. To learn the best time to eat lunch for digestion, we asked a registered dietitian to share the time she eats lunch daily and why. Here's the time she swears by.

Heather Koenig, RD, registered dietitian at Juice Plus+

Heather Koenig, a registered dietitian at Juice Plus+, says she eats lunch around noon daily to support better digestion.

"Eating at a consistent lunchtime, which is around noon for me, helps to support digestion as our body gets into a rhythm of eating that is predictable," Koenig explains. "Digestive processes like stomach acid, digestive enzymes, and intestinal movement can be better coordinated with regular meal times. Our guts like a little predictability."

Noon is also a good time to eat lunch, because it's in the middle of the day. According to Koenig, eating too early can leave you feeling hungry again way before dinner. On the other hand, eating too late can leave you "overly hungry", and "eating a larger meal too quickly," per Koenig, "can contribute to bloating or digestive discomfort."

That said, Koenig points out there is no one lunch time that works best for everyone. "Our schedules, hunger cues, activity levels, and individual needs are all different. But for me, eating around noon fits naturally into my day," she says. "It helps me stay consistent, and allows me to enjoy a balanced lunch without feeling rushed and overly hungry."

Consistency is the most important factor for better digestion. "The key is to find an eating schedule that is somewhat consistent to encourage regularity of meal times, meal timing relative to sleep, and avoiding late-night meals," she says. "This regularity helps our bodies anticipate when food is coming and to coordinate the digestive processes."

Koenig recommends you finish eating at least three hours before bed, which will give your body time to digest your food before sleeping. This helps "avoid reflux/heartburn, and a feeling of being overly full, which can make it harder to get rest."

"You don't have to eat at exactly the same time each day, but regular meal patterns can be easier on our digestive system than constantly grazing or eating larger meals at unpredictable times," Koenig explains.