If I had a dollar for everyone I know who is a triangle eater, I would be a wealthy person.  What’s a triangle eater?  It’s a person who eats little to no breakfast, a modest lunch, but consumes most of his/her daily calories starting late in the afternoon and ending when Jimmy Kimmel signs off.  A day’s food intake looks something like this:

Since food is the fuel your body runs on, this triangular approach to eating makes absolutely no sense.  In essence, you’re depriving your body of its precious fuel, food, during the day when you need it the most. This is analogous to getting into your car in the morning with an empty gas tank and expecting to be able to drive it to work.  Your four wheel baby isn’t going to move until you fill the tank with some gasoline, the fuel it runs on.

Your body is just like your car.  It thrives on the carbohydrate, glucose, found in grains, fruits, veggies, dairy foods, and nuts and seeds. In fact, your brain relies solely on glucose to function. So if you want to enhance your memory, improve your cognitive ability, and help increase your attention span, fuel your brain with food it needs to ace your day.  If that’s not enough incentive to eat more during the day, emerging research is suggesting that consuming the major of your calories later in the day may not be kind to your waist.

The perfect energizing meal contains not only carbohydrates but also some protein (nut, meat, fish, and poultry) and some healthy fats (oils and nuts).  Here are some meal suggestions:

Breakfast: Oatmeal or whole grain cereal doused with milk and topped with berries and nuts.

Lunch: Salad with grilled chicken, a light dressing, and a whole grain roll

Afternoon snack: A yogurt and a piece of fruit

Dinner: Baked salmon, broccoli, and brown rice (Keep the portions smaller compared to your other meals.)

Flip your triangular pattern of eating to consume more during the day and less at night to fuel your body and brain.

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