When you think about your meals each day, you most likely think of the three standard meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. However, if you find yourself getting “hangry” or lacking energy throughout the day, you may want to consider restructuring your eating habits. Today, we’re breaking down the benefits of eating 4-5 meals per day and the best times to eat them!

One of our favorite benefits of the Able Roots nutrition plan is that we want you to eat. 4-5 times a day, in fact! Eating 4-5 smaller meals per day is the key to boosting your metabolism and maintaining your energy levels throughout the day.

Depending on what works for you, try spacing out your meals every 3-4 hours. Below is an example schedule that we like to follow:

(Pre-Workout/Upon Wake-Up): Enjoy your Super Coffee & Root Boost before your work out. Listen to your body, though, and if you need a small snack before your workout, go for it!

(10am – Breakfast): If you’re intermittent fasting, try to not eat breakfast for 14-15 hours from when you finished dinner the night before. Your Super Coffee is loaded with protein and healthy fat from the MCT oil that will help you power through your workout and keep you full until breakfast. At breakfast, it’s important to refuel your body with protein, healthy carbs, and fats.

(1pm – Lunch): Enjoy a leafy lunch with protein and healthy carbs and fats. A balanced lunch will keep you feeling full and satisfied throughout the day.

(4pm – Afternoon Snack): A healthy snack provides energy in the afternoon and decreases hunger until dinner. Just make sure that you are snacking in moderation and choose a snack thats high in nutritional value.

(7pm – Dinner): Try eating about 3 hours before bed to give your body time to digest before sleeping. Your metabolism tends to slow down when you sleep. Make sure your meal contains protein and lots of healthy greens. Try to remember – the lightest meal of the day should be when your body is the least active! This will allow your body to metabolize your meal and process the food as fuel vs. storing it as fat.

If your day to day fluctuates and it’s hard to stick to a firm schedule, try not to worry about it! Just eat as clean and as close to the guidelines above as possible, utilizing whole foods that fuel your body. Most importantly, listen to your body and if you’re feeling like you need more – have more! We all live different lives and it’s important to listen to our bodies to ensure we’re feeling our best.

If you’re looking for more guidance to look and feel your best, check out our membership program! Each week, you’ll receive 10+ new recipes, a done for you grocery list, meal prep guidelines, and more!