Chrononutrition During Pregnancy: Pregnancy is a time when getting nutrition right is more than just eating well. It’s about nourishing two lives. Chrononutrition, the idea that when you eat is as important as what you eat, is gaining attention for supporting both maternal health and the baby’s development. We connected with Dr Latha Sashi, Chief Nutritionist and Head, Dept. of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Fernandez Hospital, who explained how chrononutrition can support a healthier pregnancy by aligning meal timings with the body.
What Is Chrononutrition?
Chrononutrition is a growing field exploring how meal timing synchronises with our natural circadian rhythms. Our body’s internal clock coordinates digestion, metabolism, and hormone release, such as insulin and cortisol, based on eating patterns and sleep cycles. Eating out of sync, for instance, late at night or skipping breakfast, can disrupt this rhythm and interfere with metabolic regulation.
Dr Latha Sashi says, “New research shows that what we eat has a bigger impact on our health than we know. Your body’s internal clock regulates important functions like hormone release, digestion, and metabolism. Your body experiences natural fluctuations in certain hormones such as insulin, cortisol, and melatonin throughout the day based on this clock.”
Why Expecting Mothers Should Care About Meal Timing?
When a mother skips breakfast or eats late in the evening, her circadian rhythm and hormone patterns, such as melatonin and cortisol, can shift. Research in pregnant women has linked breakfast skipping and long eating windows to lower morning cortisol and disrupted melatonin rhythms. Those patterns are associated with higher risk of gestational diabetes, higher infant adiposity at six months, and poorer maternal metabolic control. Simply put, when meal timing is regular and aligned with daytime hours, metabolic health tends to improve.
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Key Meal Timing Habits That Support Pregnancy
Eating regularly within a reasonable daily window, around 10 to 12 hours, with breakfast earlier in the day, appears more favourable than stretching eating into the night. Having meals on time helps the body use energy efficiently and keeps blood sugar levels steadier. Dr Latha Sashi shares, “Studies have shown that a consistent eating schedule during pregnancy leads to improved blood sugar levels and overall maternal and fetal health.”
Avoiding heavy late-night meals also respects the body’s natural rest phase and reduces the burden on metabolic processes.
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What To Eat: Balanced Meals That Follow Chrononutrition
Even as timing matters, so do food choices. Each meal should be balanced and nutrient-dense, focusing on whole grains, lean protein, healthy fats, fruits, and vegetables, suggests the expert.
i) Eat breakfast within one to two hours of waking up, eat within 2 hours.
ii) Limiting high-carbohydrate foods or simple sugars, especially in the evening
iii) Avoiding heavy meals 1.5 to 2 hours before bedtime
iv) Choosing a light snack, such as a glass of milk, buttermilk, or a handful of nuts, closer to bedtime if needed.
Dr Latha Sashi recommends, “All this combined with light evening exercise also supports better metabolic regulation. Pregnant women will experience steadier energy levels when they adopt such habits.”
Eating at the right time during pregnancy supports better digestion and energy. Chrononutrition helps both mother and baby stay healthy.
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