Dietitians' verdict on the most important meal of the day is not what you think

Edited extract of Reset, Nourish, Burn (Penguin, $36.99) by Susie Burrell & Leanne Ward. Released 3 September 2024.

If we were to deem one meal more important than the others for overall food balance, it would be lunch, though it's not always given the focus it deserves.

Nutritionally, this meal plays a major role in regulating food intake and eating behaviour throughout the afternoon and evening.

Not only is a well- timed lunch crucial to optimally fuel the body for the afternoon, but a well-balanced lunch will assist in stabilising blood-glucose levels and help you to avoid sweet cravings come later afternoon.

Meal timing matters as we can use our circadian rhythm to our advantage. If you do eat late in the day or too many hours after your first meal, you will fail to tap into the metabolic boost we naturally get during the first half of the day.

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Therefore, the earlier you have your lunch, even in place of a late- morning snack, the better it will be for fat burning.

If you are hungry at 11am or 11:30am, eat your lunch then. If you hold off, filling the gap with a snack instead, only to have a late lunch and more sweet foods at 3 or 4pm, your blood glucose is more likely to have dropped significantly leaving you ravenous and prone to overeating.

Think back to a time when you have enjoyed a filling, large lunch – remember the way you did not find yourself searching for snacks all afternoon, and didn't even really feel like dinner?

A well-balanced, nutritious, hearty lunch meal enjoyed earlier in the day will not only help keep you full and satisfied all afternoon but will also help you to get the protein and vegetable bulk you need to optimise your nutrient intake. It also sets you up for a lighter evening meal, which we'll get onto next – the two go hand in hand.

This simple shift to prioritising a filling lunch slightly earlier in the day will revolutionise your daily food intake.

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Getting your lunch balance right

Too frequently in this modern life, lunch has become a high-carb, processed meal we grab on the run, or a small bite-sized meal built on the belief we should be seeking something 'light'.

Sushi, wraps and snacks, and even so-called healthy soups or salad tend to lack the protein and veggie bulk of a well-balanced refuel. They leave us feeling unsatisfied and come mid-to-late afternoon we find ourselves ravenous. This drives us to snack throughout the afternoon and overeat later in the day.

This doesn't have to be the case. Achieving the right lunch balance to support weight control is relatively easy, once you know what to aim for.

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To keep full for three to four hours, each lunch meal should contain one serve (as a rough guides use the examples below) of each of the following:

Vegetable bulk

At least 2-3 cups of loose salad or 1-2 cups of dense vegetables.

Protein

Palm-sized portion of canned tuna, lean chicken breast, beef, beans or tofu.

Carbohydrate

If your day is mostly sitting, around half to three quarters of a cup, or if you're very active, one to two cups of wholefood carbs such as sweet potato, beans or brown rice. In terms of bread or crackers the low range is one slice of bread or three to four wholegrain crackers, and the active range is two slices of bread and up to eight crackers.

Good fat

A tablespoon of olive oil dressing, a small handful of nuts, or quarter of an avocado will help to slow your digestion after lunch and keep you fuller for longer.

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