The Best Time to Eat Dinner, According to Dietitians

Between a long day of work, a commute, walking the dog, fitting in a workout, and more, finding the time to make a satisfying and healthy dinner for yourself or your family is easier said than done. But it turns out that when we eat dinner may have a bigger impact on our overall health than we might realize. This begs the question: When actually is the best time to eat dinner?

Meet the Experts: Dana Cohen, M.D., integrative medical doctor and co-author of Quench; Michelle Routhenstein, M.S., R.D., preventive cardiology dietitian and certified diabetes educator; Gretchen Zimmermann, R.D., vice president of clinical strategy at Vida Health; Melissa Prest, D.C.N., R.D.N., spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Ahead, dietitians tackle that very question, share their favorite meal options, and give suggestions for the best nighttime snacks that won’t mess with your sleep.

While doctors and dietitians acknowledge that schedules and things outside of our control all influence dinnertime, they seem to agree on an ideal window of time. “Eating between 5 and 7 p.m. would be ideal,” says Dana Cohen, M.D., integrative medical doctor and co-author of Quench.

But, the exact time you dine has to do with your specific bedtime. Michelle Routhenstein, M.S., R.D., preventive cardiology dietitian and certified diabetes educator, recommends trying to eat two to three hours before bed because it helps with digestion, supports better sleep, and keeps blood sugar more stable. “At night, the body becomes less efficient at handling sugar, so late meals can lead to higher blood sugar and may disrupt sleep in some people,” she says.

Gretchen Zimmermann, R.D., vice president of clinical strategy at Vida Health, agrees with those recommendations. “Your GI tract slows down at night as part of your natural circadian rhythm, so eating close to bedtime may delay gastric emptying, increase bloating, cause uncomfortable heartburn, and throw off your regularity,” she says.

You also want to avoid eating too early because going to bed hungry can disrupt your sleep quality, per the Mayo Clinic.

All of this said, if you just can’t eat dinner in this window (maybe you have a night class or family obligation), stick to lighter meals (see below for more) and try not to lie down immediately after you finish eating.

Eating dinner at least three hours before bedtime may aid weight loss by supporting metabolic health and maintaining steady blood sugar levels, explains Routhenstein. Eating earlier also helps regulate hunger hormones, which can reduce late-night snacking, she adds, and therefore make weight gain less likely.

In fact, people who ate meals at 5 p.m. burned 60 more calories per day than those who ate dinner later, according to a study published in Cell Metabolism. The research participants who ate dinner later also stored fat differently and had higher levels of hunger. Another study, out of NYU Langone, found that eating earlier improves your metabolic health, which may help you lose weight. On the flip side, separate research, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, shows that eating later can prevent successful weight loss and lead to weight gain.

“More studies are needed to determine if eating early has a benefit for health and weight in the long term, but eating dinner early, between 5 and 7 p.m., or at least two to three hours before you go to bed may be a helpful strategy for supporting weight loss,” says Zimmermann. Another benefit of eating early is that you can squeeze in a 10- to 15-minute walk after dinner, which has positive benefits on blood sugar, digestion, and can provide a little extra calorie burn, she adds.

Experts share other reasons you may want to consider having your last meal earlier in the evening.

Better sleep

Eating right before bedtime can have negative effects on the quality of your sleep, which means eating earlier has the potential to improve your rest and optimize your body’s circadian rhythm.

Less heartburn

“Health conditions such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) require people to wait at least three hours after eating before lying down or going to sleep to prevent the contents of the stomach from going back up into the esophagus that may cause heartburn,” Dr. Cohen says.

Improved blood sugar levels

Research shows that eating earlier lowers blood glucose levels after dinner and throughout the night. This is because you don’t metabolize glucose as efficiently when you eat out of phase with your circadian rhythm. According to the Mayo Clinic, diet, dehydration, stress, and more factors can cause blood sugar levels to rise, but having consistently high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) can lead to serious health complications.

“Having a good balance of essential nutrients such as protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and water is important during any meal,” Dr. Cohen says. “I love Mediterranean diet foods which include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and nuts, healthy fats like olive oil, and moderate amounts of fish and other lean proteins.”

One of Dr. Cohen’s favorite dinners is escarole and beans drizzled with olive oil over crusty whole-grain bread. “This light, delicious meal is easy to digest and filled with plant protein, good fats, and fiber making it a good choice for dinner,” she says.

If you end up feeling hungry after dinner, that’s completely understandable. It’s just important to choose healthy snacks that won’t negatively impact your sleep. “Try a light snack like chia pudding, which is high in soluble fiber and omega-3s to support digestion and the microbiome,” Zimmermann suggests. “Kiwis are a great source of soluble fiber, and when combined with a handful of walnuts, provide a gut-healthy snack.”

Routhenstein adds that cherries and pistachios may boost melatonin production, the hormone that regulates sleep. And yogurt with berries is another good choice because it contains tryptophan, an amino acid that promotes relaxation and better sleep.

Unsurprisingly, nighttime snacks that experts recommend avoiding or minimizing are those that are generally not considered healthy, like ultra-processed chips or high-fat, high-sugar desserts, both of which can slow digestion and cause tummy trouble, experts say. Alcohol or excessive caffeine can dehydrate and mess with sleep, and large, protein-heavy meals eaten too late take longer to digest and may interfere with regularity.

What happens if you skip dinner entirely? It depends on the person and how often it happens, according to Melissa Prest, D.C.N., R.D.N., spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “When it comes to dinner, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all rule,” she explains. “Occasionally skipping dinner isn’t harmful for most healthy adults, but it may lead to increased hunger, lower energy levels, difficulty concentrating, or overeating later. Regularly missing dinner can also make it more difficult to meet daily needs for protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.”

While eating dinner earlier in the evening is ideal, sometimes life gets in the way. Eating the occasional late dinner isn’t cause for panic, according to Prest. “Eating before bed isn’t inherently bad,” she says. However, “a large, heavy, or high-fat meal close to bedtime may disrupt sleep or increase the risk of heartburn. But a small, balanced snack—such as Greek yogurt with fruit, whole-grain toast with nut butter, or cottage cheese—can help curb hunger, support overnight muscle repair, and even help stabilize blood sugar for some individuals.”

In an ideal world, the experts recommend eating dinner two to three hours before bed. If you feel hungry after that, consider a light plant-based snack, preferably at least an hour before you plan to go to sleep.