CONSTIPATION. Gas. Diarrhea. Heartburn and indigestion. These GI-tract issues are among the most common conditions seen in an average person. While frequent and long-term GI symptoms can be signs of a more serious health issue like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn’s disease, or ulcerative colitis, the vast majority are triggered by diet- and lifestyle-related behaviors and can be avoided with a few tweaks to your daily eating schedule. Here’s one of the most important things you can do to keep your gastrointestinal tract functioning optimally — eat at consistent times every day. A so-called “normalized” eating pattern helps your body function optimally in many ways. First, it helps you avoid erratic eating where you starve yourself for hours then gorge on ginormous meals because you’re famished. Eating extra-large meals is one of the worst habits that can lead to gas, bloating, indigestion, and diarrhea as our bodies are not equipped to digest excessive amounts of protein, carbs and fats at one time. This optimized pattern also helps avoid eating too many calories later in the day, when the GI tract is less efficient. It’s well known that glucose tolerance and metabolic rate are reduced in the afternoon and evening and are best in the morning. According to research published in the journal Nutrients, eating the majority of your daily calorie budget later in the day and evening is linked to increased risk for obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other chronic medical conditions. Besides, eating three square meals and one or two snacks in between (only if needed) will help sync your digestion to your circadian rhythms. Eating about every four hours is ideal as the body takes about four hours to completely digest and process the macro- and micronutrients in foods. Our bodies are meant to cycle in and out of the absorptive state (fed) and post-absorptive state (fasting) two to three times a day. Eating too frequently or infrequently disrupts this natural balance. When this happens, GI issues are more common. (SD-Agencies) | 