Let’s be honest, addicts relapse. And frequently. And even if you’re not an addict, sometimes you just want to relax a little and enjoy your favourite delicacy.

Before we look at the tip you came for, we must acknowledge 2 things –

1. If you’re significantly overweight (more than 7Kg over an ideal healthy weight), this is not for you – save it for later.

2. Note that I wrote ‘delicacy’. Indulging in processed junk food is never an option – consider it poison.

Come on already, when can I go for it?

Oh you didn’t think it was going to be that simple did you? . . .

Reasons to eat your carbs at dinner –

If you want to maintain a stable energy throughout the day, and with that, avoid mood swings and cravings, then eating a high carb meal earlier in the day will have the opposite effect.

By avoiding sugar in the first part of the day you’ll lengthen the amount of time that your body is in a ketogenic state. When in ketosis, the body utilises stored body fat for fuel – this is a very stable and lasting form of energy. In addition to being good for maintaining a healthy body weight, people usually find they have better concentration and fewer mood swings while in this state.

So to avoid the afternoon slump or the ups and downs of energy that trigger you to snack frequently, avoid the carbs in the morning.

If you’re going to go all out on dessert after dinner though, be aware that the increased metabolic rate attempting to process the sugar you just ate can have an impact on your quality of sleep. Eating carbs later in the day has also been shown to increase the likelihood of weight gain.

You can mitigate these factors to some extent, and keep your blood sugar under control by going for a post meal walk for at least 30 minutes.

Reasons to eat your carbs at breakfast –

Remember, we don’t need to ingest sugar in order to function with enough energy. Our bodies will make all the glucose it needs from fats (in food or in our fat stores), and from proteins.

If you’re an active person, eating your carbs earlier in the day is likely going to be the better option. Working out fasted certainly has it’s benefits, but theres little doubt that going to exercise after having eaten will increase your performance, which can contribute to quicker advancement towards your goals. Similarly, the exercise itself will help control your blood sugar levels and aid in keeping blood insulin levels low.

And if you don’t want to eat before your workout, eat your carbs (if you’re going to) right after instead. After an intense session, you are in the most insulin sensitive state, meaning any sugar that you ingest will quickly be absorbed by your muscle tissues. One study even found that the more intensely that you exercise, the longer the period of higher glucose tolerance is. This is good news, and allows for more flexibility with food choices.

Intermittent Fasting

The above two protocols are suggestions that can work, but are still intended to be implemented within some kind of ‘time restricted feeding’ lifestyle. I used the word breakfast earlier in it’s literal sense. It’s important to remember that most people don’t need to eat food for the first few hours after waking. 

With the intention of having more hours not digesting food than the number of hours we are digesting food within each 24 hour cycle, a good rule of thumb would be to eat breakfast around 11am, and then eat dinner around 5pm.

Regardless of which part of the day you consume any carbs, remember that for maximising sleep quality and allowing for proper rest and recovery, it’s best to stop consuming any food (or drinkable calories) a minimum of 4 hours before going to sleep.

Lastly, remember Grandma telling you that desserts were for weekends and special occasions? Well this simple rule can make all the difference, allowing you to enjoy the occasional treat without it becoming a daily health hazard. With all the quick dopamine hits of the modern world, this trick or basic discipline can be a helpful firebreak for preventing the progression of carbohydrate addiction.