When is the Right Time to Eat Raw?
I was recently sent an email from reader Bethany regarding when is the best time to eat delicious, fruity raw meals.
Bethany said:
Are there “certain time frames” that you should eat raw food, to preserve optimal digestion? I hear from some that you shouldn’t eat after 6 or 7 PM, some that say don’t eat breakfast, or do eat breakfast, or dont eat after 3, or dont snack, or do snack…all this conflicting info, and it leaves me befuddled.
Thanks for the email, Bethany! I’ll do my best to “un”-befuddle you. 
Dinner
The general rule when it comes to night eating is that you should finish your last meal at least 3 hours before bed time. This ensures that you have fully digested all of your food before you go to bed, which is important because digestion can compromise your sleep.
So if you’re a total homebody and social dunce like me who actually enjoys going to bed at 9pm, then you would finish your last meal no later than 6pm.
Personally, I find my own time frame to be much more lenient than this. While I do try to have dinner between 5-6pm, there are plenty of times when I don’t finish eating until 8pm.
I still sleep just fine.
Now, waking up and snacking during the middle of the night is a whole different issue. Not only does this waste your precious sleepy time, but it can definitely effect the quality of your sleep for the rest of the night.
Breakfast
The argument behind skipping breakfast is that most people are not hungry early in the day and that it is better not to force yourself to eat, but to wait for true hunger.
There is really no hard and fast rule on this one, but the raw foodists who do decide to follow this rule typically stick to very few meals (for obvious reasons).
For instance, when I skip breakfast, I generally do not eat until between 12-2pm and so it would be very difficult for me to eat 3 full meals on those days. It is much easier to make my first meal a large one – which is perfect since I have not eaten all day – and then have a “normal-sized” dinner meal a few hours later.
If you find that you are not hungry until later in the day, feel free to forgo breakfast until you are truly hungry. If you find that you are absolutely ravenous first thing in the morning, by all means, EAT! 
The Big Picture
All this aside, I really would not worry about any of this in the beginning.
If you are new to raw foods or having any sort of trouble maintaining a raw food diet, it is much more important for you to get used to eating a large quantity of fruit and to ensure enough calories are obtained first and foremost.
In other words…
- If you find that you are hungry an hour before bedtime, then go eat some fruit!
- If you find that you wake up hungry in the middle of the night, get up and eat some fruit!
- If you find that you must eat breakfast to get enough calories during the day, then eat breakfast!
- If you find that you need a fruity afternoon snack to keep you on track, well then, snack it up!
Once you feel comfortable with the basics of a low fat raw vegan diet, then feel free to move on to the minor “when to eat” stuff…
In the mean time, I’ll do my best to keep the raw food police off your back. 
Go raw and be fit,
Swayze
P.S. There’s no reason to wait until after the Holidays to hop back on the raw food wagon. You CAN fully enjoy the snowy season and completely avoid the cooked food temptations.
Just imagine it…a Holiday spent without the weight gain, headaches, joint pain, and guilt that cooked food brings!
Finish off this year right with my ultimate guide and kick your cravings to the curb!
