Lunch at Noon

So, many of you are already aware that it is more healthy to eat 6 smaller meals throughout the day than 3 huge ones.  Given 3 meals a day, what's up with noon lunch?  Where'd that come from?  It would be the middle of the day if people actually performed daily activities according to time.  But, we don't!  For those of us who can actually sleep a full 8 hours (and possibly even limit ourselves to 8 hours) every night, we can assume a 16-hour day.  So, mid-day lunches must have come from people who got up at 4am and went to sleep around 8pm.  Wha?!  Not all of us live on a farm!!!  So, that's where it came from though, I think.  People living according to nature's balance get up and go to sleep earlier than us unhealthy, high-paced society freaks.

I laugh at the concept that, because of the advent of agriculture, we are now freed from total reliance on nature.  In some cases this is true.  There are many other inventions of the human race that liberate us from relying on nature for results.  I'll leave deciding if this is good or bad to you.

Back to the topic.  Being free from some of our reliance on nature enables us to re-define a "day" in our lives.  The calendar will never lie about what time it us, but does it matter anymore?  Who knows what the healthy implications are for a completely nocturnal society that harnesses the energy of the day to live in the night...  But, why do I have to eat lunch at noon?

My employer suggests 11am - 1:00pm as a "good" time for lunch.  Now, I understand the need for a lunch break that compliments everyone's schedules just perfectly.  But, a lot of us eat on the job now anyways.  I work from home, so I enjoy the luxury of additional scheduling freedoms.  But, I still have to attempt to stick to that range of time for the benefit of others, or be available when I don't.

So, what am I suggesting?  I get up anywhere between 6 and 8 every morning, depending on the night before.  I go to sleep anywhere between 10 and 1 every night just because.  Yes, it might be more healthy to further etch a routine for myself, but that's how it is.  So, the middle of my day is between 2pm and 4:30pm.  Now, my guess is that many of you also fall into this category.  Some earlier... some later... But, most probably fit this description in city life.  So, why not a late afternoon lunch?

So, I'm not suggesting a 2:30pm lunch!!!  Not at all, that's still based on the stupidity of a 3 meals per day!  If we're gonna change it, let's make an informed decision.  6 meals per day is much healthier.  As far as employers are concerned, eating throughout the day will contribute to increased energy levels and this of course directly translates to productivity.  More efficient, more aware, more positive, etc.

I am suggesting 20-minute breaks at 10:30am, 1:30pm, and 4:30pm for us day-job people.  How 'bout that?  That adds up to 1 hour!  For jobs that don't fit the 9-5 schedule (what does now-a-days?), we can attempt to stick to the schedule guidelines below:

7:00 AM - Good morning*
7:30 AM - Meal #1
10:30 AM - Meal #2
1:30 PM - Meal #3
4:30 PM - Meal #4
7:30 PM - Meal #5
10:30 PM - Meal #6
11:00 PM - Good night*

*Wake-up and sleepy times subject to personal choice.
This schedule is a suggested guideline and should not be enforced as the only solution.