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By Lucy Notarantonio
Senior Reporter
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Sunny days often go hand in hand with lighter meals, such as salads and fresh fruit, while darker evenings can make warm, comforting and carb-heavy foods seem much more appealing.
But the change in appetite as the days get shorter isn't necessarily just about getting into the cozy winter spirit.
Newsweek spoke to Sam Siegel, a registered dietitian, about why people may feel hungrier and more tired as darkness falls earlier, and what to eat before the sun goes down.
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A May 2024 Consumer Digest study conducted by retail insights company 84.51° found that evenings and late afternoons are the most popular times of day to snack, cited by 84 percent of respondents, followed by the afternoon at 80 percent and early morning at 60 percent.
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Why Do We Feel More Tired and Hungry When It Gets Dark Earlier?
The tendency to crave more carbohydrates, feel tired and sleep longer during winter isn't necessarily down to wanting to hibernate as the temperature drops.
Siegel, the owner of virtual nutrition practice Eatquilibrium in Charlotte, North Carolina, explained: “Light is the main signal that sets the body clock. With fewer daylight hours, the clock, melatonin release, and the sleep-wake cycle shift, and people tend to sleep longer in winter.”
Melatonin is a hormone naturally produced by the brain that helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle, signaling to the body when it is time to rest. Changes in melatonin are linked to fatigue and cravings, particularly among people with seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
“People with SAD tend to eat larger dinners and more evening snacks, and crave starchy foods,” she said.
What Should You Eat Before It Gets Dark?
Siegel advises getting more of your daily food intake during daylight hours rather than saving the bulk of it for the evening.
She said: “Eating earlier in the day is linked to better metabolic health, while late-night eating and long eating windows are linked to higher risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.”
She recommends basing meals around whole grains, vegetables, legumes, fish, fruit and nuts, following a Mediterranean-style dietary pattern that is linked to better sleep and less daytime sleepiness.
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Should You Eat Dinner Earlier in Winter?
There is no need to move dinner forward simply because the sun is setting earlier, according to Siegel.
“Regardless of the time of year, my recommendation would be to finish dinner about two to three hours before bed, and keep mealtimes regular, since regular meals help keep the body clock steady,” she said.
In other words, the time you go to bed may be more useful for determining when to have dinner than the time the sun sets.
Foods That Could Be Making Your Afternoon Slump Worse
Some foods and eating habits may contribute to that familiar afternoon crash.
Refined carbohydrates and sugary snacks, such as white bread, pastries, candy and sweetened granola bars, can cause spikes in blood sugar and insulin followed by a drop in blood sugar and increased hunger.
Heavy lunches and frequent grazing are also linked to poorer sleep, which can contribute to daytime tiredness. Late caffeine consumption and heavy or spicy evening meals may disrupt sleep too, potentially making the following afternoon's slump harder to manage.
What To Eat If You’re Already Craving Comfort Food
Rather than trying to ignore winter comfort-food cravings altogether, Siegel suggests making more nutritious versions of the foods you're already drawn to.
Options include lentil or bean soups and stews, chili, oatmeal, roasted root vegetables, or whole-grain pasta with vegetables.
Swapping refined carbohydrates for whole-grain, high-fiber alternatives can also reduce the rise in blood sugar. For example, choosing whole-grain toast with peanut butter instead of white bread with jam can roughly halve the blood sugar rise.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Charlotte Nisbet, Paul Donnelley and Emma Lee-Sang
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