It’s not when you eat that impacts you; it’s what you eat. Breaking bread late at night doesn’t cause any more weight gain than grubbing earlier in the day.

A friend came up to me last night. “Gabe,” she said. “Can I eat this late at night?” She held up a bag of dark crackers made of quinoa or seeds or something, followed by a Quest bar, then an avocado. “Betty (her name isn’t Betty), first of all, it’s not really late for you.”

It was around 10:00, and Betty goes to sleep at 2:00 am most days. She wakes up at 9:00 am on an average morning. She works and wakes later than most of the population.

According to research done by the National Sleep Foundation, the average bedtime for an American woman is 11:00 pm. If that woman consumes a meal at 7:00 pm, no rational human would consider that to be late night eating. It’s a pretty normal hour to eat dinner.

For Betty, eating at 10 is still 4 hours before bed; it’s her perception that is skewed toward the national clock rather than her own.

More importantly, there is a growing body of research suggesting the common paradigm that late night eating causes weight gain is more gossipy fodder than dependable data.

Our bodies’ compositions, energy levels and general fitness depend on our habits and consumption, not when we eat our last meal of the day. If my routine is to wake up every morning at 5:30 am and scarf down a bowl of Lucky Charms, grab a coffee at Dunkin Donuts with fake cream and sweet n low, head to work and starve myself until 2:00 pm, it doesn’t make a bit of difference if I eat my dinner at 7:00 pm or 9:00 pm. I’m not going to be a healthy individual. From Fit Day:

Studies consistently show that nighttime eating does not actually cause weight gain if you stay within your body’s daily caloric needs. The British Medical Journal recently put the myth to rest in an article in which they reviewed the results of various studies on the topic of night-time eating and weight gain. After looking at numerous clinical studies throughout the world, they concluded that there is no link between eating at night and weight gain.

A bowl of spinach and a tall glass of water doesn’t give a damn what time of day it is, but I will experience a spike in blood sugar if I ingest a Snickers bar, whether at sunrise or sundown. From a study on the eating habits of primates:

It was really interesting to see that the monkeys who ate most of their food at night were no more likely to gain weight than monkeys who rarely ate at night,” said Elinor Sullivan, an OHSU graduate student conducting research along with Cameron at the Oregon National Primate Research Center. “This suggests that calories cause weight gain no matter when you eat them.

This should make sense to you. A calorie can’t look at the clock, and your body doesn’t change how it digests food based on how high the moon is. A quick fix is enticing (eat whatever you want, as long as it is before 7!), but if you learn nothing else from this blog, learn to challenge conventional wisdom and be rational.

So, now that we’ve deduced that time of day is a fruitless tree from which to pick, we can focus on being rational. Eating whole, natural foods consistently throughout your day, avoiding processed imposters with refined sugars and engaging in consistent, challenging workouts will keep you healthy in body and mind.  If you can manage that, go ahead and eat that crisp apple at midnight. I promise it won’t kill you.