The 10-Hour Eating Plan

Eating only during a 10-hour window each day can help you lose weight, lower blood pressure and harmful cholesterol, and sleep better, as well as reduce your risk for diabetes and heart disease, according to a study by the University of California, San Diego, and the Salk Institute in La Jolla, Calif. Such an eating pattern restores your body’s natural circadian rhythms, and it’s easier to follow than completely revamping your diet.

“Eating and drinking everything (except water) within a consistent 10-hour window allows your body to rest and restore for 14 hours each night,” says study co-author Emily Manoogian, PhD. Most people in the study ate the first meal of the day a bit later and the last one a bit earlier, but did not skip meals. Although they were not asked to reduce calories, many did so spontaneously, simply because less of their day included eating.