Not only the quality of the food and the correct portion sizes matter, but also the right “timing” of consumption. This is the third substantial parameter that gives new value to the diet: from a simple nutritional plan to chrononutrition. An approach to nutritionally healthy eating, based on a precise science, evidence-based, on par with personalized medicine, capable of increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of the diet and thus boosting health.
This is what the Italian Society of Endocrinology (Sie) and the Italian Association of Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition (Adi) are proposing, in conjunction with World Obesity Day, to challenge the most traditional food pyramids.
Innovative and Timed
The diet becomes chrononutritional timing, no longer dictated by the canonical meal times that will continue to play a role, but given less weight and value, instead guided by the circadian rhythms of hormones, insulin, cortisol, leptin, ghrelin, and melatonin, for example, and by metabolism.
Eating the same foods at different times of the day can therefore produce, according to this new biocronoritmic theory, different metabolic effects on several factors: the metabolic response to nutrients, appetite, energy expenditure, and sleep quality, as well as hormonal secretion and metabolic homeostasis. This last factor has a particularly important influence, a highly relevant point, on the risk of overweight and obesity and on the endocrine dysfunctions associated with weight gain, such as type 2 diabetes and alterations in endocrine gland function.
Therefore, respecting the laws of the body’s internal biological clock, rather than only following hunger and fullness cues, could constitute an effective nutritional strategy to counteract weight problems, obesity and overweight, and metabolically induced diseases.
Recent scientific evidence shows that metabolism is a dynamic “mechanism” that follows a specific cyclical organization over a 24-hour period, with central and peripheral “pacemakers” acting as conductors. On this basis, the new chrononutritional pyramid takes shape.
New Graphical Elements
While preserving its typical pyramid shape, the chronodiet is enriched with two symbols, the sun and the moon, emblematic indicators of wakefulness and sleep, placed beside the various types of foods to define the most suitable time of consumption: daytime or evening.
Specifically, experts explain, the sun points to foods to be eaten in the early part of the day, or at least during the daylight hours, from roughly 7:00 to 15:00, to take advantage of maximal insulin sensitivity for complex carbohydrates. This category includes cereals, pasta and bread preferably whole-grain, legumes, fruit, vegetables and greens tailored for this time.
Conversely, the Moon marks foods to be preferred in the evening/late afternoon – from about 15:00 to 20:00 – when the risk of glycemic spikes and fat accumulation rises. Proteins, vegetables and “sleep-friendly” foods such as nuts, seeds and dairy rich in tryptophan and melatonin—supporting rest and nocturnal muscle regeneration—are ideal in this time window. For instance, the dedicated study notes that consuming 40 g of protein before sleep can boost muscle protein synthesis by about 33%, helping counteract muscle mass loss, and that shifting 5% of energy from fats to carbohydrates at breakfast can markedly reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome.
Extra-virgin olive oil, the quintessential condiment, remains a special food without fixed timing, capable of exerting its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties at any time: high EVOO intake reduces cardiovascular disease risk by about 39% and can halve mortality, while each additional 10 g per day of EVOO further lowers cardiovascular risk by roughly 10%.
A Chronotype for Everyone
Chrononutrition, because it adapts to natural biorhythms, is uniquely poised to be personalized for an individual’s chronotype.
For instance, the new Mediterranean diet pyramid helps “owls”—evening-type individuals who are more active later in the day—tend to skip breakfast and shift most of their daily intake toward the evening when insulin sensitivity is lower and glycemic regulation is less efficient, potentially impacting metabolic health. The idea is to progressively align with their rhythms, meaning concentrating caloric intake during daylight hours to avoid metabolic “social jetlag,” i.e., misalignment with internal biological clocks caused by irregular social schedules.
Meanwhile, “larks,” or morning-type people, naturally predisposed to better adherence to the Mediterranean diet, benefit from a hearty breakfast, a substantial lunch, and a lighter dinner, primarily protein-based.
An Integrated Diet
Not only a healthy Mediterranean diet, but chrononutrition promotes a lifestyle model that blends proper nutrition with physical activity, preferably sunlight-exposed to strengthen circadian rhythms, quality sleep, social connectedness, and respect for seasonal biodiversity. All these factors contribute, in synergy, to maintaining endocrine-metabolic health, in line with the Mediterranean Diet’s status as UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
In conclusion, integrating chronobiological principles into the Mediterranean diet offers a new paradigm that joins diet quality with circadian alignment. A chronotype-oriented MD pyramid can improve adherence, optimize metabolic flexibility, and strengthen the MD as a holistic model that encompasses nutrition, lifestyle, sustainability, and scientific innovation. A tool—the “chrononutrition”—that is useful not only for prevention but also for clinical practice, within a perspective of increasingly personalized and physiologically grounded nutrition.
Sources
Barrea L, Verde L, Camajani E et al. A Novel Chronotype-Based Mediterranean Diet Pyramid: An Updated Representation by the Italian Society of Endocrinology (SIE) and the Italian Society of Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition (ADI). Current Nutrition Reports, 2026, Open Access, Vol. 15, Art. 10. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13668-026-00731-x
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