Nutrient timing is the practice of consuming essential nutrients around the time your body needs them most or will utilize them most efficiently. It is one of the core pillars of proper performance nutrition, following suit behind calorie control and macronutrient balance.
Calories determine how much you should be eating overall to lose, gain, or maintain a certain weight or performance level. Macronutrient balance breaks this down into how much of each nutrient your body needs - carbs, protein, and fat. And finally, nutrient timing tells you when to consume each nutrient for optimal performance and nutrient utilization.
Even small changes in nutrient timing can provide benefits to an athlete’s performance by directly influencing energy levels, strength, and recovery. Even if you aren't an athlete, timing your nutrition intake can result in increased metabolic efficiency, better blood sugar control, and improved body composition.
Of course, nutrient timing is most effective when the first two pillars of nutrition, calorie control, and macro balance, are mastered first. In other words, how many calories you consume and the amount of protein you eat each day is going to have a bigger impact on your fitness goals than when you consume protein.
Learn how many grams of protein you need each day using this free protein calculator.