It's never too early to eat lunch

There are many dumb, unofficial rules that we as a society abide by, but one of the most absurd is that people should wait until noon to eat lunch.

Ever since I was a child it's been ingrained in my mind that 12:00 p.m. is the most appropriate time to consume lunch. Eating lunch after12:00 p.m. is allowed, but you are not to eat lunch a minute earlier, for those elite hours are solely reserved for the consumption of breakfast foods.

Eating cereal, eggs, bagels, pancakes, and other popular morning foods before noon is perfectly fine. But for many people, the thought of eating sandwiches, salads, pizza, or anything that can't be found under the "breakfast" section of a menu is inconceivable.

If you've ever had a craving for lunch before noon and forced yourself to wait until the clock struck twelve to chow down, this article is for you. I'm here to formally announce that no matter what society's outdated guidelines advise,it is nevertoo early to eat lunch.

The minute between 11:59 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. can feel like an hour.Credit: Shutterstock / KorvitSEE ALSO:Coronavirus cooking is like a messed-up version of 'Chopped'

Before I tear your regimented lunchtime routines to shreds, I want you to know that I used to be just like you. For years I religiously followed the unwritten 12:00 p.m. lunchtime rule. But now that I've seen the light I feel it's my duty to guide others towards it.

When I was a kid my mom always made me lunch around 12:00 p.m., and cafeteria time from elementary school through high school was consistently scheduled at (or bit later than) noon. It wasn't until I went to college that I really started going rogue.

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On days when I had long classes — which lasted from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. — I'd eat breakfast early in the morning and eat lunch right before class. Some days that meant a pre-noon salad, other days it meant pre-noon chicken fingers and fries, and occasionally it even meant pre-noon sushi.

Those of you thinking "ew" right now can pick your jaws up off the floor, because not only did I survive my 10:00 a.m. college sushi days, I thrived. My stomach was never growling during class, and I firmly believe those early lunches gave me the energy to concentrate for those three painful hours. Now, whenever I'm hungry for lunch I eat it, no matter what time is displayed on the clock.

On Twitter I sometimes see people admit they're hungry for lunch before noon and ask if it's OK to take the plunge and eat it early. And the desire to eat an afternoon meal in the morning has grown even stronger since more people have started working from home as a result of coronavirus social distancing. It's time to set the record straight once and for all. Say it with me, people:It's never too early to eat lunch!

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Prior to this month I used to wake up at 5:00 a.m. to commute to the office, so every morning around 9:30 to 10:00 a.m. I'd get hungry for lunch. And you know what? Sometimes I'd eat it! People wake up early. Lives are messy. And the old lunch rules should no longer apply.

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If you can eat breakfast foods for dinner then why can't we eat non-breakfast foods before noon? If we aren't meant to eat pizza before 12:00 p.m. then why is cold pizza one of the most delicious breakfast foods of all time? If brunch can last from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on weekends why can't I eat a sandwich on a Monday at 11:00 a.m. without judgement?

I've laid out a pretty iron clad argument for you here, but if you feel the need to further validate your bold morning lunch, I find that paraphrasing Julie Andrews in The Princess Diaries helps. Before you dig into a hearty pre-noon lunch tell yourself, "a queen never eats lunch early, everyone else simply eats lunch late."

The stringent 12:00 p.m. lunchtime benchmark does provide a nice sense of structure in our daily lives, but it also stands in the way of our happiness, so it's time to leave it behind. The fact is, life's too short to stop yourself from eating lunch in the morning.

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