When did humans start eating three times a day? A history of our meal patterns
                                
                                
                                •
                                
                                
                        
                                    
                                    3 min read                                
                            
                                For most of human history, eating three times a day was not the norm. Our modern pattern of breakfast, lunch, and dinner is a relatively recent development, rooted in the social and economic changes that accompanied the Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries.