> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.tryterra.co/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.tryterra.co/faq/help-topics/data-api-sdk/data-model-fields-and-units/nutrition-meal-timestamp-meaning.md).

# Is the meal timestamp consumed time or logged time?

The meal timestamp **reflects whatever the upstream provider returns**. No nutrition provider reliably separates time consumed from time logged; many return only daily-level nutrition or log/entry time.

When a provider (e.g. MyFitnessPal) returns no per-meal `consumed_at`, Terra anchors the entry to start-of-day with a small millisecond offset to keep ordering. So a `00:00:00.00X` timestamp means **no time was recorded, not a real midnight meal**.

The most dependable signal for meal timing is the `meal_type` field (e.g. `1`=breakfast, `3`=lunch, `5`=dinner, `6`=snack), which you can map to configurable time windows on your side.