I had the same issue a while back—my ortho was pretty adamant about elastics 24/7, meals included. Honestly, eating with them was a nightmare... food getting stuck everywhere, bands snapping mid-bite, you name it. I brought it up at my next appointment and asked straight-up if skipping elastics during meals would really mess things up. Turns out, in my case at least, it wasn't a huge deal to take them out briefly while eating as long as I popped fresh ones in right after.
Did your ortho explain why they specifically want you wearing them during meals? Sometimes it's about keeping constant pressure for certain movements or bite corrections. But if they didn't give you a clear reason, definitely ask. It might just be their standard advice rather than something tailored specifically to your treatment.
