How many times a day should you eat

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

A life hacker will help you choose the ideal mode.

Three meals a day for those who are satisfied with everything

Diet

Breakfast at 7-8 am, lunch at 13-14 hours and dinner at 19-20 hours. Such a diet has been familiar to us since childhood, but it is not a biological necessity, as one might think, looking at its wide distribution.

People didn't always eat three meals a day. This regime was formed under the influence of culture, or rather, an eight-hour working day. Let's see if three meals a day have any advantages besides convenience.

Benefits of three meals a day

Many nutritionists claim that more frequent meals can help control weight better than the usual three meals a day, but some studies disprove this.

The study showed Increased meal frequency does not promote greater weight loss in subjects who were prescribed an 8-week equi-energetic energy-restricted diet. that three meals a day are no worse than six meals a day when it comes to losing weight. For eight weeks, two groups of participants were on a reduced calorie diet, but one group ate three times a day and the other six. As a result, participants from both groups lost weight, scientists did not notice significant differences.

Another study compared the effects of two and six meals a day on the health and shape of obese women. Turned out Increased meal frequency attenuates fat-free mass losses and some markers of health status with a portion-controlled weight loss diet. that women who ate twice a day had elevated levels of high density lipoprotein, or good cholesterol.

Another study, Meal frequency differentially alters postprandial triacylglycerol and insulin concentrations in obese women. compared three and six meals a day. It turned out that the level of triglycerides in the blood was much lower with three meals than with six. This means that three meals a day, in comparison with fractional ones, are more beneficial for the cardiovascular system.

It turns out that the standard three meals a day not only does not lose to the fractional one, but also has its own health benefits.

Who is suitable for three meals a day

Three meals a day will suit you if:

• you work from 8 to 5 and you do not have the opportunity to eat between meals;
• you don't want to spend extra time preparing food;
• you are accustomed to this type of diet, do not suffer from excess weight and digestive problems;
• you don't feel hungry in the middle of the day.

If you are struggling with excess weight, suffer from hunger, and then overeat, you should try other nutrition systems.

Fractional food to control hunger

Diet

The essence of fractional meals is to divide your daily calorie intake into many small meals. How much depends on your capabilities and desires. As a rule, these are six meals: three main and three snacks.

If your calorie intake is 1,500 kcal, instead of three meals of 500 kcal, you eat no more than 250 kcal at a time. This is, for example, one sandwich or a glass of kefir and an apple.

Benefits of fractional meals

The advantage of this method is that during the day you do not feel hungry, due to which you consume less food, even if you do not count calories and do not limit yourself in food.

Reduced hunger is supported by the results of one experiment, Greater appetite control associated with an increased frequency of eating in lean males. conducted on young men of normal body weight. Scientists found that by dividing a serving of food into five portions and giving each portion an hour later, subjects were better able to control their appetite than when they had one portion at a time.

In addition, frequent meals can lower blood glucose and bad cholesterol levels. This is supported by research., which compared the benefits of 17 snacks per day over the usual three meals a day. People who eat frequently have been found to have a decrease in fasting total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein and apolipoprotein B - carriers of bad cholesterol. In addition, their blood glucose levels and the output of C-peptide in daily urine decreased.

The decrease in insulin levels in the blood after six meals was also confirmed by Meal frequency differentially alters postprandial triacylglycerol and insulin concentrations in obese women. in the study.

It is impossible to say for sure whether fractional meals can help you lose weight, as some studies do not find benefits of frequent meals for weight loss. But since there is still evidence of the benefits of such a diet, why not try it?

Who should try fractional meals

Consider fractional meals if:

• you are overweight and are looking for ways to get rid of it;
• you have the opportunity to have a snack during the day;
• you are often hungry during the day and overeat in the evening;
• you want to lower your bad cholesterol and insulin levels.

We figured out three meals a day and fractional meals. There is another dietary regimen that is recommended for health benefits - short-term fasting.

Short-term fasting for heart and brain health

Diet

Short-term fasting is a diet scheme in which you consume only water for 16-18 hours, and the rest of the time you eat as much as you want, but without overeating and junk food. There is also another scheme - regular meals five days a week and fasting for 24 hours twice a week.

Short-term fasting can be called a fashion trend, but such eating patterns have been encountered in history. For example, historian Caroline Yeldham says Breakfast, lunch and dinner: Have we always eaten them? that the ancient Romans ate once a day around noon. They cared very much about their digestion, and eating more than once a day was considered gluttony.

Benefits of short-term fasting

There are quite a few studies proving the benefits of fasting, but most of them have been done with animals. For example, an experiment. in mice proved the benefits of short-term fasting for the cardiovascular system. In addition, there was a decrease in insulin, leptin and cholesterol levels, as well as an increase in testosterone levels.

As it claims. Mark Mattson, senior researcher at the National Institute of Aging, fasting lowers blood markers of inflammation and reduces oxidative stress, supports learning and memory.

Experiment participants. Overweight adults with asthma consumed as little as 20% of their calories on some days. In eight weeks, they lost 8% of their weight, their blood levels of oxidative stress and inflammation markers decreased, asthma symptoms decreased, and some quality of life indicators improved.

Mattson also researched the benefits of fasting for the brain. If you do not eat for 10-16 hours, your body will draw energy from stored fat, and fatty acids will enter the bloodstream. This will have a positive effect on cognitive functions such as memory and learning ability, as well as slow down the destructive processes in the brain.

However, according to Dr. Stephen Freedland, professor of urology at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, calorie restriction is important, if not critical.

Dr. Friedland and colleagues investigated. the effect of short-term fasting on the development of prostate cancer in mice. The mice were fasting twice a week for 24 hours and overeating the rest of the time. As a result, they did not lose weight and did not get any benefits from fasting - the growth of the cancer did not slow down.

Friedland believes that overall calorie reduction is more important to health than fasting periods. That is, you can only get the benefits of fasting if you eat healthy food the rest of the time and do not overeat.

Who should try short-term fasting

You should try short-term fasting if:

• you cannot lose weight and want to try something new;
• you do not feel hungry in the morning (for example, if you have chosen a daily fast for 16 hours and ate at 8 pm, next time you will be able to eat only at 12 noon);
• you don't want to spend a lot of time preparing food.