I've heard from many articles that you should eat five, sometimes six small meals a day instead of three large ones. I have never enjoyed eating a lot at one sitting so i wanted to know why it is better for you to spread your food consumption out.
The answers I found were:
One - that eating a large meal causes blood sugar and your insulin levels to rise very high, then during the hours of fasting before the next meal, to drop extremely low. Eating small meals can lower the effects/symptoms of hypoglycemia, which I had previously been tested for because of my constant need for something in my stomach.
Two - It helps prevent overeating and binging. Have you ever noticed if you have a large variety of foods to choose from you stuff yourself a lot more than if you just had two or three? You won't be quite as hungry when you eat so you won't be tempted to stuff your face. Also, being vegetarian, I found it helpful because you don't have to eat large portions of the same food, which is boring. Once your body gets used to smaller meals, it will likely shrink, and you will need less food to feel full.
Three - fat storage. If you don't eat regularly throughout your day, you will naturally store up what you eat as fat. Your body needs to learn that more food will be coming shortly, slowly teaching it to burn food as calories rather than storing it as fat.
"Eating the same calories spread out over smaller meals four to six times during
the day is supposed to raise the body's thermic effect, resulting in 10%
more calories being burned, according to Leslie Bonci, R.D., director of
sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center."
Four - Energy. If you have a set eating pattern without hours of fasting, some studies indicate your general metabolic rate goes up. This gives you more energy and can decrease your cravings. When you try to go hungry, you will likely start to crave high calorie, fatty foods which also is detrimental to weight loss.
Five - Cholesterol - "Smaller, more frequent meals appear to lower LDL-C primarily by reducing cholesterol synthesis in the liver." I found this on foodandhealth.com. Your body will start to absorb and store less cholesterol if you are eating more frequently.
Six - Cardiovascular Disease - Many articles state that increasing the number of meals (but eating smaller portions) improves blood lipids, which decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease. The American Heart Association states that after eating a large meal, your risk of a heart attack goes up by 400% for up to two hours.
So feel better about snacking while feeling better! Just make sure you choose healthy, high-fiber snacks.
Try and apple and peanut butter or veggies with low-fat Ranch dressing. Try not to indulge in potato chips and chocolate bars as your mini-meals though.
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