How Often Should You Eat Each Day?

How Often Should You EatWhen we think about how much we eat as it relates to weight management and health, related questions pop up: what should you eat (or not), and how often should you eat?

Early research concluded that eating more often would benefit metabolism, plus control blood sugar, hormones and appetite. More recently, the evidence for that is not so strong.

It’s not that splitting up your daily food intake into several smaller meals and snacks is necessarily bad for you, it’s just that it appears it doesn’t have quite the impact nutritionists and dieticians once thought it did.

A number of reviews of literature and longer term research conducted by professional journals and other experts suggest that both quality and quantity of food intake have a much greater impact on our bodies than how frequently we eat.

That’s right, it appears there is at best very little physiological difference between eating many small meals a day/eating every few hours and eating three bigger meals a day/waiting several hours in between meals.

To answer the question, “How often should you eat?” we’re advised to listen to our own bodies for cues and track how well our own weight loss or muscle gain programs are going, then adjust from there.

How Often Should You Eat: The Best Stuff in the Right Amounts

Personal preference as well as your individual results should be your guide. Whether you choose eight tiny meals per day or two bigger meals plus a snack is not as important as what you’re eating to fuel your body, and if you stick to your optimal eating approach over the long term.

In other words, you need to have proper nutrition for your goals, activities and lifestyle, and to feel satisfied.

The bottom line: Weight loss is determined far more by the nutrients and calories you consume relative to your size and how active you are. So, how often should you eat!? Eat with the frequency that works best for you. A diabetic triathlete in training has different needs than a petite working mom of four. And some folks have a lot more weight to lose than others.

Your best bet is to eat the average caloric intake you need, but be sure to eat healthy and get the right ratios of protein, fat and carbs within that intake. And of course, avoid junk food and processed food as much as possible. If you want to build more mass, add protein. If your results aren’t where you want them, experiment a bit.

Here is one daily menu plan revised to work with 3 meals in a day, 3 meals and two snacks in a day, and 6 small meals in a day.

2000 Calorie Menu Plan* – 3 Meals

Breakfast: Smoked Salmon or Fresh Wild Salmon with Poached Eggs & Sautéed Spinach; Large Melon Wedge or Mixed Berries

Lunch: Skirt Steak or Flank Steak Sandwich on Whole Grain Pita with Tomatoes, Onions, Lettuce, Avocado & Crushed Red Pepper; Green Yogurt Smoothie

Dinner: Baked Lemon Herb Chicken with Pine Nuts; Steamed Broccoli & Red Peppers with Lemon & Olive Oil; Baked Sweet Potato with Salsa & Cilantro

2,000 Calorie Meal Plan - 3 Small Meals
2000 Calorie Menu Plan* – 3 Meals with 2 Snacks

Breakfast: Smoked Salmon or Fresh Wild Salmon with Poached Eggs & Sautéed Spinach
Mid-Morning Snack: Large Melon Wedge or Mixed Berries
Lunch: Skirt Steak or Flank Steak Sandwich on Whole Grain Pita with Tomatoes, Onions, Lettuce, Avocado & Crushed Red Pepper & Crushed Red Pepper
Post Workout: Protein Shake
Dinner: Baked Lemon Herb Chicken with Pine Nuts; Steamed Broccoli & Red Peppers with Lemon & Olive Oil; Baked Sweet Potato with Salsa & Cilantro

2,000 Calorie Meal Plan - 3 Meals with 2 Snacks
2000 Calorie Menu Plan* – 6 Small Meals

Meal 1: Smoked Salmon or Fresh Wild Salmon with Sautéed Spinach
Meal 2: Poached Eggs with Large Melon Wedge or Mixed Berries
Meal 3: Skirt Steak or Flank Steak Sandwich on Whole Grain Pita with Tomatoes, Onions, Lettuce, Avocado & Crushed Red Pepper
Meal 4: Protein Shake or Green Yogurt Smoothie
Meal 5: Baked Sweet Potato with Salsa & Cilantro
Meal 6: Baked Lemon Herb Chicken with Pine Nuts; Steamed Broccoli & Red Peppers with Lemon & Olive Oil

2,000 Calorie Meal Plan - 6 Small Meals
*Calories are approximate, based on average serving sizes. Different training needs and fitness goals may benefit from different ratios of macronutrients.

Leave a Reply

XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>