Three meals or 6 meals a day —which one is better?
It’s an age old debate in gym and “clean eating” crowds alike.
Snacks happen. That’s life. But, if you’re packing two or more sets of snacks daily to eat between meals, you need to eat more at meal time. Period.
Get this: Going 4 to 6 hours (comfortably) between meals is NORMAL. It gives our bodies time to digest what we’ve eaten and then lets our gut rest for a while. You’re not a cow, and you don’t need to graze all day.
Contrary to popular belief, eating six times per day doesn’t “rev” your metabolism or any of the other claims you hear.
What it does do?
Puts a constant demand and stress on your digestive system and blood sugar balance. Your blood sugar ends up riding the roller coaster of ups and downs throughout the day, leading to things like:
- Headaches between meals
- Shakiness
- Hanger
- Thinking about food (like all the time)
- And energy dips
If you find yourself hungry 2-3 hours after your meals, try eating a little more at meal time (Especially healthy fats. Are you getting enough?)
Note: Snacking is not a “bad” thing. In fact, it can be beneficial if you are on the go during the day—with not much time to sit for meals; or if you have goals towards healthy weight gain or body composition (especially in recovery).
For weight maintenance, digestion and healthy blood sugar levels, three larger balanced meals takes the cake from the popular diet myth that “six small meals per day is THE way to go.”
Transitioning to “three larger meals” if you’re used to snacking all the time may feel daunting.
Start slowly.
Begin by tapering back on your dependence on snacks by slightly increasing your meals, and keeping one to two snacks in your rotation as you begin to find balance.
Ultimately, you will find what works best for you, the more you listen to your body.
Some people find their engine “runs” better when they have more frequent smaller meals.
From a blood sugar balance perspective, the ideal to aim for is three meals per day.
Why?
The process of digestion takes anywhere from 6-8 hours—just to work through your small intestine (the place where the majority of our digestion happens).
When we are constantly starting and stopping, starting and stopping, our digestion we send our blood sugar levels on ups and downs as well with energy highs, followed by energy lows—training it to ride a roller coaster throughout the day.
By allowing a little more time between (balanced) meals, we allow our blood sugar levels (and consequently, any symptoms of poor blood sugar balance—like headaches, brain fog, hangry-ness, mood swings and fatigue) to stabilize.
The clincher?
You need to make sure you are eating enough.
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