Eating Multiple Meals for Good Health:
Did you know that eating more meals a day is actually good for you? It's true. Most people eat the standard three meals a day: morning, noon, and evening. That's convenient I know, but how often have you been hungry in between those times? Let me give you a quick explanation of why you should eat more meals per day. Basically, by giving your body a constant supply of food in smaller amounts, it increases your metabolism, and we all know what that means. That's right, weight loss. Just think, just by changing the times and frequency of your meals you can aid in weight loss. That doesn't mean you can eat junk food as your meals, you have to eat reasonably of course.
The first meal of the day, as I am sure most of you heard from your mothers, is the most important meal of the day. You have been depriving your body of food for 7-10 hours while you sleep and it is starving for nutrients. Have you ever noticed if you skip breakfast you actually feel less hungry at lunch time then you do if you ate breakfast? That is because your body has gone in to nutrient saving mode, it slows down your metabolism because it doesn't know when you will feed it next! So if you think about it, eating more often is the intelligent thing to do!
How much, and how often should you eat? If you are just changing your eating schedule for general health, I suggest eating six meals a day. If you are working out at the gym, or are really physically active, try a seventh meal right after your workout! Below I will outline a general example of a six meal day.
07:00 - (Biggest Meal of the Day): Whole Grain Toast, try use Jam rather than butter. 1-3 Pieces of Bacon (A little bit of fat per day is ok!), 1-2 Eggs, Milk (skim), Fruit or Fruit juice.
09:30 - Apple, Banana, Yogurt, Health Bar, Glass of Milk (skim)
11:45 - Baked/Boiled Potato, Steamed Vegetables, Milk (skim)
14:00 - Tuna, Fruit, Low fat Dairy Product
17:30 - Chicken Breast, Rice, Potato, Vegetables, Salad
20:00 - Light snack, try to avoid carbohydrates 3-4 hours before bed!
It may seem hard to integrate these meals into a 9-5 workday, but give it your best and reap the benefits!
Remember, don't cut snack foods, chocolates, chips out of your diet completely, take one day a week to have that extra snack to pay yourself for doing so good! just don't over indulge!
