Who says??

•  “You shouldn’t eat after 7 pm”
•  “You shouldn’t mix proteins & carbs”
• “You should exercise first thing in the morning”
•  “You shouldn’t directly eat fruit directly after a meal”

Whether it’s a conversation with a peer, television, magazine, blog, whatever: we keep hearing what we should or shouldn’t do!  Yet much of the time, these various pieces of ‘advice’ are contradictory. 

Exhibit 1:

Is it better to eat 3 square meals like our ancestors did?  Or should we follow the new school of thought that eating every ‘2 hours’ or ‘6 mini meals’ will keep our metabolisms ticking constantly. 

 One person swears by the former whereas another advocates the latter.  And now for the million-dollar question: which way of eating produces results?

Pros of 6 mini meals:

• Hunger kept under control and hence reduces the urge to binge
• Better digestion
• Can prevent overeating at any one meal
• Maintained blood sugar levels and steady stream of energy
• Having a meal schedule may prevent mindless eating
• Increased opportunity to eat essential vitamins & nutrients

Cons of 6 mini meals:

• Requires planning
• More opportunities to overeat
• Convenience factor: certain lifestyles may not permit such habits
• Larger meals tend to be psychologically more satisfying
• Portion distortion: how small is ‘small’?
• May result in obsessive behavior

My take:

I don’t think there is an ideal way of eating. On both counts, I’ve been there, done that, and then got the t-shirt (in a smaller size obviously :lol:)!  I’m a firm believer in ‘fit your eating habits around your lifestyle, not vice versa’. Due to my work hours, I tend to eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bed-time snack/dessert.  On weekends, however, I prefer to get my snacking game on. As long as you meet your calorie requirements and your macronutrient intake is balanced, then eat however the heck you like.  Whether you break up your daily eats into 20 meals or 1 big meal, the choice is completely yours!

What style of eating suits you better?