Was Grandma Right? Why Three Meals a Day May Still Be Best
Earlier today, a colleague and I were discussing grandmothers and some of the things we love and/or miss most about them. For me, I miss my grandma Gladine's "simple wisdom" about life in a world that has become more complicated than is good for us.
One of the many things she was wise about? Eating. Hey, that's something we can all relate to, right?
I tell ya, trying to navigate the wild world of diet options these days is enough to make us give up and just eat all of the brownies. But what if there's a simpler, saner way to approach one of the most basic aspects of daily living? And that is where the subject of this post begins:
Disclaimer: I'm not a nutritionist. And if you have a program that works for you and keeps you feeling good, rock on.
Our grandparents mostly adhered to a traditional three meals a day.
There's been a trend in the last ten years or so to "graze." By that, I mean eating six to eight smaller meals every day as opposed to the traditional model of three meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The idea is that it helps you lose weight and some even claim it helps your daily energy levels. Personally, I've not found this to be the case.
In addition to just simply trying to manage making time for all those meals, I find I don't feel as good. And there are longevity studies that back this up, too. In fact, many recommend intermittent fasting. That's another subject.
For me, when I eat, I feel better when I eat enough to sustain me for awhile so I can continue in my daily tasks--both for my body and my brain power. When I eat, it makes me feel as if I'm stopping and putting on the brakes of digestion and processing those nutrients. Doing this a few times versus seven times works better for me.
Plus, I enjoy making meal times a pleasant experience.
Again, easier to do three times versus six or seven times. Otherwise I feel like I'm just snacking all day and never feel fully full. Maybe it's a mental thing, I dunno. But my energy levels and weight loss efforts seem to reflect this, too.
If you have a medical need that makes it necessary to eat smaller meals more often, that's obviously a different scenario completely.
Always listen to the advice of your doctor. And of course, this isn't some kind of dogma. If you eat three meals, but still feel you need a light snack or you won't be able to go to sleep, I personally believe that's okay, too. Your body has its own knowledge. We'd be wise to try to tune in and listen.
And frankly, I think grandma would agree.
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