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Have you ever heard that it's more beneficial to eat 5-6 smaller meals a day than it is to eat 3 "regular" sized meals? What about the flip side of that; is it better to eat 2-3 meals a day and not 5-6 meals? Well, today we're going to break down the why behind all of this confusion and I'm going to give you my recommendation on what I've seen to get the best results! So, to kick it off I am just going to come out and say it; for most of my clients and people I come across, I've seen the best results from eating 5-6 smaller meals each day rather than 2-3 meals. Keep reading about the why behind this thought process👇🏽
This one is pretty self explanatory and is an easy concept to understand. If we constantly have fuel (food/calories) in our bodies then we shouldn't ever feel low on energy! We should be able to have a steady supply of energy to get us through our workday and cover everything from workouts, errands, chores, work, etc. The next time you find yourself having a mid-day crash, think about when the last time you ate was. If it has been a few hours then that could be a very good reason you feel tired. Now, if you had eaten and still felt that way then you may need to look at the type of calories you were eating or your overall sleep/recovery schedule.
Insulin is a hormone your body releases in response to food; especically carbs. This bad boy helps to metabolize the bodies macronutrients (Protein, carbohydrates, & fats.) Now our bodies need insulin and it is a good for our bodies to release this stuff after a nice meal. Where it can turn around and bite us in the ass is when we get too much insulin pumping through our bodies at once. When this happens it can lead to diabetes, fatigue, seizures, and even death☠️! By eating every couple hours this never allows the body to have to steep of a drop in insulin or to too high of a spike (as long as you're eating complex carbs and "clean" foods). Both, too low or too high of insulin levels can also affect our cortisol levels (which we're going to talk about next) So, to break that all down, when we have steady food coming in our insulin levels will do just that; stay steady.
We just talked about the hormone insulin and now we're going to talk about another horomone in the body, cortisol. Cortisol is often called the "stress hormone" and because of that, sometimes it gets a bad wrap, but in reality this is another necessary hormone our body needs to survive. Cortisol is the hormone that's responsible for initiating our "fight or flight" response in dangerous situations, increases sugar into the blood for quick energy, and helps with our cogntitive function. Like everything though, too much of it can be bad. So much so, they have done numerous studies and have found that increased cortisol levels can lead to increased fat storage, especially around the waist. So how does "more meals" tie into our cortisol levels? Well, when we go too long without energy. that stresses the body out, thus releasing unnecesary cortisol into the body. By having steady energy throughout the day from multiple small meals, it helps to keep those cortisol levels at bay, which then can help prevent that storage of unwated fat.... especially around the mid-section.
Obviously, there are a few more things that can play into whether multiple meals or fewer meals is better for you. You need to think about your job, school schedule, resposnisbilities, etc. because we know that sometimes it isn't easy to eat every 2-3 hours. My advice is to mess around with some differnt ranges of meals and pay attention to not only what the scale or progress photos show, but also pay attnetion to how you feel. How's your energy? Sleep? Recovery from workouts? Brain power? Once you know how you respond to the meals you can then build out the perfect eating scheudle for you and your goals.
Still a little confused on all of this or just want some extra help? Schedule a Goal Mapping Session where we will sit down and break down your goals, eating habits, and current weight & body fat to help you come up with a road map to help you accomplish your goalsl!
Disclaimer: The health information provided in this blog is provided for general informational and educational purposes only, and is not a substitute for professional health advice. Accordingly, before taking any actions based on such information, we encourage you to consult with your doctor or other medical/healthcare professional. The use or reliance of any information contained on this site (www.awayathletics.com) is solely at your own risk.