The precise content of a meal is usually much more important to people than the frequency of its consumption, and with the demands of modern life, it has become even less of a concern. But it is also necessary to pay attention to how often you eat, not merely what you eat. Calorie and nutrient intake is obviously the most important factor. You should always strive to meet the daily nutritional requirements. However, meal plans might need to be thought out in advance to optimize nutrition.
Meal Structure
The traditional three-meal structure is obviously the way that most Americans learn to eat, but some recent diets have advocated consuming six, seven or even eight meals a day at frequent intervals. This is a valid diet method if it is more convenient for you. However, a common claim is that eating more frequently will boost your metabolic rate --- in other words, the calories that you expend throughout the day. Studies have not necessarily corroborated this claim.
Weight Loss
To test the effects of different meal frequencies, a group of researchers from the University of Ottawa, in a 2009 paper published in the "British Journal of Nutrition," studied subjects who were prescribed six meals a day over the course of eight weeks. The researchers kept calorie intake the same compared with those who only ate three meals a day. They found that increased meal frequency did not promote greater weight loss.
Meal Regularity
Another important factor to consider is the regularity of meals. A 2005 study published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" suggests that a chaotic, irregular meal structure has adverse metabolic consequences by causing reduced insulin sensitivity and higher energy intakes. This might be a particularly acute problem in today's busy environment. It could also have important consequences for understanding another potential cause of weight gain.
Recommendations
The most important aspect of deciding when to eat appears to be the realities of your lifestyle. Sometimes it might make sense to eat small meals every two or three hours as opposed to larger meals every four or five hours. If you are a student, for example, then you might eat at different times than someone who works a regular job. The ultimate goal is to ward off the sensation of extreme hunger. Under those conditions, you might end up eating too much or even too fast, which is bad for digestion, and it's also much harder to make good food choices when you're too hungry. You should always try to plan out your meals in advance and eat at regular intervals. Carry a small snack with you if you have little time to eat a more substantive meal.
References
- "British Journal of Nutrition"; "Increased Meal Frequency Does Not Promote Greater Weight Loss in Subjects Who Were Prescribed an 8-Week Equi-Energetic Energy-Restricted Diet"; J.D. Cameron et al; April 2010
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; "When to Eat and How Often?"; Elizabeth Parks et al; January 2005
- Columbia University; "Five or Six Meals a Day vs. Three?"; January 2008
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