3 square meals vs 5-6 small ones

Smurphington

Just curious which you prefer? I know traditionally the 3 square meals a day model was how families ate and there was virually no snacking. However some people now believe smaller meals are healthier and prevent over eating and blood sugar issues . I tend to think we are probably all different but I think I would probably eat less on the 3 meals a day version ( and it might save money?

VfM4meplse

Who actually eats 3 full meals a day in this sedentary era? Don't most people have a single main meal and supplement with a much lighter meal (think: sandwich / soup / salad variety) and (unnecessary and copious) snacks?

I can understand the need to refuel when the nation relied on manual labour and hard graft, but in those days meals needed to be calorie-dense, which meant physically a lot more on a plate because there was a lot less processed food about.

hazzie123

I do omad now which for me is fasting for 21-22 hours then I have an eating window of 2-3 hours where I consume my daily calories. I had reached a point where I just got sick of planning,thinking about food and even eating it. This is so much more convenient now. Dr Jason Fung on YouTube is a good source of information if anyone is interested.

Linda32

I definitely need 5-6 small meals. I would be feel very unwell with 3 meals a day.

Following on from previous post, depending on lifestyle. My work is 30% desk bound 70% on the floor working, which consists of lifting/carrying/walking.

Breakfast is boiled egg on toast
Mid morning - Go Ahead or something similar
Staff meal - Roast/Mince Meal/help yourself salad
Mid afternoon - Tinned fruit
Tea Cheese and biscuits
Supper Sharing bowl of snacks

Money_maker

Personally I think it's much harder to overeat on 3 meals a day rather than constantly grazing or snacking. We all convince ourselves that providing it's 'healthy' then it's ok to eat as much as possible and never let our tummies get empty.


Sadly you only need to look at the number of oversized people around these days to realise they're kidding themselves. Generally speaking, there's a huge majority of supersizeds around at the moment and sadly many of them don't realise they are so big.

Smurphington

I suppose it depends what your lifestyle and health dictates. I find frequent snacking makes me hungrier, I'm not sure why! I do have some issues with digestion and usually they suggest grazing is good for this but I find my body needs the break and I get a bit stressed out with having to plan snacks to bring to work and then worrying if they are healthy - first world problems indeed

[Deleted User]

I have one main meal a day plus a light breakfast and lunch mid morning I may have a cuppa and mid afternoon a coffee but I rarely eat after 7 at night and it suits me I don't often have time for 5-6 meals a day so breakfast is around 7ish lunch around 1.00p.m. and dinner about 6.30p.m.
If I feel peckish I may have a piece of fruit in the evening but rarely Only on Tuesday nights do I eat later as its quiz night and we get a small meal there Last night it was pasta with bacon bits about 8.15 but I hadn't eaten since lunchtime and only had a coffee late afternoon.

JackieO xx

PasturesNew

If somebody put 3 meals in front of me each day, I'd be happy to eat all that I'd soon be the size of a small planet though!

I just "graze" as there's just me and I don't like cooking .... so it's all about dashing into the kitchen and getting out in the shortest time with something on a plate.

Yesterday I had two bananas to use up .... so I had chocolate banana custard twice .... I also had 2 sausage rolls and 2 pieces of toast.

So that was eating 4x.

juliettet

I find i'm better with 3 meals. If I snack I don't enjoy my food.
Generally breakfast is muesli & a banana or toast with peanut butter or an egg.
Lunch is a large sandwich and yoghurt.
Dinner always finishes with a piece of cake or small amount of chocolate.Like Jackie O, I try to eat before 7.
At the weekend I sometimes have something with a coffee if I am out but that counts as lunch.

VfM4meplse

PasturesNew wrote: »

Yesterday I had two bananas to use up .... so I had chocolate banana custard twice .... I also had 2 sausage rolls and 2 pieces of toast.

So that was eating 4x.

All of it was "beige", and none of it particularly filling! Where's the f&v?

:think: perhaps I'm getting a bit fibre-obsessed in middle age. Slinks off to find a carrot

Pollycat

VfM4meplse wrote: »

Who actually eats 3 full meals a day in this sedentary era? Don't most people have a single main meal and supplement with a much lighter meal (think: sandwich / soup / salad variety) and (unnecessary and copious) snacks?

I can understand the need to refuel when the nation relied on manual labour and hard graft, but in those days meals needed to be calorie-dense, which meant physic.ally a lot more on a plate because there was a lot less processed food about.

I have breakfast - at least 3 or 4 different types of fruit with Greek yoghurt or granola in summer, porridge in winter.

Lunch is soup (often home-made), pate and toast, olive tapenade with bread, small salad with olives, large flat mushrooms with stilton, cheese toasties or a sandwich that is usually accompanied by crisps.

Dinner can be anything - meat, fish, pasta, full roast, home-made burgers & home-made wedges, home-made Indian or Chinese. During the winter the slow cooker is often on with stews.

Not sure if that is considered 3 full meals a day.
But we don't snack between meals.

It might be a sedentary era but our life - even though we're both retired - isn't sedentary.