The Benefits of Smaller Meals

Small meals-

This week's topic doesn't have to do with a specific dish or preparation, but I hope some of you will find the concept of small meals helpful.  While there is no one "right" plan for everyone, eating smaller and more frequent meals can have some impressive health benefits.

First off, what do I mean by small meals? The general concept is just that - eat smaller meals. However, it extends far beyond basic portion control. Instead of the common practice of eating 2-3 big meals in the day I am an advocate of having closer to 5 mini meals throughout the day. It surprises most people to know that I encourage snacking.  I should mention at this point, though, that it is by far the quality of the food over the quantity you intake that provides the greatest results.  Eating when not hungry, or snacking on nutrient poor and sugar-laden foods will not have the desired effect.  One of the main benefits of eating small meals throughout the day is to help facilitate the making of better choices and maintaining consistency within the daily diet.

I began to realize the importance of consistency in meal schedules when I did my first cleanse.  I quickly discovered the difference between want and need.  By gauging my body's reactions if I missed a serving of juice/lemonade (or waited too long in between) I was able to see first hand the benefits of keeping my metabolism up, staying hydrated, and not letting my sugar levels drop too low. With consistency, I  had much more energy overall, didn't experience mid- morning dips or afternoon crashes, and was less moody and anxious overall. While transitioning back to solid foods I was able to channel this heightended awareness and better distinguish between cravings and necessity. I learned that often times dehydration masquerades as hunger and that one "craving" can actually mean the body is lacking something else.  When properly fueled the body does not react as abruptly and leave us searching for a quick-fix.  Eating small meals throughout the day actually helps discourage overeating by eliminating that feeling of being so hungry that we want to inhale the first food we come across or, alternately, simply eating because it is "meal time".

Busy schedules can make eating small, evenly spaced out meals a challenge.  A more typical scenario  usually involves long periods of the day without food, then scarfing beyond the point of full to make up for missed meals.  I cannot even begin to stress how counter-productive this habit is to a healthful and clean diet plan. Not only, are these crash meals more often than not eaten at late hours, but the anticipation of satisfying a "starvation" doesn't allow even the most self-controlled individual an opportunity to make the smartest choices when it comes to the portion or ingredients of the meal.  At this point our bodies may have already started to present us with symptoms (such as head-aches, drowsiness, cravings, crankiness or anger- or as I like to call it "hanger").  We, at this point, hardly take a moment to diagnose the cause of these cravings and attribute the symptoms to what could be low blood sugar or dehydration, but instead become satisfied to fill our bodies with any food that is most convenient. 

Evenly spacing our food intake throughout the course of the day also provides our stomach time to digest more efficiently.  Larger amounts of food take much longer to digest and leave our bodies feeling tired and often uncomfortable as the digestive system expends a significant amount of energy to break down those meals.  In addition to increased metabolism, a curb in hunger attacks, a boost in energy levels, and insulin regulation more frequent meals also provide a steady flow of amino acids to the muscle cells resulting in muscle growth. Introducing small meals into an already healthy diet plan is just one more way to encourage consistency and stay on track with smart meal planning.  Feel free to leave your thoughts on this concept or leave suggestions for healthful snack options.