Do You Really Need Three Meals a Day? A Dietitian Sets the Record Straight

I’ll be honest. I have unpredictable eating patterns. I love snacking throughout the day, I don’t like putting effort into making something, and I sometimes skip meals until I get bored. I’m hungryI’m almost wild. Three meals a day is rarely a victory.

I’m not alone. According to the National Health and Nutrition Survey, the percentage of people who eat three meals a day is significantly decreased 1970s to 2010 (73% to 59% for men and 75% to 63% for women). I believe these numbers have fallen even further in the 12 years since this study, as stress and burnout have reached their peak in recent years. An informal poll of my friends this year revealed that only 9 out of 25 people eat three proper meals a day.

Is it really that important to eat frequently? Why isn’t 2 meals (or the popular OMAD) safe? And if it’s so important, why is it so difficult? I consulted a nutrition expert and looked into the research. I’d like to share with you how my own eating habits have improved.

The origin story of three meals a day

It’s common sense these days to divide your daily meals into three meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It wasn’t always the normand in some parts of the world it still isn’t. As food historian Amy Bentley of New York University puts it, pre-industrial atlantic oceanPeople in the United States tended to eat only two large meals to provide their bodies with energy for outdoor work in the countryside. In ancient Rome, It was customary to eat a large meal at once.plus two small snacks.

In the United States, our eating habits are now typically structured around the work or school day. But cultural norms aside, there’s no scientific reason to eat exactly three meals a day.

“It’s not just the number of meals you eat per day that matters,” says registered dietitian Marissa Kai Milk. Specialized in stopping bulimia. “Everyone is different and there is a whole range of research being done on how many times a day you ‘should’ eat.”

Over the years, there have been studies showing that: Benefits of eating more oftenthere are also studies showing its shortcomings. Several studies have revealed the benefits of eating less frequently and larger meals, and, you guessed it, the downsides as well.

That being said, the three-meal-a-day recommendation didn’t come out of nowhere. In a way, it all comes down to math. The average adult needs 2,000 calories a day, but spends only a short amount of time awake. “Three meals a day is generally recommended in all peer-reviewed research and health practice to promote consistent and adequate energy intake,” Milk said. “Eating fewer than three meals a day is not recommended unless you are severely short of time or access to safe food, as you will need to consume large amounts at once to meet your basic needs. ” she added.

Still, the calculations can change depending on your own health needs and schedule, not to mention a number of other less quantifiable factors. For example, in my case it’s my love of snacks.

Consistency is more important than meal frequency, Milk says. Skipping meals, waiting all day to eat, and other inconsistent eating patterns can have a variety of unintended consequences, from increased blood pressure to high or low blood sugar.

So how do you know if your eating pattern is healthy?

“Experiencing frequent mood swings, hunger, erratic cravings, insatiable hunger, urgency eating, or overeating may mean you need to re-evaluate your eating patterns and relationship with food. It’s a common sign that there isn’t,” Milk explained.

But somehow eating regular meals is much more difficult than it seems, at least for people like me.

Why is it so difficult to eat three meals a day?

In some cases, choosing to move away from a three-meal-a-day schedule is just a choice. But even if you want to eat a proper breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day, it can be difficult. You can’t always control when you sit down to eat or what food options are available. Mental health and stress can also affect your appetite.

Let’s call a spade a spade. Eating is work. Preparing meals takes time, money, and physical and mental labor. Even the process of understanding it what When you have so many other things on your mind, eating can feel like an insurmountable obstacle. and that is in front You are responsible for a food culture that makes mealtimes more difficult and stressful by equating thinness with health and health with moral virtue. (If your goal is simply to lose weight, meal timing and frequency requires a completely different kind of calculation.)

There is a lot of pressure to eat the “right” number and type of meals. and We prepare everything ourselves using fresh, whole ingredients. within budget. While working and caring for loved ones. Easier said than done.

Sometimes it’s more convenient to skip all that and reach for a snack instead. Although the number of people eating three meals a day has declined over the past few decades, people eat more total calories;we are just getting Increased calories from snacks now.

In some countries, nutritious food is relatively easy to obtain, and this is important. No need to cook it yourself. For example, at a local eatery in Mexico or Ghana, you can walk down the street and get a perfectly cooked (and delicious) meal made with local proteins and produce or a bunch of fresh local fruit for cheap. You can. That is not the case in many places in the United States.

Still, the idea that you should cook all your own meals at home is a relatively recent phenomenon. Previously, only families with kitchen space and the means to hire staff were able to help. ate home cooked food every day. In cities, working-class people ate food prepared by small eateries and street vendors. Communal eating is also an important tradition in the United States and in many cultures around the world.

Three meals a day is not a magic number. It’s just a standard to ensure you have enough food on an ongoing basis. And modern life in this country makes that very difficult. So what can be done about it?

3 tips for eating well

First of all, accept that it’s not a personal failure if you struggle to make three meals a day at home. But we don’t necessarily have to wait for fundamental changes in society as a whole to alleviate some of our frustrations. Here are some tips that worked for me and might help you too.

back to basics

As you already know, three meals a day is not the golden rule. But if eating regular meals is simply not possible, Milk said she usually advises her clients to prioritize eating three meals a day first and foremost.

“When your body doesn’t trust that food is always available, it goes into fight-or-flight mode,” she explained. A daily eating schedule provides a “solid foundation” to rebuild trust in your body and readjust your appetite.

That doesn’t mean it’s going to be smooth sailing. I was used to accidentally skipping lunch or putting off dinner for too long, and it just didn’t go away. But having a clear goal in mind was very helpful. Every time I was able to successfully eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I learned what it felt like to enjoy life with consistent energy instead of brain fog and hunger.

practice non-judgment

Over the years, I’ve tried a lot But you won’t be successful until you finally give up on always eating the “right” foods in the “right” way. Instead, I focused on what was practical and convenient for me. That means how you can get the nutrients you need while taking into account all the barriers in your life.

By removing the judgment about what goes into your three meals, you’re more likely to actually eat it. For me, that meant adding meal subscriptions and meal shakes to my daily routine. For others, that might mean grocery delivery, help preparing meals from the community, canned or prepared foods, food trucks, or cheap and easy produce (like bananas).

Focusing on comfort as well as health changed everything for me, even if it meant eating things I felt I “shouldn’t” eat. Every day I remind myself that I am worth the money and effort it takes to feed myself. I forgive myself for living in a culture and time where it is not easy to nourish my body, and yet I promise to take care of myself in any way necessary.

check in with yourself

Once you get used to eating three meals a day, Miluk says, you can tune in to your body’s signals and use the Hunger-Satiety Scale to focus on maintaining the eating schedule that works best for you. This means you need to consider your food preferences, health needs and values, schedule, and accessibility. A professional nutritionist can help guide you on this journey, but remember that there is no one-size-fits-all prescription for what and when to eat.

“The key to knowing when to eat is best for you is to ignore the world around you and be honest with yourself,” says Milk.

Her recommendation to figure that out is to ask yourself the following questions:

• How do you feel when you eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner consistently versus when you skip meals?
• Will my meals and snacks last until the next meal or snack?
• Do you notice any changes in your concentration, energy, or mood if you don’t eat or snack enough for a long period of time?
• Are you paying attention to your body’s signals when it’s hungry and full?
• Is there a noticeable pattern to my appetite? Is my appetite stable throughout the day, or do I sometimes eat more at certain times of the day?

For me, I’ve found that eating three meals a day is the most practical way to meet my daily needs while working a 9-5 job. That’s no surprise considering how often I get hungry and how much I like to eat at once. You might think living your best life means eating two large meals like farmers once did, or snacking from morning until night. “Some people may think of themselves as ‘herbivores,’ and there’s nothing wrong with that,” Milk assured me.

“That’s why trusting and regulating your body is more important than any dietary rule or health handbook,” she says. “Scientific research shows that eating 12 times a day is optimal for longevity, but who does that really apply to?”