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There are many health advantages to eating smaller meals at more frequent intervals during day.
The most important part to understand about eating more meals is that it is not a license to "pig out". Your goal is to eat smaller meals consisting of nutritious food that will satisfy the needs of your body. If you use the plan of eating more meals as an excuse to eat more junk food like burgers, fries or high fat snacks then you are not going to lose any more weight than you would on a normal diet. If, instead, you plan your meals so that you are constantly eating a smaller portion of something nutritious like a piece of fish, fruit or vegetable, then you will start to notice that you are less hungry overall and you need less food to fill up at each meal.
Function; Reasons For Use
By eating more meals with smaller portions you will not feel as hungry or deprived in between meals because you know you are going to be eating again soon. In addition, when people only eat once or twice each day, their bodies go into 'starvation mode' and try to hold on to calories: When you eat every three or four hours you keep your body from storing as many calories because your body senses that it is going to have a steady supply of food.
Small, frequent meals are suggested to optimize digestion.
Eating regularly throughout the day also helps to maintain steady insulin levels. People who are overweight tend to have diminished insulin function and many end up becoming diabetic. The type of foods that people eat as well as when the food is eaten plays a big role in how the body releases insulin, which in turn greatly affects how the body is able to utilize food for energy. When insulin levels are improper the body has trouble using food for energy and instead may store the food calories as fat. The best way to ensure proper insulin function is by eating smaller meals more frequently that contain the right proportion of nutrients.
Directions
The easiest way to avoid missing a meal is to have plenty of nutritious food available by providing yourself with apples, bananas, nuts, graham crackers, pretzels and so forth, that can be eaten when you do not have time for something more complicated.
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Smaller, More Frequent Meals can help with the following: | | | | | Circulation |  Hypotension (Low Blood Pressure) | As more blood is drawn to the digestive tract, less may be available for maintaining blood pressure. To avoid problems with low blood pressure which occurs after meals, try eating smaller, more frequent meals and resting after eating to lessen episodes of dizziness. Avoid taking hypotensive drugs before meals. |
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Diet |
 Carbohydrate Craving| | Eating regularly is important. If too many hours have passed between meals, blood sugar will drop and your body will crave carbohydrates since these are the foods that will provide the quickest supply of energy. Eat small meals or snacks containing some protein every few hours to keep blood-sugar levels steady. Skipping meals causes blood sugar levels to drop, which leaves you yearning for processed carbohydrates and sweets for energy. |
 Overconsumption |
Digestion |
Rapid Stomach Emptying (Gastric Dumping)| | People who have dumping syndrome need to eat several small meals a day that are low in carbohydrates and should drink liquids between meals, not with them. |
IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)| | Large meals can cause cramping and diarrhea for those with IBS. Symptoms may be eased if you eat smaller meals more often or just eat smaller portions. This should help, especially if your meals are low in fat and high in carbohydrates such as pasta, rice, whole-grain breads and cereals, fruits, and vegetables. |
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Lab Values |
High Total Cholesterol| | Controlling cholesterol levels may be a case of not only what is eaten but how often. Men and women who eat six or more times a day have cholesterol levels that are about 5% lower than those of less frequent eaters. The researchers found lower levels of cholesterol in the frequent eaters regardless of their body mass, physical activity or whether they smoked. From other studies we know that a 5% lowering of cholesterol may be associated with a 10% reduction in coronary heart disease risk. [British Medical Journal, Dec 1, 2001] |
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Metabolic |
Hypoglycemia| | Frequent small meals are more effective in stabilizing blood sugar levels than large, less frequent ones. Remember to consume something before symptoms appear. Protein snacks that keep well should be stored in locations such that you always have quick access to food. You may find it helpful to store protein bars or nuts in your car, at work, in your pockets or (for women) in your purse. |
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Organ Health |
Hepatitis| | Small, frequent meals are suggested to optimize digestion. |
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Smaller, More Frequent Meals can help prevent the following: | | | | | Digestion | Heartburn / GERD / Acid Reflux| | Try to eat small, frequent meals instead of three big meals each day. Small amounts of food each time will exert less workload on the stomach and therefore require less acid secretion for digestion. |
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KEY | | May do some good | | | Likely to help | | | Highly recommended |
GLOSSARY
Carbohydrates (Carbohydrate)
The sugars and starches in food. Sugars are called simple carbohydrates and found in such foods as fruit and table sugar. Complex carbohydrates are composed of large numbers of sugar molecules joined together, and are found in grains, legumes, and vegetables like potatoes, squash, and corn.
Cholesterol
A waxy, fat-like substance manufactured in the liver and found in all tissues, it facilitates the transport and absorption of fatty acids. In foods, only animal products contain cholesterol. An excess of cholesterol in the bloodstream can contribute to the development of atherosclerosis.
Cramp (Cramping, Cramps)
A sudden, involuntary, painful muscular contraction.
Crave (Craving, Cravings)
To have a strong desire for; to feel the need for.
Diabetes Mellitus (Diabetes, Diabetic, Diabetics)
A disease with increased blood glucose levels due to lack or ineffectiveness of insulin. Diabetes is found in two forms; insulin-dependent diabetes (juvenile-onset) and non-insulin-dependent (adult-onset). Symptoms include increased thirst; increased urination; weight loss in spite of increased appetite; fatigue; nausea; vomiting; frequent infections including bladder, vaginal, and skin; blurred vision; impotence in men; bad breath; cessation of menses; diminished skin fullness. Other symptoms include bleeding gums; ear noise/buzzing; diarrhea; depression; confusion.
Diarrhea
Excessive discharge of contents of bowel.
Insulin
A hormone secreted by the pancreas in response to elevated blood glucose levels. Insulin stimulates the liver, muscles, and fat cells to remove glucose from the blood for use or storage.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
A condition that causes upset intestines for a long period of time. It is very unpleasant to the sufferer but tends to be harmless and usually does not lead to more serious complaints. The symptoms vary from person to person and from day to day. In order to be diagnosed with IBS, a person must have at least three of the following symptoms: pain in the lower abdomen; bloating; constipation; diarrhea or alternating diarrhea and constipation; nausea; loss of appetite; tummy rumbling; flatulence; mucous in stools; indigestion; constant tiredness; frequent urination; low back pain; painful intercourse for women.
Protein (Proteins)
Compounds composed of hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen present in the body and in foods that form complex combinations of amino acids. Protein is essential for life and is used for growth and repair. Foods that supply the body with protein include animal products, grains, legumes, and vegetables. Proteins from animal sources contain the essential amino acids. Proteins are changed to amino acids in the body.
Stomach
A hollow, muscular, J-shaped pouch located in the upper part of the abdomen to the left of the midline. The upper end (fundus) is large and dome-shaped; the area just below the fundus is called the body of the stomach. The fundus and the body are often referred to as the cardiac portion of the stomach. The lower (pyloric) portion curves downward and to the right and includes the antrum and the pylorus. The function of the stomach is to begin digestion by physically breaking down food received from the esophagus. The tissues of the stomach wall are composed of three types of muscle fibers: circular, longitudinal and oblique. These fibers create structural elasticity and contractibility, both of which are needed for digestion. The stomach mucosa contains cells which secrete hydrochloric acid and this in turn activates the other gastric enzymes pepsin and rennin. To protect itself from being destroyed by its own enzymes, the stomach’s mucous lining must constantly regenerate itself.
Syndrome
A medical condition characterized by a collection of related symptoms (what the patient feels) and signs (what a doctor can observe or measure).
Last updated: Oct 08, 2008
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