 Short Articles
__________________________________________________________________________________________How Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Could Be Making You Fat by Scotti Hinds Most US citizens do not eat nearly often enough; a fact which has long been unrecognized. The traditional three square meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner, that many of us have been taught is the key to a lifetime of sound nutrition, and thus, a lifetime of good health, is in fact a key component of weight retention and weight gain. Unfortunately, the three square meals a day rule that has been passed down through every generation of our society to date has helped spawn the US obesity epidemic. Adhering to the “good ole” breakfast, lunch and dinner rule is, in large part, responsible for the ever-growing multitudes of increasingly robust waistlines on display all across our country. Limiting your daily food intake to the confines of breakfast, lunch and dinner is for many the nutritional equivalent of a nightmare. Those limiting their daily nutrition to just breakfast, lunch and dinner may be preventing weight loss. The improper distribution of daily caloric intake is a nutritional problem which has long been unrecognized. Breakfast, lunch and dinner devotees across the board are suffering from nutritional deprivation despite the fact that, in many cases, their daily caloric intake is relatively high. Oftentimes, the amount of calories being consumed in the three daily meals of many US citizens is not the only problem, as it relates to weight loss. Furthermore, the foods being consumed by those dealing with weight control issues are not the only problems either. The problem that is often overlooked by many is the amount of time being allowed to pass between meals. Obviously, there is no shortage of “no brainer” bad foods that should only be consumed in limited amounts to best avoid becoming over weight. But even if you are eating all of the right foods, it is still possible to prevent weight loss by eating infrequently. An efficient metabolism is the key to weight loss and weight control. Infrequent eating can lead to the development of an inefficient metabolism. The fundamentals of developing metabolic efficiency are pretty simple: eat healthy foods (including fruits, vegetables, grains and meats), eat during regular intervals of the day (5 to 6 times daily) and exercise regularly. (3 to 4 hours weekly). Doing so stimulates metabolic efficiency by helping to regulate the ratio of insulin to glucose during digestion. Infrequent daily eating is a contributing factor to over-eating and a causal factor related to an unhealthy balance of insulin to glucose during digestion. In laymen’s terms, waiting long periods between meals increases the tendency to over-eat. The over consumption of calories during a meal can cause the over production of insulin during digestion, which can consequently lead to a high rate of body fat retention and obesity. The benefits of eating frequent, small meals can not be overstated. The difference between eating three large meals daily or eating six small meals daily is the difference between triggering the body’s defense against hunger or not. When fed infrequently, the body’s defense against hunger is to store much of the food that is consumed in fat reserves, which may eventually lead to weight gain. Eating frequently is the key to relaxing the body’s defense against hunger. This causes the body to use food consumption for energy instead of storing it as fat reserves, leading to a healthy balance of insulin to glucose during digestion and weight loss. Eating frequently is essential to sound nutrition because food is the body’s main source of energy. It provides the body with fuel for everything from walking, running, breathing and even thinking. Furthermore, it provides the body with the fuel needed to perform at peak performance levels. Remember, do not wait until you are hungry to eat; eat often enough to never become hungry and your chances at weight control, weight loss and good health will be greatly improved. |
