Why eating frequently help lose weight?
Meal frequency has been the subject of debate among nutrition experts for decades. The one thing about which almost everyone agrees on is that breakfast is essential. Eating a meal of complex carbohydrates, proteins, and healthy fats within an hour or so of rising can rev up your metabolism and give you fuel for an active day.
You may have heard some nutrition and weight loss experts say that people should eat "mini meals" every two to three hours, or four to six times per day. Proponents of this idea claim that eating small meals throughout the day can
Lower cholesterol,
Promote weight loss,
Improve energy levels
Boost metabolism,
Preserve lean muscle mass
Experts says that It sounds good in theory, but there isn't much proof to back most of these claims There is research to support at least one of these claims: In a 2001 study published in The British Medical Journal, researchers found that people who ate six small meals a day had a 5 percent lower average cholesterol level than people who ate one or two larger meals.
What about weight loss and metabolism benefits?
Research analysts from the American Dietetic Association have synthesized years of research on adult weight management to form nutrition guidelines. One topic they've analyzed is the effect of regular meal and snack patterns on weight loss. Several studies show that eating four to five times per day (meals or snacks) is associated with reduced or no obesity risk. The research also shows that the three squares a day could actually hurt your efforts to reach and/or maintain a healthy weight. Eating less than three meals or snacks per day may increase the risk of obesity. But the risk goes up when people eat six or more times per day, too.
Physiologically, it does make sense: When you eat regularly throughout the day, your body knows that more food is on the way, and it's more likely to burn the calories you consume than store them as fat. Expert says that eating at regular intervals may help stabilize blood sugar and energy levels. But as far as the rest of the health claims are concerned, well-researched proof is lacking. So, while eating more often throughout the day appears to help with weight control, it could potentially benefit your health, but not necessarily.
If five to six meals a day sounds appealing to you, try it. If not, stick with what works for you, but don’t stress. Enjoying three squares a day is a perfectly healthy way to eat, and there are far more important things you can focus on, besides meal frequency: like how much food you’re eating in general. One thing to try, if you don't snack mid-morning and mid-afternoon, is to incorporate small snacks along with your three daily meals—but watch that you don’t exceed your calorie allotment for the day.
A study carried out in Spain reveals that certain healthy habits, like eating more than four times a day or not eating too fast, are associated with lower body fat levels independently of exercise habits during free time. The key to preventing obesity is in keeping up healthy eating habits and this is not a new concept. But, a new study headed by the Institute of Food Science and Technology and Nutrition (ICTAN) of the Spanish
National Research Council (CSIC) goes one step further. The study shows that certain healthy habits, like eating more than four scheduled meals a day or not eating too fast, are associated with lower body fat levels independently of exercise habits during free time. Data on fat levels were obtained by taking the sum of six skin folds and the waist circumference of 1,978 adolescents (1,017 girls) between the ages of 13 and 18 years from five Spanish cities (Granada, Madrid, Murcia, Santander and Zaragoza). The role that physical activity during free time plays on fat levels was also assessed.
To clarify the effects of dietary habits on obesity it is vital to study them along with other lifestyle habits such as physical activity, explained to SINC Sonia Gómez Martínez, lead author of the study and researcher at the ICTAN's department of Metabolism and Nutrition. The young men were taller, weighed more, had a larger waist circumference, and ate faster during meals. However, according to the study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, their accumulated fat rate was lower. Furthermore, the authors observed that eating breakfast on a daily basis is especially beneficial in the case of young men who do not do any exercise since those who skipped this meal showed higher body fat values.
Gómez Martínez stated that "the results obtained have shown that one in every four girls and one in every three boys in Spain are overweight or obese." However, only 18.5% of the boys did not do some form of sport as opposed to 48.5% of the girls. Sexual maturity and the increase in size and weight determine the nutritional needs of adolescents, who grow by approximately 20% of their adult height and 50% of their muscle and bone mass during puberty. Such processes require a high amount of energy and nutrients and so the diet should be designed to meet such requirements. During adolescence, the three most important minerals are calcium, iron and zinc. Whereas calcium is essential for bone
growth, iron is involved in haematologic tissue (red blood cells) and muscle tissue growth, and zinc plays a part is bone and muscle growth. It is also linked to hair and nail growth. Dietary recommendations for adolescents include drinking three or four glasses of milk or yoghurt for calcium, vitamin D and riboflavin; five or more portions of fruit and vegetables; two portions of lean protein foods; six to twelve portions of cereal, pasta, rice and potatoes; and eat foods rich in fat and sugar in moderation.
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