Most people consume three meals a day as a routine part of their lives. But is this practice the healthiest option? Some individuals opt for two meals a day and manage to stay healthy. However, before considering how many times a day we should eat, scientists suggest that we should pay attention to when we should not eat.
Rosalyn Anderson, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine and Public Health, has conducted research on the daily calorie needs of the human body. She asserts that taking a significant break from eating every day offers benefits. “A long break between meals provides the body with an opportunity to repair proteins or fats that have not been digested for some reason.” Such breaks are associated with a reduced risk of various diseases.
Professor Roselyn Anderson explains that our bodies have evolved to adapt to intermittent fasting. “This allows the body to store energy and use it where it is needed, while also activating our body’s energy release system.”
According to sports science professor Antonio Paoli, longer breaks between meals improve the body’s utilization of glycerin. Due to a lesser rise in glucose levels in the body after eating, the body can store less energy. “Our data show that eating dinner early extends the fasting period, which has positive effects on the body,” says Professor Paoli.
Having low sugar levels in all cells is beneficial because high sugar levels initiate a process called glycation. During glycation, the combination of glucose and lipids increases inflammation in the body, raising the risk of diabetes. Some experts suggest that eating only once a day may be the best practice.
David Levitsky, from Cornell University’s College of Human Ecology in New York, points out that there is overwhelming data indicating that exposure to images of food increases food cravings. “When there were no fridges and freezers, we ate only when food was available. Historically, humans used to eat one meal at a time.” Siren Cherrington Hollins, a historian of human diet, states that in ancient Rome, only one meal was consumed at noon.
But won’t we starve if we eat only once a day?
David Levitsky suggests that hunger is often a psychological sensation. “When it’s 12 o’clock, we start craving food. You might have a breakfast habit. The data shows that if you skip breakfast, your body will consume fewer calories throughout the day.” However, David Levitsky does not recommend this method for diabetics.
However, other experts do not advocate for only one meal a day. They understand that when we don’t eat anything, the level of fasting glucose in our blood increases, and if this occurs for an extended period, it raises the risk of type 2 diabetes. Eating more than once helps keep fasting blood glucose levels low so that the body does not interpret it as starvation and start producing fasting glucose in response.
“Eating a large number of calories early in the day is beneficial for health. Late-night eating is linked to heart disease, digestive issues, and diabetes. By consuming the majority of your calories earlier in the day, the body can utilize all the energy and not store it as fat. Similarly, breakfast should be avoided early in the morning, as eating immediately after waking from sleep is not beneficial for health and disrupts the body’s internal clock. Researchers indicate that the body’s internal clock plays a crucial role in food digestion.
The human body produces a substance called melatonin to induce sleep, and its release inhibits the secretion of insulin. When you sleep, your body produces melatonin, which prevents your blood glucose levels from rising during sleep. If you consume calories when melatonin levels are high in the body, it raises glucose levels.
Consuming too many calories at night before going to bed makes it challenging for the body to manage them, resulting in the body being unable to maintain the correct glucose levels. Prolonged high glucose levels in the body can lead to the development of type 2 diabetes. However, this does not mean that we should skip breakfast. There is evidence to suggest that breakfast should be started one or two hours after waking from sleep. It is essential to remember that breakfast is a relatively modern concept.
Cherrington Hollins explains that breakfast was introduced in ancient Greece. They ate bread soaked in wine for breakfast and consumed very little throughout the day. The practice of having a substantial evening meal began during the ancient Greek period.
Initially, only the nobles could afford the ‘luxury’ of breakfast. Then, after the 17th century, every person of status could afford the ‘luxury’ of a substantial morning meal. Cherrington Hollins notes that what we currently call breakfast began in the 19th century during the Industrial Revolution. During this period, fixed working hours were established, and as a result, the tradition of consuming three meals a day became customary.
“Breakfast for working professionals was typically a straightforward meal, usually in the form of street food or a slice of
