What is the role of meal times in a healthy lifestyle?

Many people think that eating too much is the only cause of getting overweight. Or, as it is popularly termed, “eating too many calories, makes you fat”. These people wonder why they are overweighed since they do not eat too much at all. Another important factor that causes overweight, is the time between the meals and the amount of food you eat in one go.

Weight Loss

The following is of utmost importance and you really need to take good notice of it: when you eat too little, you won't get sufficient energy and your body will obtain the required energy by breaking down muscles. Consequently you will actually loose weight, but clearly it is not your goal to lose weight by destroying muscles.

When you eat too much, you'll get a sudden overdose of calories. Your body will store the extra calories as fat. You can remove this body fat by doing cardio exercises on 65% of your maximum heart rate. It is important to spread your food intake, to maintain a constant  sugar level. You can accomplish this by eating food with a low Glycemic Index Value.

Breakfast

Lots of people who want to lose weight, skip breakfast. This is a serious mistake. After a whole night without nourishment,  your body is screaming for food! If you skip breakfast, your body will break down muscles. If you have less muscles, your basic metabolic rate decreases. Muscles "burn" calories for you. Moreover, having breakfast prevents you from taking sweets and other kinds of candy during the morning.

Snacks

Normally, there will be a time gap of 4 to 5 hours between your breakfast, lunch and dinner . That is too long to survive without food. The remedy: eat a snack between the 3 main meals. Snacks with low fat, no sugar and a low GI-value are the best. For example: a banana or a bowl of yogurt (with some natural muesli, raisins, hazelnuts and/or almonds).

Having late dinner

Some people have dinner after 8pm or even later. The first disadvantage of having a late dinner is that you will have a craving for snacks to compensate the feeling of hunger you have before meal time. Furthermore, you will eat your largest meal just a few hours before you go to bed. During the night, your body can't cope with and process this huge amount of food, since you're not active; the relevant body functions are at rest. The meal will consequently be converted into body fat.

Before sleeping

During the night, we  also use an amount of energy. You could consider eating  a small meal with a low GI-value one hour before sleeping. It's advisable to choose a meal which is rich in protein. But a banana or an apple is also suitable.

View this article in Flemish (Dutch) at Gezond-en-Fit.be: Welke rol spelen etenstijden bij een gezonde levensstijl?

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 | Posted in: Nourishment | Posted by: Jeremy Walters

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