How Often Should I Eat?

We’ve all asked ourselves this question “how often should I eat?” or “should I be eating every 2-3 hours?”. With today’s access to the web everyone has either a research blog on this answer or just their own opinion on what’s worked for them, So what’s the right answer?

In this blog I hope to make this question a bit more simple for you. What are definite don’t do’s and what are definitely should do’s? Let’s bring it back to the basics and the foundation of food. Stick around for a few minutes and see if this blog can help you find what you’re looking for food wise!

Avoid Food Coma

Let’s get down to the basics. Just like everything in life there are no exact answers. We as humans can only do our best to figure out and find what works best for the majority. Same thing when it comes to our eating habits. As you know there are a lot of different habits out there for eating. Especially nowadays when you have these new and proven to work diets and things like fasting to really throw more confusion into the mix.

To be able to answer questions like “Should I be eating every 2-3 hours?” we need to look a bit more in depth into the human body. Not as deep into the human body though as you may think. 

How long does it really take your body to break down food? Honestly it completely varies depending on the food you’re eating. So if some meals I have take longer to digest and others don’t, does it make sense that I should be eating every 2-3 hours? Well if you’re still full 2 hours after breakfast then why would you try and force my food into your system? Nobody really enjoys being in a food coma, unless you’re at home and get to take that nice nap with it. So I believe that rules that question out.

You should always listen to your body, it’s going to tell you when it’s hungry and needs energy!

The next thing to look at though is how often should I be eating a day? I think that a lot of people have grown up having anywhere between 3-6 meals a day. I personally grew up having 6 meals a day. That was breakfast, lunch and dinner with snacks in between and dessert after dinner. What exactly is considered healthy or the right amount? That comes down to your goals but to keep this on an easy playing field the sage number is four. Three meals and protein shake. Now why do i say this you may ask. Well I’m going to be specific on what the meals should look like and consist of and then you’ll understand.

Yes, three meals a day. Good ol breakfast, lunch and dinner! See no matter what your goal is a healthy meal should consist of a few different things. Women typically should aim for about four ounces of a protein, half a cup of carbs and one cup of vegetables with every single one of the three meals. I promise you more than likely will not want to snack after eating this much protein and carbs. However your body will love you for it!

Men should be aiming for about six to eight ounces of protein, one cup of carbs and two cups of vegetables with all three meals a day. Same thing here guys, this really should fill you up!

Should I Mix In A Protein Shake?

Now if a few hours later you do happen to get hungry again that is one of the reasons I suggest having the protein shake. That protein shake is going to do many wonderful things for your body and for you! It’s going to fill you up (especially if you are doing a slow assimilating protein), it’s going to make sure you’re getting in good protein intake for the day which your muscle will love (no ladies I promise you would “bulk” up just from having a protein shake every day) and three if you mix it in with fruits or peanut butter it’s like a dessert and can take that sweets craving away from you.

Food Is Energy

Timing on when exactly you have the meals isn’t too important. Like I said earlier you should never force more food in your system if you’re still full from the previous one. You do and should really make sure you’re getting all the meals in throughout the day though! It’s important for our bodies to be getting in all these micro and macronutrients.

Food is energy for our bodies and the vitamins, minerals and nutrients we get from it help all the systems within our body work properly and efficiently! Now yes if you have goals to lean down or really put on a lot of muscle mass then you might need to make an slight adjustment but this is a really good start. How many people out there can really say they’re eating 3 servings of vegetables a day? Give this a try and I bet your body will love you for it. Keep in mind your body will need a little bit of time to adjust but in the end I think you’ll be happy with the results! Happy eating my friends!