15.2 Making Time For Eating

Many people want to know how many times a day we’re supposed to eat and when in order to be healthy. Observational research and professional practice have suggested that it’s ideal to eat frequently throughout the day—four to five meals or snacks, for example (Ekmekcioglu & Touitou, 2011; Louis-Sylvestre, Lluch, Neant, & Blundell, 2002; Seagle, Strain, Makris, & Reeves, 2009). However, some more recent intervention studies indicate that this may not actually be superior to eating fewer—for example, two to three—times during the day (Hutchison & Heibronn, 2016; Mattson et al., 2014). While more research is needed to determine what eating frequency and timing are optimal for metabolic health, the research does show that, in general, eating breakfast is associated with various health outcomes including positive effects on stress and mood, enhanced cognitive function, and a more nutritious eating pattern overall (Hoyland, Dye, & Lawton, 2009; O’Neil et al., 2014). At the same time, the quality of one’s breakfast foods seem to matter more than simply the act of breakfast-eating (Ferrer-Cascales et al., 2018). Further, some research has shown that eating large amounts of food during the few hours before bedtime has negative health outcomes (Seagle, Strain, Makris, & Reeves, 2009), but small meals eaten at night do not appear to be harmful and may even be beneficial (Kinsey & Ormsbee, 2015).

For some, eating becomes an afterthought. Someone in a rush might grab foods that are convenient rather than those that would fit within their budget, values, or current eating intentions. Planning several predictable and reliable opportunities to eat throughout the day can help avoid situations where extreme hunger dictates food decisions. Keep in mind, planned opportunities to eat do not need to be three-course meals every three-to-four hours, nor is it necessary to always eat at these specified times, even when not hungry. Rather, planning times to eat, as well as packing or planning food options ahead of time, helps prevent us from going too long without eating and becoming famished. These pre-planned opportunities provide a window to check in with our bodies and let our hunger and satiety guide whether and how much we actually eat at that time, while also factoring in when our next meal or snack might be. Snacks between meals when hungry are encouraged. Think of this as putting gas in a car; most of us would pay attention to the gas gauge and fill the car up before being left stranded on the highway with no fuel. We can provide ourselves with regular, reliable opportunities to fuel our bodies, and honor our hunger and satiety.

In addition, tuning in to the body’s cues is actually easier when we set aside time for eating and focus on just eating, rather than multitasking. Especially when we’re busy, taking a break during studying, working, or other activities to eat mindfully is a form of self-care and can help us get back to work with a renewed sense of focus.

Student Perspectives: How do you make time to feed yourself?

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