Three meals a day, is it a ＂cheat people＂ diet？

　　"Three meals a day" is the most accustomed way of eating for most people, and this way of eating has long been naturally integrated into our lives. However, on the Internet, a self-media article declared that "three meals a day is a big pit. For modern people, there is no need for a lot of physical labor, and there is no need to eat three meals at all. It is more appropriate to eat two meals or one meal. Eating three meals a day is a very cheat people diet. " Is there really such a "cheat people" for three meals a day? Has science really proved that "two meals or one meal is more appropriate"? Next, let’s talk about it one by one.

　　Related research shows that "one meal a day"

　　There is an increased risk of diabetes.

　　Many studies have compared the effects of "three meals a day" and "one meal a day (or two meals)" on health. Different research experiments have different designs, and the conclusions often have their own limitations.

　　In 2007, the Institute of Aging under the National Research Institute (NIH) published a well-designed study. Fifteen middle-aged volunteers with normal weight were randomly divided into two groups. One group only ate a big meal in the afternoon every day, while the other group divided the same amount of food into three regular meals. After 8 weeks, they ate for 11 weeks according to their regular eating habits (in order to eliminate the influence of the previous experimental design), and then the two groups exchanged. Volunteers who ate three meals a day before were replaced by those who ate only one meal a day, and those who ate only one meal became three meals a day. Although there are only 15 volunteers in this study, this "cross-control" method can well exclude the influence of individual differences, and the data is quite convincing.

　　The results showed that the fasting blood glucose measured in the morning was significantly higher than that measured in three meals a day. It is also easier to understand that people who eat one meal a day eat far more food before going to bed than people who eat three meals a day. In the "sugar tolerance test", one meal a day makes the sugar tolerance worse — — That is to say, eating three meals a day will worsen sugar tolerance and increase the risk of diabetes.

　　In this study, volunteers who ate one meal were asked to finish three meals. This makes the total calories consumed under the two eating methods the same. From the point of weight monitoring, during the six-month experiment, the weight of volunteers did not change significantly, indicating that the total calorie intake is the key factor of weight change. If you want to control your weight, it doesn’t matter whether you eat one meal or three meals a day.

　　How much to eat and what to eat are more important factors.

　　In today’s society, many people choose not to eat breakfast because of their work and life, which naturally forms the mode of "two meals a day". There are also many comparative studies on this mode and "three meals a day".

　　For example, a study in 2019 concluded that "often skipping breakfast is accompanied by a higher obesity rate". This conclusion is basically consistent with the conclusions of other studies. However, this is a "correlation" rather than a "causal relationship", and it may also be due to the fact that people who often skip breakfast may not pay much attention to their own health.

　　In addition, many studies have shown that eating breakfast has a considerable impact on the probability of diabetes in adults. After a night, the human body is in a state of low blood sugar. If you don’t eat breakfast, you will stay in a state of low blood sugar for a longer time. Being in this state for a long time may reduce the sensitivity of the human body to blood sugar and insulin. When the sensitivity of insulin decreases, it will lead to the increase of "insulin resistance", which is the root of type 2 diabetes.

　　A review in Nutrition Progress in 2016 pointed out that breakfast can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes; In addition to eating breakfast, the nutritional composition of breakfast is also very important. For example, the high glycemic index of "digestible carbohydrates" will increase insulin resistance and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes; Dietary fiber, protein and unsaturated fat will not increase insulin resistance, and the satiety time will be long, which will help reduce the calorie demand for lunch and the risk of diabetes.

　　For example, breakfast foods with high glycemic index include: white rice porridge, steamed bread and noodles. Breakfast foods rich in dietary fiber, protein or unsaturated fat include whole grain products, eggs, milk and soybean milk.

　　In other words, "how much to eat" and "what to eat" are more important factors.

　　One simple mode of healthy eating is "stay hungry"

　　Nutrition research is a very complicated field. Different experimental designs often lead to conflicting research results. It is not difficult to get misleading results by "selectively presenting" research that supports a certain point of view, which is why there are so many specious articles circulating on the Internet. For a nutrition and health problem, we need to comprehensively evaluate the conclusions of the whole scientific research field in order to draw the conclusion that "it is closest to the scientific truth".

　　On the issue of "how many meals a day is good", a literature review in 2019, after reviewing more than 100 studies on "the influence of eating frequency and time on health", gave such suggestions: regular eating style is full breakfast, two to three meals a day, and regular fasting, and pointed out that doing so can reduce inflammation, improve circadian rhythm, relieve anxiety and regulate intestinal flora.

　　An article on the website of the American Heart Association also discussed this issue. The article’s suggestion is: "Keep not hungry" can help you stay in the simple mode of "healthy eating". It is pointed out in the article that the weight is determined by whether the total calories consumed exceed the total calories consumed by the body. Whether it is eaten at different times of the day or at one meal, as long as the calories are consumed more than the consumption, it will lead to weight gain. It is recommended to spread the calorie intake throughout the day, not just eating one meal.

　　People who insist on "three meals a day" for many years don’t have to worry about the health impact of this eating habit; People who skip breakfast may need to pay attention to adjusting their lifestyle. "How many meals to eat" and "when to eat" have little impact on health, so it is good to choose a way to make yourself comfortable according to your own work and life rules.

　　Wen/Yun Wuxin (Doctor of Food Engineering)