As is well known, diet and health are inseparable. If a person wants to live, they must take in nutrients from their diet to maintain the normal functioning of their body

As is well known, diet and health are inseparable. If a person wants to live, they must take in nutrients from their diet to maintain the normal functioning of their body.

Since ancient times, we have all been accustomed to eating three meals a day. With the improvement of health awareness, some people have gradually changed from three meals a day to two meals a day. So, who is healthier for those who eat three meals a day or two meals a day for a long time?

As is well known, in our country, most regions are accustomed to having three meals a day. However, in our country, three meals a day do not always exist. In fact, before the Qin and Han dynasties, the ancients were accustomed to eating two meals a day, and eating at times when they should not have eaten was considered a rude behavior.

Since the Han Dynasty, the two meals a day of the ancients have become three meals a day, namely morning, noon, and evening meals. And this habit of eating three meals a day has been used to this day. In recent years, as people gradually love health preservation and constantly pursue health and longevity. We are trying to improve our health by using new dietary methods, such as intermittent fasting, two meals a day, etc.

Previous dietary studies and current dietary guidelines mainly focused on discussing dietary time, intake, and food patterns. In recent years, intermittent fasting, including fasting days and limited time eating, has become a popular dietary method. This dietary pattern is believed to improve blood sugar control, enhance brain function, and help extend lifespan. However, the drawbacks of fasting are that it may lead to digestive problems, hunger, fatigue, and weakness Feeling anxious and possibly at risk of malnutrition.

The impact of meal frequency, skip meals, and meal spacing on health and disease is currently a topic of widespread concern. According to the 2009-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in the United States, the proportion of adults who reported eating three standard meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) is only 59% in males and 63% in females. The frequency of men not eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner was 19%, 22%, and 8%, respectively, while for women it was 19%, 21%, and 7%. This report shows that approximately 40% of Americans eat incomplete meals, and among people aged 20 to 74, one fifth do not eat breakfast or lunch.

The average meal interval between breakfast and lunch is about 5 hours, and the average interval between lunch and dinner is about 6 hours. Compared to 1971 to 1974, the interval between the first and last meals has decreased by approximately 30 minutes in recent years. The problem is that the 2020-2025 American Dietary Guidelines did not address the issues of meal frequency, skip meals, and meal spacing, as the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee did not find sufficient evidence to summarize the relationship between dietary frequency and health.

The preventive medicine research team at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center in Memphis, USA conducted a prospective study to explore the relationship between meal frequency, skip meals, and meal spacing with all cause and cardiovascular disease mortality. From 1999 to 2014, the "National Health and Nutrition Examination Research" investigated adults over 40 years old, collected their dietary behaviors, and analyzed the relationship between all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality. A total of 24011 people were included.

A total of 4175 people died during the follow-up period, 878 of whom died of cardiovascular disease. Researchers observed some common characteristics of subjects who ate less than three meals a day (40%), such as young, male, non Hispanic black, less educated, lower family income, smoking, drinking, unsafe food, eating less nutritious food, more snacks, and less overall energy intake.

Compared to subjects who ate three meals a day, eating only one meal per day increased the risk of all cause death by 30% and heart disease death by 83%. Compared to those who eat breakfast, those who skip breakfast have a 40% increased risk of developing heart disease, but there is no difference in all cause mortality. As for those who miss lunch and dinner, the risk of death from any cause increases by 12% and 16%, respectively.

In terms of meal time, compared to those who have a meal interval of five hours or more, even if they eat three meals a day, the average interval between meals is less than four and a half hours, which increases the risk of all cause death by 17%. Therefore, based on this study, it is recommended to eat three meals throughout the day, and an average interval of 5 hours or more between meals can reduce the risk of all cause and heart disease death.

As the saying goes, "Man is iron, and rice is steel. If we don't eat a meal, we will get hungry." Eating constantly affects our physical health. However, if the three meals are unreasonable, it is easy to cause harm to our health. So, in real life, how should we correctly eat three meals a day?

1. Eat nutritious breakfast

Nowadays, due to the accelerated pace of life, most young people do not like to eat breakfast, which is clearly a very wrong behavior. Generally speaking, when we skip breakfast for a long time, it is easy to experience dizziness, nausea, fatigue, and even hypoglycemia. Therefore, as the first meal of the day, we must pay attention to nutrition for breakfast. When eating breakfast, it is generally recommended to choose high fiber coarse grains as staple food, such as bread, Mantou, etc. In addition, breakfast should also be paired with high protein foods such as eggs, milk, etc.

2. Full for lunch

Having a full lunch is beneficial for staying energized throughout the afternoon. Generally, during lunch, one can choose foods rich in carbohydrates as the main staple, while dishes generally choose foods rich in protein, such as eggs, meat, beans, etc. When cooking food, it is important to adhere to the principles of low oil, low salt, and low sugar.

3. Dinner 7-8 minutes full

Because after dinner, it's very close to our sleep time. If you eat too much dinner, it is easy to hinder the digestion and absorption of the gastrointestinal tract. Once this happens, the body will become fatter and fatter because it cannot consume excess fat. So in order not to affect one's sleep, it is recommended that everyone should finish their meal at 6 pm and be satisfied at 7-8 minutes.

Source: Tan Jian

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