Three times a day, fractional or fast: how to choose the perfect diet for you
'19.07.2019'
Source: Life hacker
Life hacker will help you find the perfect diet for you.
Three meals for those who are satisfied with everything
Diet
Breakfast at 7 – 8 in the morning, lunch at 13 – 14 hours and dinner at 19 – 20 hours. This diet is familiar to us since childhood, but it is not a biological necessity, as you might think, looking at its wide distribution.
People did not always eat three times a day. This regime was formed under the influence of culture, or rather, the eight-hour working day. Let's find out if the three meals a day have any advantages besides convenience.
The advantages of three meals a day
Many nutritionists argue that more frequent meals help better control weight than the usual three meals, but some studies refute this.
The study showed that three meals a day are not worse than six times a day when it comes to losing weight. For eight weeks, two groups of participants followed a low calorie diet, but one group ate three times a day and the other six. As a result, participants from both groups lost weight, scientists did not notice significant differences.
Another study compared the effects of two and six diets on the health and body shape of obese women. It turned out that women eating twice a day had elevated levels of high-density lipoprotein, or good cholesterol.
Another study compared three and six meals a day. It turned out that the level of triglycerides in the blood was much lower with three meals than with six. So, three meals a day, compared to fractional, more useful for the cardiovascular system.
It turns out that the standard three meals a day not only does not lose the fractional, but also has its own health benefits.
Who will fit three meals a day
Three meals a day will suit you if:
- you work with 8 to 5 and you do not have the opportunity to have a snack between meals;
- you do not want to spend extra time on cooking;
- you are accustomed to this type of food, do not suffer from excess weight and digestive problems;
- you do not feel hunger in the middle of the day.
If you are struggling with excess weight, suffer from hunger, and then overeat, you should try other food systems.
On the subject: 13 surest ways to start drinking more water
Fractional nutrition to control hunger
Diet
The essence of fractional nutrition is to divide your daily calorie intake into many small meals. How much exactly - depends on your capabilities and desires. As a rule, these are six meals: three main meals and three snacks.
If your calorie intake is 1 500 kcal, instead of three meals on 500 kcal, you eat no more than 250 kcal at a time. This, for example, one sandwich or a glass of kefir and an apple.
The benefits of fractional power
The advantages of this method are that during the day you do not feel hungry, due to which you consume less food, even if you do not count calories and do not limit yourself in food.
Reduced feelings of hunger confirm the results of one experiment conducted on young men with a normal body weight. Scientists have discovered that if you divide a portion of food into five parts and give each part in an hour, then the subjects can better control their appetite than when they eat a portion at a time.
In addition, frequent meals reduce the level of glucose and bad cholesterol in the blood. This is confirmed by a study that compared the benefits of 17 snacking per day over the usual three meals. People who eat frequently have a decrease in total fasting cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein and apolipoprotein B - carriers of bad cholesterol. In addition, they have decreased blood glucose levels and the release of C-peptide in daily urine.
A decrease in the level of insulin in the blood with a six-meal diet was also confirmed in the study.
It is impossible to say for sure whether fractional nutrition helps to lose weight, because some studies do not reveal the benefits of frequent meals for weight loss. But since data on the benefits of such a diet is still there, why not try it?
Who should try split meals
Consider split meals if:
- you are overweight and you are looking for ways to get rid of it;
- you have the opportunity to eat during the day;
- you often feel hungry during the day and overeat in the evening;
- you want to lower bad cholesterol and insulin.
With three meals and fractional meals, we figured out. There is another eating pattern, which is recommended as healthy, a short-term fast.
On the subject: What happens to your body if you drink 2 cups of coffee a day?
Short-term fasting for heart and brain health
Diet
Short-term fasting is a power scheme in which you consume only water for 16 – 18 hours, and eat as much as you like for the rest of the time, but without overeating and junk food. There is also another scheme - regular meals five days a week and fasting for 24 hours twice a week.
Short-term starvation can be called a fashion trend, but such power schemes have been encountered in history. For example, the historian Caroline Yeldham (Caroline Yeldham) says that the ancient Romans ate once a day around noon. They were very concerned about their digestion, and eating more than once a day was considered overeating.
The benefits of short-term fasting
There are quite a few studies proving the benefits of fasting, but most of them were conducted with the participation of animals. For example, an experiment on mice proved the benefit of a short-term fast for the cardiovascular system. In addition, there was a decrease in insulin, leptin and cholesterol, as well as an increase in testosterone levels.
According to Mark Mattson, a senior researcher at the National Institute on Aging, starvation reduces the number of markers of inflammation in the blood and reduces oxidative stress, supports learning and memory.
The participants in the experiment — overweight adults with asthma — consumed only 20% of their calorie intake on some days. Over eight weeks, they lost 8% of weight, their blood counts decreased oxidative stress and inflammation, asthma symptoms also decreased, and some quality of life indicators improved.
Mattson also investigated the benefits of fasting for the brain. If you do not eat for 10 – 16 hours, your body will draw energy from fat reserves, and fatty acids will flow into the blood. This will positively affect cognitive functions such as memory and learning ability, as well as slow down the destructive processes in the brain.
However, according to Dr. Stephen Friedland (Stephen Freedland), a professor of urology at Duke University Medical Center, calorie restriction is of great, if not decisive, importance.
Dr. Friedland and colleagues investigated the effect of short-term fasting on the development of prostate cancer in mice. The mice starved twice a week for 24 hours, and overeat the rest of the time. As a result, they did not lose weight and did not get any benefits from starvation - the growth of a cancerous tumor did not slow down.
Friedland believes that overall caloric reduction is more important for health than fasting periods. That is, you can only benefit from fasting if you eat healthy food the rest of the time and do not overeat.
Who should try short-term fasting
You should try short-term fasting if:
- you can not lose weight and want to try something new;
- you do not experience hunger in the morning (for example, if you choose daily fasting for 16 hours and ate at 8 hours of the evening, next time you can eat only at 12 day);
- You do not want to spend a lot of time on cooking.
And what diet is right for you? Tell us in the comments.
