Eat When You're Supposed To (and Snack Very Little!)

Today, we eat all the time, munching on snacks, convenience foods, or sipping lattes, sodas or smoothies at every hour of the day.
It’s a fact. Just take a look around yourself.
We eat while driving or riding in a car or walking or at our desks or while watching TV. We are snacking more and eating fewer meals.
We do so little eating at the table that sociologists and market researchers - who study American eating habits - report that we have added to the traditional big three meals (i.e., breakfast, lunch and dinner) a fourth one that lasts all day long: the constant snacking meal.
Snacks are less and less the hunger-soothing bridge between formal meals. They have become a meal in their own right.
As a result, we eat much more food than we need and we're gaining weight at an alarming rate.
We’re a nation of overweight and obese people, because we eat too often, not only too much.
The solution? Going back to our roots — eating only at designated meal times and limit snacking.
It’s OK to feel hungry between meals. However, being hungry doesn’t mean you have to eat.
If it isn’t breakfast, lunch or dinner, always ask yourself: “Am I really hungry?”
Maybe you’re just bored, tired, distracted, sad, or happy. Try to understand what you’re really feeling before you grab something to eat.

How often we should eat can be pretty confusing.
We’ve all heard about the concept of ‘grazing’ — or eating five to six smaller meals over the course of the day to keep your metabolism revved.
Grazing in theory makes sense, but in practice people eating this way often end up eating more, and eating more processed food.
In addition, recent studies show that noshing often doesn’t provide much of an impact on calorie burning; and there’s also evidence that smaller meals may provide less high-quality nutrients if compared to bigger ones.
Grazing can be okay - I’m certainly not against it - as long as it’s not done mindlessly. But in my experience scheduling and prepping 6 small meals a day is not an easy task.
So, what’s the sweet spot? Eat when you’re supposed to.
A hearty breakfast, medium lunch, a lighter dinner and one small snack - either in the morning or in the afternoon - depending on your schedule and the timing of lunch and dinner.
This strategy proves to be the best because meal sizes are large enough so that you can eat high-quality, nutrient-dense foods that make you feel satisfied and fueled for longer.
When snacking, try to limit yourself to fruits, veggies, nuts (in small quantities) or something light and nutritious such as a yogurt.
Remember: A desk is not a table; and neither is your car, your sofa or your armchair.
When we eat while we’re working, or driving or watching TV, we eat mindlessly, and end up eating a lot more than we would if we were eating at a table, paying attention to what we’re doing.