The importance of balanced eating (five times a day)

July 9, 5:37 PMSt. Louis Food ExaminerRachel Whitener

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The joy of cooking is rooted in the joy of eating. That said, if you’re a food lover you should have no problem taking care of your daily food needs. Right? Unfortunately people tend to forget to fuel their bodies adequately during the day. Eating smart should be easy, but when you marry that goal with eating healthy, eating the right amounts and eating at regular intervals, it quickly becomes just another thing on your To-Do list (probably somewhere between “Lose 10 pounds” and “Take an ice sculpting class”). And if you’re thinking that you’ll get with it and work on fitting in those three important meals of the day, surprise – the magic number is now five.

Breakfast is the most vital meal we consume, and everyone knows that. The reason that feeding your body in the morning is so critical, however, is not just because it gives you energy to start the day, but if you wait to eat until later in the day, your body will go into starvation mode. It responds to the possibility that it could be awhile until the next meal, so it begins to stockpile fat. The goal is to avoid making your metabolism surf between being hungry and being overfed (e.g. not eating until dinner and then overstuffing) and instead give it a constant stream of fuel. That means five smaller meals rather than the traditional three.

For some, eating three times a day is difficult, much less five. But if we get ourselves into a habit of thinking about what we’re going to eat from the start of our day, it will be much easier to fulfill the requirement. For instance, stock up on things like pastas, cereals, crackers, yogurt, nuts, cheese, canned soup and other foods that are easy snacks alone. Get a cloth grocery bag and carry some of these to work so that you’re not tempted to ravage the vending machine. If you’re a Starbucks frequenter for your morning coffee, grab a scone too. As long as you give your body something in the morning for fuel, you’ll save yourself from starving mid-day, especially if something should happen at work and you become swamped.

Snacking during the afternoon can help you avoid the stress of being hungry after work, when you have to take the car to the shop or run errands or pick up the kids. Avoid buying packaged meals and instead take the ingredients with you or prepare your meals before leaving home. If you’re cooking on Sunday night, increase the serving size so that you’ll have extra for the week. These food tins are great for storing small items and are better and greener options than plastic containers that get grungy over time.

Your body can be compared to a fire that needs constant feeding. While it may sound threatening to your metabolism, if you adequately fuel yourself the body won’t store as much fat and you’ll actually lose weight. Cheers to that.