I'm writing this post knowing that I'm the WORST culprit of this advice! In working with nutritionist Tamara Renee, one of the things she was constantly identifying about my nutrition problems was that I didn't eat often enough throughout the day!
If I teach in the morning, I normally have a water bottle full of Spark (my energy drink). I love it because it's light on my stomach, allows me to move around freely without feeling bloated, and it helps me not fumble over my words as I'm giving class cues! Then if I teach a few classes back to back, I get out of class, return calls and emails, and often have a meeting. I then look at the clock and find it's 2 pm and I haven't eaten a thing! Then I promptly call one of the local restaurants and order a sandwich or something, eating the whole thing because I'm starving, and then feel horrible because I ate too much in one sitting!
One of the BEST pieces:
1. It helps rev your metabolism if you eat every 3 hours or so. It tells your body that it can count on a steady stream of food throughout the day, rather than putting the body into starvation mode (which is what my body goes into from the time between my 7 pm dinner the night prior and my 2 pm "breakfast" the next day).
2. By eating throughout the day, you don't experience the blood sugar spikes and drops caused by no food. This helps you not get to that point of such extreme hunger!
3. By eating smaller meals, you don't experience that lethargy or "food coma" that you often get from a large meal.
4. When you get extremely hungry, you normally start to crave high suger/high carb comfort foods. By planning ahead and eating small meals through the day, you'll reduce many of those unhealthy cravings.
So next time you get busy and decide to skip a meal, think twice. Pack a container of trail mix or some nuts. It's always a great quick fix in a pinch! You'll be amazed how much better you'll feel by eating more regularly throughout the day!