Do you remember when our mother (or whoever for her: aunt, grandmother, father) recommended us when we were children not to eat between meals to avoid ruining our dinner or lunch? Well, maybe they were right. In a biography that I recently read, about a woman of the twentieth century, when talking about her childhood, the protagonist is made the same recommendation by her parents, when on vacation in the countryside she happened to eat simple fruit between meals. . Don’t eat apples from the trees !!! You spoil your hunger for dinner. In fact, in the past, snacking was not the rule, but the exception, often for children.
Adults only ate regular meals, i.e. breakfast, often very early, lunch and dinner (often early). There were no exceptions, we cooked and ate together at the table. It’s hard to think today, but maybe irregular mealtimes and an excess of snacking are making us fat.
A new study from the University of Helsinki explains just that.Looking at the modern eating habits of about 5 thousand people aged 24 to 35/40, or following them for ten years, it emerged that those who had gained weight over the years tended to eat in a disordered way and had a history of continuous weight loss diets. And the alarming fact is that this tendency to gain weight occurred in three quarters of the population sampled. People who tended to gain weight did not eat three regular meals, but at the limit of mini meals followed by copious snacks throughout the day. By not having proper regular meals, you tend to feel hungry all the time.
Instead eat three regular meals and get regular physical activitythese are the two things that unite the only quarter of the champion who has always remained the same weight in ten years. Without diets, but simply eating enough for breakfast, lunch and dinner to avoid the tendency to frequent snacking.
In short, snacking should be the prerogative of children, due to study and outdoor activities. Not adults. If we often feel hungry between meals, it is likely that we are not looking after the main meals enough.
Now, without demonizing this habit, having three satisfying meals a day can at least allow us to have more control over how much we eat , and the balance between the nutrients in the meals.