As my diet has developed over the years, I’ve discovered how much of a difference it can make to eat several small snacks through the day rather than gorging on big meals. Historically, I’ve had a tendency to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner at prescribed times and in large quantities. Then I went through a two-year period of snacking regularly and having only one meal of any significance (usually dinner, but I feel best when it’s breakfast). The last year has seen a lapse of sorts in this part of my life, and, predictably, I’ve noticed changes for the worse as a result.
I have experienced and therefore believe that the body functions best with a light breakfast of a couple servings of fruit, followed a bit later by a medium-sized breakfast. For the rest of the day, meals should be small and consistent: a vegetable, a small sandwich, a small bowl of pasta, nuts, grains… grazing, as it were.
By eating this way, I have more energy. When I eat a few big meals, I get very tired, groggy, and unable to concentrate. When I eat several small snacks instead, I am more vibrant, energetic, and clear in my thinking.
By eating this way, I eat less. When I eat a few big meals, I sit and eat in a focused way, and by the time I feel full I’ve gone passed having had enough. When I eat several small snacks instead, I consume a little bit while doing something else, which naturally paces me, so I feel full when I get to the point of having had enough and I don’t eat as much total as a result.
By eating this way, I feel happier. When I eat a few big meals, my mood swings around the clock; the closer to mealtime, the more expectant and demanding my mood, and after a meal I am uncomfortable and sometimes upset. When I eat several small snacks instead, I have peace of mind and the energy to perform, and happiness flows more easily; also, I more fully appreciate the food for the nourishment it gives me and am grateful, which leads to inner harmony.
There is a zen saying: “When you are hungry, eat.” Eat when you are hungry, but only as much as you are hungry for. When you are no longer hungry, stop eating.
In the news
- Yeah, but you probably wouldn’t notice or care: Marijuana testicular cancer link
- Attitude is everything: Psychopaths’ ‘early release con’
- Uh, that’s not the point of taking multivitamins: Multivitamins no cancer, heart help, study says
Quote for the week
If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn’t part of ourselves doesn’t disturb us. – Hermann Hesse
Healthy thoughts,
Jeff
