"Food" for Thought

Here's a thought provoking article for the thin and the fluffy alike...

http://nutritiondiva.quickanddirtytips.com/eating-frequently.aspx

In my quest for liberation from my food consumption quirks, I came across this article and was tickled when our dear Jennifer sent the link to me to see about my take on it: eat every 3 hours? good, bad or other?

I think that it's a method that may work for some people if utilized effectively. I think that it would be most effective with people who overeat due to some nervous compulsion or as a pacifier to soothe emotional upsets. I have found this with myself actually, in the beginning of the diet that I am on. I have really been studying my responses to stressors, the foods that trigger a binge and why. Before I was eating to excess when I sat down to eat, subconsciously, that stretched, full feeling had become comfortable to me, that I had worked hard, that I DESERVED this moment of relaxation, the 'nourishment.' When I started taking away the volume, I felt panicky, like I was being deprived, although I was not technically hungry after a certain amount of food. I used the snack times as a tool, to fill in the gaps, to explore healthy snacks and start changing my mind-set, that smaller meals and less food in a sitting was not a bad thing. I used to start to train my stomach to smaller amounts and paying close attention to my hunger signals. Now after 8 weeks, I am able to start dropping the snack, if my stomach doesn't feel hungry, without feeling nervous. It has gotten me more used to looking at much smaller portions on my plate, and really thinking about what is going onto it.

I think that well balanced main meals should be the staple of your day, and properly planned with proteins to carbohydrates gives you the staying power to last through to the next meal. The chemistry of what you put on your plate is what will keep your blood sugars even over the course of the day. So 5-6 small meals I don't think are necessary. (I cannot speak for the population dealing with Diabetes except in the area that diet makes the difference for most in the quantity of medication that is needed.) I am insulin resistant, and food choices are everything because my body reacts so strongly to what I eat. "A moment on the lips is a lifetime on the hips" or gut, in my case.

For me the 3 small meals and 3 small snacks have been a tool to help me begin to combat the slightly obsessive-compulsive reasons why I am prone to over-indulge; its a little more complicated for me than that, but that is primarily the root. It may not be the same for everyone. I would be interested to see what others' take is on this and their experiences.

On another related note to the urges we have, with Nature vs Nurture: I think that the "nurture" is stronger than the nature. The body only needs a certain quantity of food based on its caloric output, but humans use food to satisfy basic needs that are not nutrition related. While its true that you find fat animals in nature, their fat is there for survival purposes only- for insulation, for endurance during long periods where food will be scarce, and so forth, but you never find an animal who has fat without purpose---unless they've been domesticated by humans.

"Food" for thought? I think so! Let's hear what you think!