The concept of 3 square meals per day somehow seems a bit old-fashioned in these times of constant grazing, intermittent fasting, or the 6 meal-a-day bodybuilder. However, there's a few good reasons that the traditional template is still the best and why I still use 3 square meals for the majority of my clients.
Let's take them one by one...
Firstly, leaving a good 4 hours between eating helps keep your gut bacteria balanced and toxin-free. This is because your gut needs a period of around 4 hours without eating to activate a flushing wave (the migrating motor complex) that helps to eliminate toxins and balance bacterial levels. If this does not happen, you can develop bacterial imbalances like SIBO, which is associated with many health conditions including Rosacea. So, if you eat at 7:30am, 1pm, and 7pm, that's roughly 5 hours between each meal. Strike one for the squares...
Secondly, 3 square meals might keep you leaner, as the longer you leave between meals, then the more chance there is that your body has to dip into stored energy and burn your body fat. Strike two!
Finally, eating 3 square meals may help avoid leaving it too long between meals. Too long a period without nutrition can activate stress hormones, leaving you jittery, 'hangry', and unable to concentrate. Strike three!
So remember, it genuinely is hip to be square...!
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Nick
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