Why you should eat every 2 hours

From eating two square meals a day to eating small meals every two hours, the Indian diet wisdom has evolved with time.  Age-old Indian traditions like Ayurveda and yoga supported the practice of having two meals a day, as it provided the body adequate time to fully digest and absorb nutrients. Also, in our agrarian society, eating twice a day logically aligned with daily schedules of people.

However, over the decades, our technology-driven and dependent lifestyles have increasingly become sedentary, as a single push of button can do all the heavy lifting. In such circumstances, most nutritionists advise having small meals every two hours, instead of sticking to the three large-meal routine of having breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Mohali-based nutritionist Neelu Malhotra explains the logic behind this concept of having frequent but small meals. “Eating speeds up your metabolic rate. Having small meals at regular intervals keeps the metabolic rate up.”

Celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar has been advocating this practice of eating small meals since long. According to Rujuta, eating nutrient-rich mini meals every two hours can keep your energy levels high and prevent cravings and overeating.

Most experts recommend eating frequent, small meals because keeping long gaps in between meals can lead to low energy levels, poor concentration, acid reflux, fluctuations in blood sugar, sluggish metabolism, food cravings, etc.

“Besides, our activity levels have also become very low, whether at home or at work. Most of the time, we keep sitting, and are not moving much, even after having a large meal. In the absence of any movement or activity, the metabolism becomes sluggish and energy is stored as fat in your body,” explains Neelu.

She has some simple and practical solutions. “You can split your lunch/dinner into mini meals. Eat the salad first, an hour-and-a-half later eat one chapatti with vegetables or just have vegetables. Eat rest of the meal, be it rice and lentils or roti, curd, etc, after another hour and a half. But eat only healthy foods and not samosas or gulab jamun as your mini meals,” she cautions.

Rujuta, too, advises to carry fuss-free foods with you like nuts, fruit, roasted peanuts, cheese or yoghurt that take only minutes to eat. These simple foods provide fuel to the body and can prevent bingeing on junk food.

Like most nutritionists, Neelu, too, advocates having an early dinner by 7 or 7.30, as heavy meals late at night interfere with digestion and sleep. But she again advises to stick to the rule of eating every two hours, especially if you sleep late. “As many people work late-night shifts or generally sleep late, they should modify their eating routine according to their lifestyle. Because the practice of having early dinner is only feasible and beneficial, if you sleep by 9 or 9.30 pm. If you sleep late, then you are bound to feel hungry if you have finished dinner by 7. It is better then to have something light later such as a salad, soup, fruit, milk, even half a bowl of dal and a small roti or some grilled chicken or paneer, a fistful of dry fruits, etc.  Just don’t order a butter chicken or naan or binge on biscuits or namkeens late at night.”

Experts also say having small, frequent meals can stabilise blood sugar. Some studies have found that people who eat small meals frequently have better cholesterol levels, especially HDL (high-density lipoprotein) levels, than those who eat less than three meals a day. Higher levels of HDL are associated with a reduced risk of heart disease.

However, there have been other studies that suggest that sticking to the three-meal diet is more beneficial. A study revealed that those eating smaller meals throughout the day had increased hunger levels and more desire to eat, and hence were likely to consume more calories than those who ate less frequently.

But as Neelu says what may work for one person may not work for another.  Always listen to your body — it will tell you what is good for you.