Today I wanted to do a post on some key reasons why eating regularly is beneficial – both from a nutrition and a relationship with food standpoint.

By “eating regularly,” I’m talking 3 meals and around 3 snacks per day, every 3 hours or so. Some people may prefer/need more like 2 or 4+ snacks, and some people eat a little more often or go a little longer in between meals, depending on hunger cues/personal preferences/schedules each day. BUT, I find these rules of thumb for regular eating rhythms tend to work well for pretty much everyone. (Since they are based on human biology & psychology!)

As an example (everyone is different!) you can see how I might incorporate 3 meals & about 3 snacks in my everyday eating here.

Oftentimes, a client will come to me eating only 2-3 meals per day and no snacks. Snacks might be viewed as “bad,” and the thought of eating more regularly may at first seem anxiety-inducing or counterproductive. However, it’s common that the client is experiencing a range of symptoms that can be vastly improved upon with regular eating rhythms.

These symptoms may include bloating, constipation/diarrhea, obsession/preoccupation with food, binge eating, chaotic eating, difficulty noticing or listening to hunger/fullness cues, lack of hunger cues, slowed metabolism, imbalanced hormones, feeling addicted to food, and more!

Once we begin to understand more what is going on and start to make gentle shifts towards more regular and balanced eating, these concerns start to improve.

Let’s explore some of the main reasons why I recommend eating regularly! (3 meals and ~3 snacks)

Benefits of eating regularly: 

Eating regularly is good for blood sugar levels.

First, let’s start off by discussing a few nutrition/physical health reasons.

Eating “adequate amounts” about every 3 hours or so is generally the optimal way to eat to have healthy/normal blood sugar levels throughout the day. (By “adequate amounts,” I mean an amount of food that is satisfying and adequate for YOUR unique needs at any given moment).

Ideally, our blood sugar levels should be like a wave throughout the day. Our blood sugar levels will gradually drop in between meals (leading you to feel hungry), and then rise immediately following the meal, and then gradually drop again. Before/after a meal will generally lead to greater dips/increases in blood sugar compared to before/after a snack, as meals are typically larger than snacks. (Although this depends, of course, on what you are actually eating at said meals/snacks, as different foods/combinations affect blood sugar differently).

When we go too long without eating, our blood sugar drops too low –> leading to the “hangry” experience that most everyone is familiar with! We may feel tense, jittery, and like I NEED FOOD NOW! When we are this hungry / our blood sugar is this low, it’s a lot harder to be mindful with eating and to stop at a comfortable level of fullness. (Because our bodies are so desperately needing alll the food asap!)

On the other hand, if we are snacking or grazing constantly throughout the day, we will have more of a “snack mountain” blood sugar experience – where our blood sugar keeps climbing and climbing and climbing throughout the day because we aren’t giving it enough time to come down as it’s supposed to in between eating. Not ideal either….

Enter 3 meals, ~3 snacks, ~3 hours apart for healthy blood sugar levels.

You are more likely to have greater nutritional variety.

By eating regularly, it is more likely that you will have greater nutritional variety throughout the day. This is ideal for meeting your vitamin + mineral (and general nutrition) needs!

In general, the greater the variety of foods we eat, the greater the likelihood we will get the abundance of vitamins and minerals we need each day. Most people are more likely to eat a greater variety of foods when there are more “opportunities” for eating various combinations of foods throughout the day.

One reason I am a fan of intentional snacking is that it can be a great way to get in some additional nutrition beyond your regular meals.

Some of my favorite / recommended nutrient-dense snack ideas:

–> Simple homemade bars or bites 
–> Snack plate w/ cheese cubes, crackers, + fruit
–> Whole-milk yogurt w/ berries + granola
–> Hummus w/ carrots + pretzels
–> DIY trail mix (such as w/ almonds, peanuts, cashews, chopped dates + chocolate chips)

You can download my free mix and match snack ideas handout here!

For snacks, I generally recommend pairing a carbohydrate source (such as crackers) with a fat and/or protein source (such as cheese or peanut butter).

Most of the satisfying snack combinations that we tend to naturally gravitate towards as humans tend to fall into this “general formula”! (As always, I see this as a flexible rule of thumb, not a rigid rule).

It is easier to make “micro-adjustments” throughout the day based on how you are feeling. 

When we are eating more frequently throughout the day, there are more opportunities to check in with how we are feeling and nourish our bodies accordingly.

For example, I just ate lunch and am feeling a little more full than I typically like to feel after lunch. Maybe not completely 100% ideal, but totally fine! I know that I generally eat a snack between lunch and dinner, and I have plenty of options for navigating eating as the day unfolds. I will feel the afternoon out and see how my hunger levels communicate my needs. Maybe I won’t feel quite as hungry around 2/3pm and I’ll have a smaller snack than I usually do. Maybe I’ll feel extra hungry for some reason and eat a larger snack! The point is, when we eat frequently throughout the day we can more easily adjust our eating throughout the day to meet our biological needs.

The general way to adjust eating throughout the day is to listen to your hunger/fullness signals. Something I often work on with clients! If you are in recovery from an eating disorder (or any degree of disordered eating) and don’t currently experience regular hunger signals, eating 3 meals & 3 snacks per day is still the optimal way to restore your metabolism and hunger cues.

Your brain can “relax” more around food.

When we are planning to eat regularly throughout the day, we feel less obsessive about food because we know food is coming again soon. We aren’t waiting 6 hours for our next eating opportunity!

With the 3 meal & 3 snack approach, the next opportunity to eat is coming again soon, whatever time of day it is. (And as soon as needed if unexpected hunger strikes!) Our brains are more easily able to relax and move on to other meaningful work and pursuits. Our nutrition needs need to be met, so our brains will keep us thinking about and searching out food if we are going too long between meals/snacks.

It is a normal, hardwired human physiological and psychological response to feel obsessive about food if you aren’t eating regularly enough!

(Or if you aren’t eating enough from a caloric/energy standpoint).

There are more opportunities to practice joy and satisfaction with eating! 

My favorite reason to eat more than three times per day!

Eating a satisfying meal or snack can be an enjoyable part of everyday life. Maybe it is an amazingly delicious dinner that you took the time to cook for yourself/your family. Maybe it is a “less than exciting” lunch that you packed but gives yourself the chance to pause and take a break from your busy workday.

When we are eating regularly, if our meal wasn’t the best it doesn’t feel like that big of a deal, because we know another new eating opportunity is coming soon.

When we feel mindless or out-of-control with eating, it doesn’t have to feel so catastrophic because we have more opportunities coming soon to practice being a little more present with food.

When we are pursuing JOY and SATISFACTION as a foundation for our eating, we are more likely to be…

–> adequately nourished
–> centered and calm around food
–> less obsessive with food
–> healthier physically, mentally, and emotionally

What might it look like in your life to consider a bit more “eating regularity” as a way to practice experiencing more everyday joy and satisfaction with eating? 

My favorite ways lately to experience the pleasures of eating regularly have been with my evening dark chocolate or a delish afternoon snack of fresh honeydew + a homemade coconut cacao bar!

What might this look like in your own life?

(And, if it feels fearful or anxiety-inducing to think about eating more regularly, I’d encourage you to get curious and explore what’s behind those fears/feelings. What thought patterns and beliefs are driving your feelings? Are they true? Are they serving you? Things to think potentially about).

I hope you have a great rest of the week! 🙂