The timing of meals, key to a healthy diet

 

Following a good diet is synonymous with health. There are a large number of ailments and diseases that can be avoided with a healthy diet. The first that comes to mind is obesity as well as all the ailments derived from it, such as diabetes, hypertension or colon cancer, to give just a few examples.

Healthy food, Mediterranean diet MINISTRY OF SCIENCE (FILE PHOTO) 11/18/2020 MINISTRY OF SCIENCE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE

There are also many other conditions that, with unhealthy eating habits, can be aggravated: food intolerances, heartburn, gas ... In general, a healthy and balanced diet helps maintain a strong immune system and a healthy weight.

Besides what we eat, when and how we do it is almost as important. DosFarma experts explain why it is important to pay attention to meal times and the time we dedicate to each one, as well as some tips to establish healthy eating habits:

1. EAT FIVE MEALS A DAY.

When organizing the daily menu, keep in mind that many hours should not pass between each meal. For this reason, between breakfast and lunch, include a light snack in the middle of the morning (nuts, whole grains with yogurt, coffee with tomato toast and oil ...) The same happens between lunch and dinner, where you have to include a snack. Thanks to these two extra, lighter meals, the energy intake necessary for the whole day is achieved.

Plus, eating five meals will help balance hunger throughout the day. If we only do three, we will arrive with much more appetite to each one, which can lead us to eat more than necessary. However, only half of women eat 4 or more meals a day, and only 4 out of 10 men.

2. ESTABLISH FIXED HOURS.

Teleworking or confinement have greatly affected the routine of Spaniards, and of course also their meal times. However, keeping a few fixed times to eat helps to synchronize our entire body.

The body has a master clock in the brain that controls all activities (hormone production, for example), but it also has other clocks in each organ that depend on the master clock. Light and dark help regulate the master clock, but so does feeding. If the times of meals are always changing, it will be very difficult to get the brain and the different organs to synchronize correctly.

This desynchronization is often suffered by people who have rotating shifts or who make long flights and change time zones. If the body receives food at a time when it is not used to it, it may not assimilate the nutrients as well. Over time, imbalances can translate into problems such as diabetes, obesity, or insomnia.

3. HAVE AN EARLY BREAKFAST.

The first meal of the day marks the time of our body. It is important to have breakfast more or less early to synchronize all our clocks. Now, it is not necessary to do it at 5 in the morning. Let melatonin, the hormone that makes us sleepy at night, go down a bit. Between 7:00 and 8:00 is a great time.

4. DINNER, ALSO EARLY.

As night approaches, the hormones responsible for digesting sugars and carbohydrates decrease. Thus, carbohydrates are better metabolized if we have dinner before. Also, the earlier we take them, the more time the body will have to digest them, so 20:00 is a very good time.

If it is impossible to have dinner at that time, it is important to leave a space of about two and a half hours before going to sleep. And if you stay up late and have eaten early, you can have a yogurt or a glass of milk before going to bed. Dairy products have tryptophan, an amino acid that helps produce melatonin and serotonin, essential for falling asleep.

5. EAT SLOWLY.

You not only have to take into account when to eat, but also for how long. Eating too fast, with anxiety or stress, causes nutrients to not be absorbed properly. That can lead to constipation, gas, hiccups, and other digestive ailments.

6. CHEW WELL.

Since you do not have to eat in a hurry, you have to make sure that the food is chewed well, even if that means spending a few more minutes. It is important that food mixes well with saliva in the mouth, as saliva contains amylase, an enzyme that helps digest carbohydrates. If food reaches the stomach without the amylase working properly, it will have to work much harder to digest everything.

7. DRINK ENOUGH WATER.

Meals should be on set times, but drinking fluids should be done throughout the day. The key is to drink before you feel thirsty, in order to replace the fluids lost through sweat and urine (between 1.5 and 2 liters a day, approximately). The important thing is not to leave long periods of time without drinking liquids. It is not necessary to drink only water, but adding other liquids will stimulate the desire to drink: infusions, natural juices.

 

 

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