Wia dis foto come from, Getty Images
E dey possible say you fit dey eat three times a day - modern life dey designed around dis way of eating.
Dem tell us say breakfast na di most important meal of di day, We get lunch breaks for wia we dey work, and den our social and family lives revolve around evening meals. But na di healthiest way to eat be dis?
Before we consider how frequently we suppose eat, scientists urge us to consider wen we no suppose eat.
Intermittent fasting, wia you go restrict your food intake to evri eight-hours don dey become a huge area of research.
Giving your bodi at least 12 hours a day witout food allow our digestive system to rest, na so Emily Manoogian, clinical researcher for di Salk Institute for Biological Studies for California, and author of one 2019 paper entitled "When to eat".tok
Rozalyn Anderson, wey be associate professor for di University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, don study di benefits of calorie restriction, wey dey associated with lower levels of inflammation for di bodi.
"If you get fasting period every day, you fit enjoy some of dis benefits," she tok. "E get into di idea say fasting dey put di bodi for different state, where e dey more ready to repair and survey for damage, and clear misfolded proteins." Misfolded proteins na di versions of ordinary proteins wey no good for di bodi, dem be molecules wey dey perform big and important jobs for di bodi. Misfolded proteins dey associated with a number of diseases.
Intermittent fasting dey more in line wit how our bodi don evolve, Anderson argue. She say e dey give di bodi break so dat e go dey able to store food and get energy to di level wey e suppose be, and trigger di mechanism to release energy from our bodi.
Fasting fit also improve our glycaemic response, wey be wen our blood glucose rise afta we don chop, na so Antonio Paoli, professor of exercise and sport sciences for di University of Padova for Italy tok. If you get small blood glucose increase e dey allow you to store less fat for di bodi, e tok.
Wia dis foto come from, Getty Images
"Our data suggest say if you chop night food early wey increase di time of your fasting window, e dey also increase some positive effects for di bodi, like better glycaemic control," Paoli tok.
"E dey beta for all cells to get lower levels of sugar inside dem becos of one process called glycation", Paoli add. Dis na wia glucose link to proteins to form compounds wey dem dey call 'advanced glycation end products', wey fit cause inflammation for di bodi and increase di risk of developing diabetes and heart disease.
To chop only one time a day no go make hunger sama us well well? No be like dat.
But if intermittent fasting na di healthy way to eat - how many times wey pesin get to chop?
Some experts argue say to chop one time a day na im beta pass, including David Levitsky, professor at Cornell University's College of Human Ecology for New York, wey dey practice dis style by imsef.
"Plenti data dey wey show say, if dem show you food or pictures of food, you dey likely to eat more, and di more frequently food dey your front, na di more you go chop dat day," e tok.
"Dis na becos, before fridges and supermarkets dem come, we dey only eat wen food dey available. Throughout history, na one meal a day including di Ancient Romans wey chop only one meal for Afternoon food," historian Seren Charrington-Hollins tok.
One meal a day no go kill us wit hunger? Not necessarily, Levitsky argue say hunger na psychological sensation.
"Wen time reach 12pm, we fit get feelings to eat, or you fit dey conditioned to eat breakfast for morning, but dis na nonsense. Data show say if you no eat breakfast, you go chop chop fewer calories overall dat day.
"Our physiology dey built for feasting and fasting," e tok. However, Levitsky no dey recommend dis pattern for pipo wey get diabetes.
But Manoogan no dey recommend sticking to one meal a day, since e fit increase di level of glucose for our blood wen we no dey chop - dem call am fasting glucose. High levels of fasting glucose for long period of time na risk factor for type 2 diabetes.
Wia dis foto come from, Getty Images
Keeping blood glucose levels down pesin need to dey chop more regularly dan once a day, Manoogan tok, as e dey prevent di bodi to tink say e dey starve and e go come release more glucose wen you eat in response.
Instead, she say, two to three meals a day na im beta pass - wit most of your calories consumed earlier in di day. Dis na becos to eat late for night dey associated with cardio-metabolic disease, including diabetes and heart disease.
"If you eat most of your food earlier on, your body fit use di energy you feed am throughout di day, rather dan to store am inside your system as fat," Manoogan tok.
But make pipo avoid to eat for early mor-mor too, she tok, as e no go give you enough time to fast. Also, to eat immediately afta you wake up no good as e dey work against our circadian rhythm - wey be our bodi clock - wey researchers say dey dictate how di bodi dey process food differently throughout di day.
Our bodi dey release melatonin overnight to help us sleep - but melatonin dey also pause di creation of insulin, wey dey store glucose for di bodi. Because melatonin dey released wen you dey sleep, di bodi dey use am make sure we no take in too much glucose wen we dey sleep and no dey chop, Manoogan tok.
"If you take in calories wen your melatonin dey high, you go get really high glucose levels. Consuming plenti calories for night dey pose significant challenge to di bodi becos if insulin dey supressed, your bodi no go fit store glucose properly."
And, as we know, high levels of glucose over long periods of time fit increase di risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Dis no mean say make we skip breakfast altogeda o, but some evidence suggest make we wait for one hour or two after waking up before we chop. E also dey good to remember say breakfast as we know and love it today na relatively new concept.
"Di Ancient Greeks na di first to introduce di concept of breakfast, dem go chop bread wey dem soak inside wine. Dem dey chop frugal lunch, den a hearty evening meal," Charrington-Hollins tok.
Initially, breakfast dey exclusive to aristocratic classes, Charrington-Hollins add. Dem first capture am for di 17th Century, wen e become di luxury of di pipo wey fit afford di food and di time for leisure meal for morning.
"Di concept today of breakfast wey don turn normal tin now [start] during di Industrial Revolution for di 19th Century and dem introduce am into working hours," Charrington-Hollins tok. Na di routine wey come turn imsef to three meals a day. "Di first meal na somtin wey dey quite simple for di working class pipo - e fit be street food from a vendor or bread."
Dem no support media player for your device
But afta war, wen availability of food con reduce, di idea idea to eat full breakfast no come dey possible again, plenti pipo come dey skip am. "Di idea of three meals a day just vanish, Charrington-Hollins tok. "For di 1950s breakfast dey as we dey recognise am today: cereal and toast. Before dat time we dey happy well well to eat a piece of bread wit jam."
So, di science dey suggest say di healthiest way to eat throughout di day na to chop two or three meals, with long fasting window overnight, to not eat too early or too late in di day, and to consume more calories earlier in di day. Dis style dey realistic?
Manoogan say e dey best not to specify di best times to eat, as e fit dey difficult for pipo wit responsibilities and irregular time commitments, like pipo wey dey work for night shifts.
"Telling pipo to stop to eat by 7pm no dey helpful becos pipo get different schedules. If you try to give your bodi regular fast nights, try to not eat too late or early and try to not have huge final meals, dis fit help. Pipo fit at least adopt parts of dis," she tok.
Wia dis foto come from, Getty Images
"You fit see dramatic change just from a small delay for your first meal and advancing your last meal. If yo make dis style regular if you no change anytin else fit get big impact."
But any changes wey you make, researchers agree say consistency dey important.
"Di bodi dey works in patterns," Anderson tok. "We dey respond to di hope say we wan chop. One tin intermittent fasting dey do be say e dey force you to get pattern a and our biological systems do well wit pattern." She say di bodi pick up on cues to anticipate our eating behaviours so e go know how best to deal wit di food wen we chop am.
When it come to how many meals wey dey normal, Charrington-Hollins dey see change on di horizon.
"Over di centuries, we don dey conditioned to three meals a day, but we don dey challenge am now and pipo attitude to food dey change to. We get more sedate lifestyles, we no dey do di level of work we wey bin dey do in di 19th Century, so we need fewer calories.
"I tink, long-term, we go dey reduce back to light meal then one main meal, depending on wetin happun as we dey work. Our working hours go be di driving force.
"Wen we stop to do rations, we embrace three meals a day becos food plenti evriwia. But times don change - food is everywhere now."
How many times you fit eat a day wey dey good for your health? - BBC
Read More
TikTok has become accustomed to Facebook and Instagram stealing its cool new features and video formats. So, it’s a refreshing change to see TikTok pilfer one of Meta’s innovations.
