Profe Claudio Nieto: How many times should we eat a day?

• Three, five, or seven… How many times should we eat a day to be healthy, or to build muscle, or for well-being?
• Profe Claudio Nieto discusses the myths surrounding the number of times you should eat.
• He explains why there’s no universal answer to this.

How many times a day should you eat to lose weight, gain muscle mass, or maintain a healthy metabolism? It’s a common question many of us ponder.

In this post, we’ll debunk the myths about meal frequency and provide you with valuable insights on the topic.

To start, it’s important to remember that fat loss is based on the fundamental principle that you should expend more energy than you consume.

However, instead of obsessing over counting calories or worrying about how many times we eat a day, we should focus on the quality of the food we eat.

How often should we eat in a day?

Some people say it’s good to eat many small meals during the day to keep energy up and get all the nutrients we need.

But if we think about how humans have evolved, this doesn’t really fit. We aren’t like some animals that need to eat all the time. Our bodies can save energy as fat and another thing called glycogen.

This means we can go several hours without eating without affecting our health.

You won’t lack nutrients or energy: Our bodies have reserves of glycogen and fat that provide enough energy for periods without food. It’s not necessary to eat constantly to maintain energy.

Muscle, Metabolism, and Other Aspects

You won’t lose muscle: Our metabolic system is designed to preserve muscle rather than burn it as an energy source unless we are in severe malnutrition.

Your metabolism won’t slow down: The notion that metabolism slows down if we don’t eat every few hours lacks scientific foundation. In fact, short fasting periods can activate hormones that stimulate fat burning.

You won’t have low blood sugar: Our body controls sugar levels well by using certain things like insulin. You won’t have low blood sugar just by waiting a bit to eat.

You’ll use protein well: There’s no set amount of protein your body can take in at once. You can use all the protein you eat, even if it takes a bit longer with certain foods.

Everyone Eats Differently Throughout the Day

You won’t always feel hungry: If you choose good foods and plan your meals, you can control hunger between meals.

You won’t eat too much later: If you miss a snack, you probably won’t eat a lot more at your next meal if you usually eat a good and balanced diet.

To finish, there’s no perfect number of times everyone should eat in a day. How often you eat depends on what you need, how you live, and what you like.

Profe Claudio Nieto stresses that the key is to focus on consuming real and nutritious foods, regardless of how many times a day you eat. The quality of what you eat has a much greater impact on your health and well-being than meal frequency.