Meal regimen is the third principle of rational nutrition. Meal interval in separate meals

The concept of diet is quite broad and includes the following components:

1. Number of meals or frequency of meals.
2. Meal times and intervals between them.
3. Diet distribution by energy value(calories), chemical composition, by weight and food set for individual meals.
4. A person's behavior or behavior while eating.

Number of meals and intervals between them

Due to failures in hunting, the most ancient people ate approximately three to four times a week.

The ancient Greeks, like the ancient Romans, adhered to two meals a day.

As time passed, the number of meals increased. Breakfast first appeared among noble ladies who took chocolate in bed.

The food practice of holiday homes, sanatoriums, and pioneer camps is four meals a day.

Different nutrition systems and programs may offer two, three, or four meals a day.

A little about healthy eating

IN in this case We will look at rational nutrition, which is based on the principles of balance and calorie theory.

The word "rational" translated from Latin language means science, reason, there are also meanings such as accounting, counting, counting. Rational nutrition is a scientifically based, precisely calculated supply of food to a person, strengthening the body’s resistance to the effects of toxic substances and infections.

The principles on which rational nutrition is based:

1. Timely entry into the human body of substances that are needed to compensate for human energy costs. To control energy replenishment, knowledge of the level of energy expenditure and the energy value of the diet is necessary.
2. High-quality completeness of products when the body receives the main food ingredients in sufficient quantities -, and.
3. The optimal ratio of the basic nutrients listed above.

Four meals a day for healthy person considered the most rational.

Correct diet: number of meals

Power multiplicity or the number of meals affects the body's metabolism. Factors to consider when determining the frequency of meals:

• age;
• labor activity (mental, physical labor);
• state of the human body;
• working day routine.

Benefits of multiple meals (four meals a day):

Disadvantages of two meals a day with a large interval between meals (up to 7 hours or more)

Rare meals cause an increase in blood levels, contribute to the accumulation of fat deposits in the body, and reduce active work thyroid gland and tissue enzymes.

In most cases, a person eats it right away a large number of food, ultimately fills the stomach, stretches its walls, limits mobility, and, therefore, impairs the mixing of the contents and its processing by juices, the process of evacuation of food from the stomach is slow.

Stretching the organ can adversely affect the functioning of the heart. An overfilled stomach raises the diaphragm, complicating cardiac activity.

In the first hours of digestion, a large food load inhibits the functioning of the gastric glands, reduces the secretion of juice and lengthens the period of digestion. Chronic overeating leads to obesity.

In addition, eating a large amount of food can cause strong muscle contraction. biliary tract and significant painful sensations in this area.

In addition, due to the fact that the excess amount of blood fills internal organs, it gets worse functional state brain blood. Therefore, performance decreases, weakness and drowsiness appear.

Also, rare meals, when the breaks between them reach 8-10 hours, worsen the rhythmic activity of the intestines, leading to constipation.

Correct diet: intervals between meals

The duration of the intervals is determined by the period of time that is sufficient for the digestion, absorption and absorption of nutrients.

Long breaks in eating can provoke:

The intensity of the synthesis of digestive juices decreases significantly in the first hours after a meal, is restored by the 2nd hour, and reaches its maximum by the 4th hour. For this reason, eat earlier than two hours after previous appointment food is not advisable.

During short intervals there is not enough time for the complete digestion process and absorption of nutrients to next appointment. This can cause a disorder in the motor and secretory functioning of the digestive canal.

In addition, the following factor is important. Healthy stomach It is a muscle bag that can stretch and contract. However, it lacks the ability to grab food, turn it over and process juices unless it has a certain volume. Therefore, the statement “eat more often and little by little” in the absence of pathologies digestive tract is not correct.

The most optimal intervals between meals for an adult healthy person the intervals are four to six hours. In addition, the digestive glands need rest for 6 to 10 hours per day, when the ability of the digestive organs to restore normal operation the next day.

Food temperature

In order for the digestion process to proceed properly, it is important temperature regime food. The temperature of hot food should be no higher than 50 - 60 degrees, cold food - no lower than 10 degrees.

Regularity and eating disorders

Eating regularly at the same time is extremely important. A conditioned reflex of appetite stimulation to the time factor is formed. By a certain time, a feeling of hunger arises, which excites the food center and triggers reflex secretion gastric juice. Clear, organized, correct mode nutrition is most beneficial for digestion and absorption. In most cases, two to three days are a sufficient period for the body to adapt to the diet. In some situations, it is difficult to strictly follow the regime; some deviations from the usual eating hours are possible - optimal - within 30 minutes.

In case of violations diet the conditioned reflex begins to fade. Food enters the stomach, which is not prepared for digestion. This affects the food center - appetite decreases and food mass is poorly absorbed. Irregular and disorderly nutrition distorts the physiological rhythms of the digestive glands, reduces digestibility and in some cases provokes the development of diseases - gastritis, cholecystitis, etc.

If the choice is made in favor of one or another human diet, it is necessary to strictly adhere to it, since sudden changes in nutrition and food stress are not indifferent to the body.

Nutritionists and physiologists recommend doing break in food on average 4-5 hours, the maximum break, which occurs at night, should not exceed 11-12 hours. During this period, food should be digested in the stomach and empty the small intestine.

Eating is needed to replenish energy and nutrients necessary for the normal functioning of the body. After mechanical grinding of food in oral cavity When chewing, chemical processing of the chyme occurs. It begins in the stomach and continues in the small intestine. At the same time complex chemical compounds(carbohydrates, fats, proteins) under the influence of acids and enzymes are broken down into simple ones that are available for absorption.

During the time between meals, the pancreas and liver, which synthesize secretions to facilitate digestion, must have time to prepare for the next meal. This requires at least two hours. So, constantly snacking every half hour is not helpful. Incoming food will not be processed properly.

After the formed lump of chyme has passed the stomach cavity and small intestine a wave of peristaltic complexes is launched. They are necessary to clear the lumen of residues “sticking” to the walls and speed up their progress. Before the bulk of what has been eaten has passed, “cleaning” will not begin and the remains will create wall stagnation, complicating absorption and creating a substrate for fermentation and rotting.

Thus, it is necessary to maintain a break between doses to adequately clean the intestinal tube in its upper parts.

Is a long break between meals harmful?

Going too long between meals is just as harmful as going too short. This is due to the work of the digestive glands: liver and pancreas. During the time between meals they synthesize a secretion. When meals are regular, the intervals between them are equal, a conditioned reflex is formed. Required amount gastric and intestinal juice prepared at the same time before each snack.

When the interval between meals is lengthened, the secretion stagnates in the ducts, creating conditions for the development inflammatory processes and increasing the risk of pancreatitis, cholangitis and cholecystitis.

In addition, with a long break, the feeling of hunger increases. This promotes overeating. Even with prolonged fasting, it is created stressful situation, and with the next intake of food, the body begins to stock up on energy compounds, filling fat cells. This leads to weight gain.

What are the benefits of fractional nutrition?

Fractional nutrition consists of regular appointments food every 4-5 hours. This contributes to the formation of conditioned reflexes for the production of digestive juices. At the same time, the intestines have time to cleanse the walls after the previous meal.

This time between snacks also reduces hunger and allows you to reduce portions. Thus, nutrition will not only prevent the development of pancreatitis and cholecystitis, but also lose weight.

How long does it take for food to be digested?

Each product takes a different amount of time to digest. It's connected with chemical structure food. Thus, proteins and fats require more time to break down, and their digestion is energy-consuming. Simple sugars They begin to be absorbed already in the oral cavity, as they are the main source of energy. Coarse plant fibers and cellulose generally pass through the intestinal tube in transit and are necessary for adequate peristalsis and maintenance of microflora.

Often, among different recommendations on weight loss there is such a thing: “eat in small portions, but more often." Just one unnoticeable phrase among a stream of advice, many of which we remember by heart. So we let it pass our ears, reasoning something like this: "You can't get enough of small portions! It’s better to eat 1-2 times a day, but more thoroughly. The daily total calorie content of what is eaten is the same...”

That is why we do not lose weight (and often even accumulate excess weight), completely trusting the teaching about the calorie content of foods and knowing nothing about what our body actually needs.

So, here's a secret that nutritionists don't bother to inform us about: the break between meals should not exceed 5 hours! Before this time expires, our stomach must wake up and acquire food. Moreover, it doesn’t even matter whether the food is fatty or dietary, our body just needs to know that there is enough food, it is supplied constantly, so there is no need to accumulate fat “in reserve”.

What do we do if we have not received such valuable instructions from our dear nutritionists? We try to eat as little as possible; We rejoice if, due to lack of appetite or urgent matters, we skip lunch, or we find the strength to refuse dinner, because someone voiced the thesis: “after 18 o’clock you can’t eat, and in general dinner should be given to the enemy.”

How does our body react in such a situation? After 5 hours of “downtime,” the stomach begins to ring all the bells and, in upset feelings, telegraphs to the body: “Hunger is coming! Let’s stock up!” When, after long break food is finally received, our body squeezes out of it maximum amount calories. After all, it is necessary to provide energy not only for urgent needs, but also to put at least something else “in reserve”, just in case, because hungry times have come!

Undoubtedly, people with normal metabolism do not experience such difficulties, but people who are prone to obesity, due to circumstances, need to treat the whims of their neurasthenic body with due respect. Feed him constantly, at least every 4-5 hours, and he will calm down, sighing with satisfaction: “The hungry days are over!”

By acting in this way, we kill two birds with one stone: we calm the body and, if we like to eat tasty and a lot, reduce the feeling of hunger. It is ravenous hunger and the appetite that develops as a result of infrequent meals that forces us to eat unnoticed. large quantity food than we need.

Fractional meals (the secret of frequent meals)

Fractional meals are the most important tool for burning fat. You need to eat every three hours. This is not an absolute dogma, but the interval between meals should not be more than 4-4.5 hours.

Of course, you can eat 3 times a day and achieve certain results, but remember that 3 meals a day is a regimen tailored to the working day, which does not mean that such a schedule is ideal. Until you eat 5-6 times a day, you will not be able to spin your metabolism to maximum capacity.

As you remember, food has a thermal effect, i.e. The body spends energy to digest it. If you don't eat anything, then your body has nothing to burn except its muscles and fat. When fasting, fat will burn much slower than muscle.

Most The best way stock up on fat - go on a low-calorie, carbohydrate-free diet or fast.

It doesn't take long for the body to adjust to a calorie deficit (4-4.5 hours between meals is enough for the body to turn on the emergency light). If skipping a meal is a “serious crime,” then skipping breakfast should be punishable by “death penalty.”

Let's do the math. For example, your last meal was at 7 pm. You woke up at 7 am, you have no appetite, you drank a cup of coffee, ran to work and only at 12-13 o’clock did you get to the dining room... It turns out that the time interval between the last and first meals is 16 hours. During this time you will burn a large amount of muscle. In addition, if you eat this way, your evening meal will usually be very large, because the body will already throw all its energy into feeding itself and its fat reserves. full program, because the next day and the next and again you will torture yourself with 16-hour fasts.

Frequent appointments foods are a strategic solution to control appetite. In which case do you think you will eat more? What if the last meal was 7 hours ago or 3 hours ago? Think back to your big dinner and think about why you eat so much? Obviously, the body simply demands its own. Remember strong feeling hunger is the first signal that the body has begun to prepare to store fat.

You may ask me: “Okay, if 5-6 meals are good, then 7-8 or 9 would be even better?”

Not really. Digestion of food takes from 2 to 2.5 hours. If you eat more often, you will simply pile food on top of previously undigested food. If there were 40 hours in a day, then yes, you would need to add 2-3 meals. 5-6 times is the optimal number of meals, taking into account a 24-hour day.

Get rid of the stereotype that our grandmothers and mothers instilled in us, that we should not suppress our appetite and not eat before meals. results good appetite You can very well observe it in nature in the spring, when people, after hibernation, expose their bellies, gained over the winter, to the sun.

In addition, during one meal, more than 500-550 Kcal in the morning, 300-350 in the afternoon and 250-200 in the evening are not absorbed (the excess goes partly into the toilet, partly into fat). You will not be able to saturate your body with the necessary nutrients in 1-2 large meals. nutrients, but saturate your fat with quality fat cells. A higher calorie intake in the evening is only necessary if you had an intense strength training session in the evening. More on this later.

Conclusion: Eating every 3 hours is necessary in order to maintain a stable and high level of metabolism and prevent the use of muscles as fuel, and also prevent the body from going into emergency economy mode. This is especially true for those who lead active image life and simply necessary for those who engage in serious training.

Why does the body burn mostly muscle and not fat?

The answer is simple. There is always less fat in the body than muscle. Muscle cannot store as much energy as fat, so fat is needed to sustain life. There is no need for muscles because you are not moving or eating. This is an interconnected process that is quite understandable if you know the simplest functions of adipose tissue.

In fact, there is nothing wrong with the fat storage mechanism. This normal process aimed at survival in extreme conditions. Without it, a person would not survive even a mild hunger strike. Hunger strikes further strengthen this mechanism to make it easier to endure hunger in the future.

Muscles consume a lot of energy, so in order to reduce costs, the body first gets rid of “energy-wasting tissues.” From this it is clear that to speed up your metabolism you need metabolic active tissue(muscles). But gaining muscle is not as easy as you think. If you only eat 3 times a day and train intensely, then in almost 90% of cases you will lose a lot of muscle, because in 3 times you will not be able to eat and absorb enough of the necessary nutrients obtained from food. In addition, you remember that with large meals (especially when eating harmful products) insulin levels spike, which sends calories not to glycogen, but directly to fat, still leaving you weak and lethargic.

Just swallow meal replacements, like protein bars will not be enough, because Such substitutes contain a lot of sugar and calories, but they are empty calories. In addition, such products do not increase the metabolic rate. IN best case scenario they only cover energy costs. Meal replacements should only be used when as a last resort when you have emergency situation, and you just can't get to the food. However, in this case, remember that you only prevented muscle burning, but did not increase your metabolic rate, as would have happened with regular healthy food. To put it bluntly, a meal replacement is the lesser of two evils.

Now let's talk about things like calorie tapping and calorie targeting.

In the morning your metabolism wakes up at in a great mood and demands his calories, which he voluntarily gave up at night. Overnight, the body's glycogen stores are depleted and the body needs to be refueled.

In the morning you should eat a lot and heartily, like a king (this is a fundamental rule that is not even discussed). 500-600 Kcal for breakfast is great. It's like a gas station before a big road. In the morning you can eat everything, even sweet fruits. Of course, if you are on a fat burning cycle, then fruits should be consumed in in moderation even in the morning.

Large meals should be taken before and/or after energy use, a direct indicator of which is glycogen levels.

Breakfast, pre- and post-workout meals are ideal times to generous intake food.

For convenience, let's divide the day into 5 time periods:

7:00
10:00
13:00
16:00
19:00
This is the ideal cycle for women. Although the time of meals, of course, can be shifted plus or minus 30-60 minutes, depending on the circumstances.

For men who need to eat more calories, I suggest a slightly different schedule:

7:00
10:00
12:30
15:00
17:30
20:00
Now, let's take 1500 Kcal that you need to consume in order to lose weight.

When should you eat the most? That's right, in the morning, because 12 hours have passed between 19:00 and 7:00, which even in a state of sleep, when almost no energy is spent, is enough to exhaust internal resources.

Further, if you have a workout in the morning, say at 9 am, then it is clear that costs are added after, so breakfast becomes as necessary as air. Next, after training, you should definitely eat well at 9 o'clock in the morning, because there is still a whole day ahead and you need to stay fresh and alert. Next, you gradually reduce your food intake so that at 19:00 you eat a light dinner and 3 hours later fall asleep with empty stomach just in time for your metabolic rate to drop. This system called calorie taping, i.e. narrowing calories.

With this type of nutrition, you wedge in the maximum amount of carbohydrates in the first 2-3 meals, and by the evening you stick to a protein-vegetable diet. Proteins should be present in every meal. However, such a power supply scheme is only good for non-working and free people and those who train on weekends in the morning or early afternoon.

This nutrition plan will be simply ideal for you. With the right training program, you will be simply amazed at the rate at which your body changes without hunger or weakness.

For women who consume 1500 kcal per day, the calorie distribution in the case of calorie tapping will look like this:

(5 meals)

Reception 1: 375

Reception 2: 300

Reception 3: 300

Reception 4: 300

Reception 5: 225

For men who consume, say, 2400 kcal per day, the schedule would look like this:

(6 meals)

Reception 1: 500

Reception 2: 400

Reception 3: 400

Reception 4: 400

Reception 5: 400

Reception 6: 300

If you exercise after work in the evening, say at 7:00 pm, then you need to use the calorie targeting method (i.e. calorie targeting). It's obvious that good workout, on which you gave your all, requires additional recharge both before and after.

Don't be afraid to eat after training, even if it's in the evening. After you have caused microdamage to the muscles, you definitely need to restore them, because if you don’t do this, the muscles will simply begin to burn. Of course, fat will also burn, but do not forget that fat has a much higher concentration of calories, so even with equal amount calories sacrificed from fat and muscle, muscle mass will be more than fat.

Simply put, 50 grams of fat, which contains 450 kcal, will be equal to 450 calories of muscle, but 350 calories of muscle will weigh 100 grams. And do not forget that fat is restored much faster than muscle. Also, as I said before, the amount of muscle you have in your body directly determines your metabolic rate.

After training, if you ate a lot (but not too much, but taking into account the total daily 20% deficit), then the muscles, like injured tissue, will need treatment. A team of proteins, fats and carbohydrates will go to do this. Fat will not be stored because the emergency light that the body has been sharply limited in calories is not turned on. Fat will be stored only after the lesion (injured muscles) is restored. But if you don’t have enough calories in your diet (but the deficit is no more than 20%), then the lack of energy for muscle recovery will come from fat. This is how it works indirect mechanism burning fat. Those. During the workout itself, you create conditions for further fat burning. However, looking ahead, I will say that strength training is not best methods burning fat. Yes, a certain amount of fat is burned when the body replenishes the calorie deficit from its own reserves. The goal of strength training is to preserve the muscles needed to maintain high level metabolism and for burning fat directly during cardio training, when fat is burned in the muscles (more details about the mechanism of fat burning will be discussed later).

So, if you exercise in the evening, you need to fuel up before and after your workout. During the day, when you sit at a desk at work, additional energy will not be needed, so we slightly reduce breakfast and distribute calories as follows:

For women

Reception 1: 300

Reception 2: 250

Reception 3: 250

Reception 4: 350

Reception 5: 350

For men

Reception 1: 500

Reception 2: 400

Reception 3: 300

Reception 4: 300

Reception 5: 450

Reception 6: 450

When it comes to cardio training, things will be a little different.

Later, in the chapter on cardio training, I will tell you how to eat before and after cardio training, taking into account its timing.

Need to add important point. Perhaps after you count the number of calories you need and then count the number of calories you ate Lately, you will be surprised at the difference.

Generally, people mainly fall into two categories:

1. Find out they eat too much

2. Find out they eat too little

Whatever group you find yourself in, don't make sudden changes. If, say, you've been eating 3,400 calories for the past 5 years, and then you find out you need to eat 2,200, then don't cut your calories immediately the next day. The body may behave inappropriately and turn on energy storage mode. Reduce your diet gradually, 100 kcal per day.

The same applies to those who consume 800-1000 kcal per day (especially those on strict diets). A sharp increase in calorie intake can cause fat accumulation, because... your metabolism has slowed down a lot. Gradual increase or reducing your diet while starting to exercise will eliminate the risk of gaining fat.

Proper nutrition is the key healthy body on long years. It is important to eat not only healthy food, but also monitor its quality and quantity. Most people today live in a constant rush. Finding time for a full lunch or breakfast is becoming increasingly difficult.

Constant snacking on prepared foods, eating on the run and, as a result, evening overeating. All this is a direct path to gastrointestinal diseases such as gastritis, irritable bowel syndrome, etc.

To eat right, you need to follow a certain regime, thanks to which a person will always be energetic, cheerful and successful in his affairs. Diet usually refers to the number of meals, exact time and the intervals between them. Let's look at these points in more detail:

For proper functioning of the metabolism in the body, it is necessary to eat rationally. When determining the number of meals, age, daily routine, and health status are taken into account. Optimal for an adult is 4 meals a day. For people with gastrointestinal diseases, the amount increases to 5-6 times during the day. The same applies to children; they instinctively ask to eat often, but little by little.

Repeated meals evenly load the digestive system and provide the body with nutrients in a timely manner. Rare meals (1-2 times a day) contribute to fat deposition and increase blood cholesterol levels. They also provoke disturbances in the functioning of the thyroid gland.

The duration of the intervals depends on the time required for complete digestion of certain foods. For an adult, it is enough to wait 4 hours after the last meal. Longer abstinence stimulates excessive production of gastric juice, which irritates the gastric mucosa and can cause inflammation. A very hungry person is prone to overeating.

Too short intervals, on the contrary, can impair function digestive system. After the last meal, digestive juices cease to be produced in the same volume. All energy goes into digesting existing food. Therefore, it is not advisable to eat 1.5-2 hours after the last dose.

In addition, the digestive system needs at least 10 hours of rest during the day.

Eating food at the same time is very important for the body. All functions of the digestive system adapt over time to a given regime. At a certain time, the food center is excited and a feeling of hunger arises, which provokes the production of gastric juice. On average, it takes the body about a week to adapt to a new diet.

Breakfast energizes a person for the whole day and should never be neglected. Best time for the morning meal, it is 6 - 8 hours. It is at this time that all organs of the digestive tract are most active. To feel full before noon, you should give preference to a protein breakfast. And carbohydrates should be avoided, because... they quickly fill you up and very soon you will want to eat again.

It is better to have lunch from 12-14 o'clock. On average, this meal accounts for 40% of the total daily ration. Traditionally, people eat soups, salads, fish or red meat for lunch. To avoid bloating and heaviness in the stomach, it is better to avoid desserts and tea parties with sweets.

Afternoon tea at 16 - 17 hours, perfect time for a snack. You can eat yogurt or fruit.
The optimal time for dinner is 18-20 hours. It should be light but filling. It can be fish or white meat with a vegetable side dish.
In order for the digestion process to occur correctly, the food temperature should be no more than 60°.

When following a diet, it is important to eat good mood. It is better to refuse distracting sources of information, such as TV, the Internet or a book, and focus on the meal itself.

You need to give yourself enough time to eat so that you don’t have to rush. After all, the digestion process begins in the mouth, when a person carefully and slowly chews food, mixing it with saliva. High-quality processed food is easier for the body to process and helps prevent gastrointestinal diseases.