were did the idea of three meals a day come from?

As the economy has been getting worse, ive been looking to save money. So i started eating one good meal a day a couple cheap beers and a glass or two of veg/fruit juice, and the scraps off my children's plates(they get three meals since there growing kids.) I have not noticed any health problems mental or physical. The only thing ive noticed is a grumbling stomach every now and then.

Ive concluded that kids do need to eat as much good food as they can, but adults(since we have stopped growing only need to eat once with a couple snacks weather it be liquid or solid. This idea(if taken on by the majority) could help the starving children, and lower prices of food. what are your thoughts ats?



i love food, the act of not eating as much has definitely made me realize this. but im all about trying new things. and so far ive seen this to me more beneficial than not, im going to keep going with this and just enjoy that one meal a day.

That's not a bad idea. We are supposed to eat when we are hungry and that might not be 3 times a day.

reply to post by DocHolidaze


My eating habits are erratic at the moment, but I do know I definitely don't eat three meals a day. I have a friend who eats one meal a day, usually of two hot pockets and some mountain dew.

You might be able to do even better if you were to eat all day long.

Keep the same super smal volume of food, just eat it throughout the day. You'll be way less hungry and you might be able to stop yourself if you decide to indulge. In the long run, it's probably the best thing for you. I don't want to search ( I have dial up internet) but there have been many studies that link reduced food intake to longer life, MUCH longer life.

Starve and live long?? Maybe.

Actually, 6 small meals is better than 3 large ones.

reply to post by DocHolidaze


so many people on the planet spend their lives living on tiny amounts of food. with 8billion people on the planet consider yourself very lucky if you get to eat 3 meals every day. never take it for granted.

then you have people who eat 3 meals a day and then all the snacking in between and try and blame others for their own obesity.

(if your eating a hot meal it works best if you can mix it with liquid. blend it with liquid into a soupy mix. when food is mixed blended with liquid, even warm water it takes you stomach much longer to digest and you won't feel hungry as quickly. drinking when you are eating the food does not work the same. the food must be blended with liquid.)

reply to post by darkbake


that does not sound good for you although ive been there, except it was a frozen cheesburger and a tall can. not one of the most healthiest periods of my life.

reply to post by jough626

Starve and live long?? Maybe.

ive heard this before as well, some dude that died of really old age in my area 98 or somthing said his secret was to eat only twice a day.

reply to post by DarthMuerte


6 meals sounds like a lot of work, if i had the time and capacity to do dishes 6 times a day i think i might go that route

reply to post by DocHolidaze
[color=606060]Just to be clear about it:
I have always lived somewhere in the middle of the U.S.



A few years ago, I worked with a guy who had immigrated here from Africa. One day, he told me something that I will never forget.....


[color=E3C07B]He said, "One of the biggest differences I've noticed between Americans and Africans is this: You Americans eat so that you won't get hungry. Africans wait until they are hungry, and then they eat."

Originally posted by lacrimaererum
reply to post by DocHolidaze

 

so many people on the planet spend their lives living on tiny amounts of food. with 8billion people on the planet consider yourself very lucky if you get to eat 3 meals every day. never take it for granted.

then you have people who eat 3 meals a day and then all the snacking in between and try and blame others for their own obesity.

(if your eating a hot meal it works best if you can mix it with liquid. blend it with liquid into a soupy mix. when food is mixed blended with liquid, even warm water it takes you stomach much longer to digest and you won't feel hungry as quickly. drinking when you are eating the food does not work the same. the food must be blended with liquid.)

edit on 9-12-2012 by lacrimaererum because: (no reason given)

at this point my kids get three meals and i am very great-full for that, knowing how many kids out there get way less, i will start looking into the soup idea, are you saying dipping bread into soup will help the bread digest better? I love bread but it doesn't always agree with me digestive wise, if i can eat bread and not deal with the after effects that would be sweet.

I support the idea of eating smaller portions, but more often. For one thing, I don't believe that one can get the array of nutrients the body needs, with one meal and a few snacks. For another, I really don't think that does the job to keep energy levels stable, etc. etc. On the other hand, I do believe most people eat more than they need to at one time.

ETA: For an interesting overview of mealtimes over the centuries... Food Timeline: history

Originally posted by BrokenCircles
reply to post by DocHolidaze

 

[color=606060]Just to be clear about it:
I have always lived somewhere in the middle of the U.S.



A few years ago, I worked with a guy who had immigrated here from Africa. One day, he told me something that I will never forget.....


[color=E3C07B]He said, "One of the biggest differences I've noticed between Americans and Africans is this: You Americans eat so that you won't get hungry. Africans wait until they are hungry, and then they eat."

edit on 12/9/12 by BrokenCircles because: (no reason given)

I Like this train of thought. Maybe Americans wouldnt be so fat these days if we all thought this way. dont get me wrong variety is the spice of life, big girls , skinny girls, medium girls i love them them all equally. The only downfall of being over weight is the medical impact, and since many get free medical care, people being over weight is not only effecting our health but are economy.

reply to post by LadySkadi


i think it all depends on the food your putting in your body, since Ive been eating less, i make sure the food i eat is well rounded as far as nutritional value goes, and make sure i have my veg/fruit juice daily which gives a good amount of vitamins. My energy level seems normal, maybe the only difference Ive noticed is i fall asleep earlier and easier.

reply to post by DocHolidaze


not really talking about dipping bread but that would kinda help.

its more like mixing your meal with soup or simply turning the meal into a soupy mix.

soup and potatoes would be the most basic.

i will try and find the video of the programme i watched that explained it . they tried it out on troops.

reply to post by DocHolidaze


The reason most people eat 3 meals a day plus snacks is a combination of habit, self- medication.... comfort food
keeps the emotions at bay and propaganda ? companies make more money, especially processed food companies
with loads of addictive substances in their products.

I have been a raw vegan for 71/2 years and find that I need less food as the years go by. I eat only organic or wild
non gmo fruits, vegetables, nuts , seeds, super foods , and herbs. A few decades ago I read about the CRON
diet, calorie reduced optimal nutrition. This was tooted as an anti-aging longevity diet. This is where my life style
has taken me and I am ancedotal evidence that it works. I also healed from liver cancer and hep C- tainted blood-
There has been a lot of healing of every kind thru an improved diet. As your diet improves you detox more toxins
from your body, your organs work better , your brain works better. As the body becomes cleaner it needs less fuel
and works more efficiently. Just don t take it too far too fast Check out Matt Monarch on You Tube. Eats only one
small raw meal a day and the rest juices.

running with the wolves

reply to post by chagahunter


i like what im hearing do you got any links that could help me move forward with this idea, do i still get to have a beer or a glass of wine with this diet? assuming its organic, toxin free?

reply to post by DocHolidaze

If I remember correctly breakfast and lunch are relatively new addition to our diet.

Seems there were a number of reasons for the three meals a day practice but a lot of it was due to The Industrial Revolution and shift working that had people needing a meal after a hard days shift whether that was at 5am, 1pm or 7pm.

As an aside:

I believe breakfast is the least important meal of the day not the most. One meal in late aftrnoon or early evening is what our bodies still prefer. When we were cavemen we didn't have refridgerators and having the smell of rotting flesh in camp or cave was a bad move with all the predators about.

So on the majority of occasions there'd be no meals until the hunters returned with their quarry and then it'd take time on the spit to cook leaving only late afternoon and early evening to eat a hearty meal. Personally if I eat well at breakfast it makes me drowsy and more hungry at lunch, then I'm drowsy again. I also gain weight. However if i cut out breakfast and lunch and have my main meal high in protein between 4.30-7.00pm, i'm not so tired and I lose weight.

We've come a long way from the one meal a day practice of our forefathers but we have'nt had time to fully evolve to make the best of three squares a day yet.