Have you heard that eating 5 to 6 times a day will help keep you fit and trim? It’s true! Nutrition experts agree, keeping your body nourished by eating every three hours, will help stave off hunger and keep your metabolism burning strong.
The trick is to not over eat. Think of a hunger scale ranging from 1 to 10 – with 1 being famished and 10 being overstuffed –like Thanksgiving full! The goal is to stay around a 5 on the hunger scale. When it is time to eat you are at a 4 and when it is time to stop you are at a 6. This is accomplished by eating about 350-400 calories for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and about 150 calories for morning, afternoon and evening snack. This translates into about 1500 to 1600 calories a day which is a good target calorie level for most women.
When eating every three hours, it is important to get the right combination of nutrients. I instruct my clients to always combine a carbohydrate choice (starches, fruits, vegetables) with a protein (meats, cheese, beans) or a healthy fat (olive oil, avocado, nuts). If you train yourself to eat this way, it will help prevent those low blood sugar drops you experience when going too long without food – you know, the super drop in energy you feel midafternoon – that can be avoided by eating a healthy snack!
Kick-start your meal makeover with these healthy meal and snack ideas:
Breakfast:
- 1/2 cup oatmeal
- ¼ cup blueberries
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
- 1 slice whole grain toast
- 1 (8 oz) glass lowfat milk
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