From hearing that you should eat six small meals a day to three large meals and a few snacks in between, it can be incredibly confusing to know just how much is enough, but not too much or too little when it comes to calorie intake, begging the question: How often should I eat?

Generally, people should eat two to three small meals a day with a few snacks spaced in between these meals. However, how often you should eat depends on your sex, age, and activity level. These should all be considered when determining what is appropriate when it comes to how often you should eat.

Food is something that can be both a blessing and a curse when it comes to maintaining a healthy diet. So many diet fads exist out there that can leave people feeling confused, misguided, hungry, or overfull. It can be so difficult to find out just how often you should be eating to keep yourself not only healthy but satisfied as well. To cut through the noise, read below to find out just how often you should really be eating.

How Often Should I Eat?

Over the years, a variety of different instructions have come out noting what is best when it comes to how often you eat. Some say that six small meals a day are appropriate, that three larger meals are better, that snacking all day long is what is needed, or that even skipping meals early in the morning or late at night is what is best for the body. This leaves so much room for interpretation which can leave people feeling discouraged, overwhelmed, and rather defeated.

When it comes to how often you should eat, two or three larger meals a day with a few snacks in between is most appropriate as this type of intake allows for a better spread of energy intake. This then allows individuals to consume at a rate that matches the energy they are expending. 

Although research has also found that five to six small meals a day are also appropriate, one of the biggest issues is that consumption varies from person to person. Every individual has a different weight, different activity level, or different physiological needs which can greatly affect how often they should be eating. Food intake is essential to maintaining a healthy body, but when it comes to how often this should happen, what should be considered?

What Affects How Often I Should Eat?

In general, it is most appropriate for people to partake in two to three larger meals with few snacks sprinkled in between each meal throughout the day. Although this is a great general rule to follow, it is important to understand that there are different factors which can either increase or decrease how often someone should be eating, making this general standard really rather watered down. What then are the different factors that affect how often you should eat?

Sex

Men and women metabolize food very differently due to their differences in height, weight, and hormonal variances. When considering the physical composition of men, they tend to have more muscle mass than women, which means they require a higher calorie intake. Because of this, they typically need to eat more often and more consistently than women to maintain the features they were naturally born with.

On the opposite end of the equation, women tend to have less muscle mass, have a very different hormonal makeup, are usually shorter, and typically weigh less than men. Because of this, women usually do not need to eat as often or as much as men, as their body does not require a high caloric intake in the same way that men do.

Age

Outside of gender, another factor that dictates how often you should eat is age. For those that are younger, they are typically burning more calories due to their increased activity level, which makes the necessity to eat more often more obvious. However, for older adults, their activity is much more decreased, which means that they can either eat less often, or when they do eat, they can eat smaller amounts than their younger counterparts.

Activity Level

The purpose of eating is to be able to provide your body with enough calories so that it can run off of this provided energy when in states of activity. If you are someone who lives a highly active lifestyle, you will need more calories to burn for energy, which means you will need to eat more often. However, if you are someone who leads a life with lower activity, your body does not need as much energy to burn, which means that you can eat less often.

How to Know How Often I Should Eat?

Your body is designed in a way that it knows exactly what it needs, especially when it comes to telling you that you are hungry. It may seem rather natural to know when you should eat, as your body typically makes it very obvious, but sometimes these signs are not hunger cues, but mean something else. Although it is generally understood that three meals and a few snacks a day are appropriate for how often you should eat, how do you know exactly how often you should eat?

Timing is Important

Although you may go through periods where you feel like you could eat without ever being full, when it comes to what your body needs as fuel, there is no need for constant eating or snacking. Generally, people should have around three hours in between each big meal, which allows their body time to digest, utilize, and absorb those calories and nutrients from the previous meal. Casually pay attention to the clock to see if the timing of your meals is appropriate.

When it comes to timing, it is also important to allow your body time to actually get hungry. If you are constantly snacking and eating large meals, you may have forgotten what it actually feels like to be hungry, which can make timing meals and how often you eat rather difficult. If you notice you are a bit out of tune with the feeling of hungry, give your body time to tell you when you really and truly need to grab a bite to eat without getting to a point of feeling starved.

Listen to Your Body

Although allowing proper timing in between meals is important, it is also just important to listen to your body. Paying attention to the clock is appropriate at times, but never be someone who is chained to time. If you are living a healthy lifestyle, are regularly eating nutrient-rich foods, and have an understanding that how often you should eat may change from, listen to your body when you know it is telling you are hungry and grab something healthy and filling.

Know How to Interpret Your Body

As important as it is to listen to your body, it is just as important to be able to interpret the signs and signals your body is sending your way. If you ate a healthy meal full of beneficial fats, nutrients, and proteins, but notice that an hour later your stomach is grumbling again, check to see if hunger is really the issue. It could be that you are in need of more water, more sleep, or even more activity, making food sometimes the wrong solution to your body’s message.