Big Meals or Grazing all Day? Is there a Perfect Eating Strategy for Good Health?

There’s a common debate in the food and nutrition world about whether or not we should eat three hearty meals per day, or instead graze on five-six smaller portions. I’d be lying if I told you one way was superior to the other — ultimately it depends on your dietary needs, preferences, schedule, and the amount of time you have to invest in preparing nutritious, plant-based meals. Keep these factors in mind when timing your future meals and how you plan on structuring your healthy vegan diet in the coming weeks and months.

Insulin: The Hormone You Don’t Want to Mess With

What’s the big deal with eating small or big meals in the first place? The answer is insulin. Whenever you put any food in your body, your insulin levels rise to accommodate for your rising blood sugar levels. This is a completely normal and necessary response — we need some insulin in our bodies and without it, we’d all go into diabetic comas!

The problem with insulin is that if you eat a processed diet that’s loaded with refined carbohydrates, your insulin levels are likely to oscillate throughout the day. This explains the fatigue and low energy levels you feel a couple of hours after indulging in that vegan pumpkin cake your coworker brought to the office.  Even if you follow a vegan diet that doesn’t include animal products, if you’re still eating crap you’re ultimately going to feel like crap.

The Debate on Insulin and Meal Timing

For a while, the medical community thought smaller, more frequent meals was key to keeping insulin levels consistent and reducing the subsequent inflammation that accompanies uncontrolled insulin levels . But lately we’ve noticed that eating too frequently can actually have the opposite effect on insulin. When you’re constantly eating every two-three hours, your body often has to secrete some insulin for each meal. The constant secretion process can be just as bad for your pancreas compared to secreting larger amounts of insulin but only a few times a day. In other words, you’re probably secreting the same amount of insulin in your five-six grazing meals that you would in three-four traditional meals!

What’s a Healthy Eater to Do?

If the new meal timing rules have got you all stressed out, don’t worry. The good news is a big part of controlling your insulin and inflammation levels isn’t just about your meal timing, but also the quality of your meal. Eat whole foods that are minimally processed like fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes, and healthy fats. Always try to pair your carbs with a little slow-digesting fat in some nuts, seeds, or beans, to minimize the effects of an insulin spike.

Remember that your meal timing isn’t always about your health, but also your lifestyle and personal preferences. Maybe you work from home and have the time to make small meals throughout the day. Maybe you’re the next Wolf of Wall Street (minus the drugs of course) and you’re lucky if you have time to eat three square meals a day.

Ultimately do what works for you! As long as you’re eating a healthy, plant-based diet, your meal timing shouldn’t have too big of an impact on your health. Making good food choices and being mindful about your eating habits are some of the best tools for a diet that promotes health and longevity.

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