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There is no doubt that feeling healthy, happy, energized, and positive impacts every aspect of your life. The same goes for your skin, hair, nails, bones, muscles, heart, lungs, etc. Eating a balanced diet is about feeling good, gaining energy, enhancing your mental health, improving your appearance, and boosting your general well-being. Having a balanced diet consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, soy products, and low-fat dairy products is about as far as you can get from the fast-food chains and processed foods.
Foods that are rich in antioxidants, magnesium, vitamin B12, vitamin C, potassium, and folate have been shown to improve health in studies. Antioxidants and magnesium are proving to reduce the risk of stroke and coronary artery disease while increasing your good cholesterol and reducing your LDL or harmful cholesterol levels. Vitamin B12 and folate are known as B vitamins, which are vital nutrients for promoting a healthy nervous system and strong bones and muscle tissues.1
Your body needs a balanced diet comprised of nutrients such as vitamin A, E, zinc, calcium, chromium, phosphorus, selenium, sodium, zinc, carotenoids, lutein, lycopene, folic acid, and several other complex nutrients to stay healthy.2 Eating healthy can not only help you lose weight but also keep you at an optimal level of health throughout your life. Incorporating a daily diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans, lean meats, fish, and other healthy food choices can provide the right amount of vitamins and nutrients to help you live a long and disease-free life.3
The Benefits of Meal Plans
It’s important to find the benefits of meal plans as soon as possible. You might be surprised by just how easy meal planning can be. The first benefit is that meal planning saves time and allows you to better control portion control. People who aren’t used to meal planning are in the middle of a major health trend, but many simply don’t know where to start in terms of gaining a better handle on the habit.4
If you’re losing weight or trying to maintain your current size, you’ll be able to use the information to help change your eating habits. Many people who eat out at restaurants, or fast food restaurants, typically eat way too many calories, even when they’re trying to shed a few pounds. Reducing calories is important if you want to lose weight and be in better shape.5
Beyond just the health benefits of meal plans, another reason to incorporate a diet plan into your lifestyle is the benefits of starting a Keto diet. A diet that is based on eating meats, fish, poultry, vegetables, fruits, and low-fat dairy products has been shown to lead to better weight management, better blood sugar levels, better cholesterol levels, and lower risks for developing heart disease and diabetes. The benefits of meal plans, then, are simply a logical step forward on your journey to losing weight, improving your health, and maintaining an ideal weight!6
Are Less Large Meals Or Many Small Meals Better?
According to most, three large meals a day is better when it comes to losing weight. This is because three large meals provide the body with an ample amount of calories to fuel the body’s activities and the digestion process. However, this could not be further from the truth. Most dieters do not know that eating three large meals a day is not good for your health. If you decide to eat three large meals a day, prepare for three healthy snacks (lunch, dinner and breakfast) between those meals. Snacks serve to make a dieter’s diet lighter while supplying him or her with needed energy.
Diets that require increased meal frequency usually are followed by increased meal frequency as well. In order to lose weight, a dieter should always eat more meals and smaller meals. Increased meal frequency means consuming large amounts of food over a shorter period of time. This leads to more calories being consumed and used, which lead to weight gain.
In order to understand why eating smaller meals are better when it comes to weight loss, one must understand how eating smaller meals can actually give you a metabolic advantage. When a person consumes many large meals, the body’s metabolism slows down. This slows the metabolism to the point where it may start burning stored fat rather than burning up food that is not vital to the body’s needs.7 An example of this is a diet that requires a constant flow of large meals. If a dieter continues eating large meals continuously, eventually his metabolism will slow down and fat will be stored instead.
Smaller meals that are spaced out over a longer period of time to provide the necessary nutrients to allow the body to replenish these calories after each meal. If the body’s metabolism is allowed to speed up, then more calories will be burned which results in weight loss. There are several differences between the two. On one hand, the increased meal frequency results in a greater amount of calories being consumed, leading to an overall increase in the body’s weight.
Another difference is that the person who eats several small frequent meals will typically eat more during each meal. This results in the person consuming several smaller meals which results in less overall calories being burned. One of the biggest differences between eating small frequent meals vs. eating larger meals regularly is health care awareness. The person who regularly eats small frequent meals will generally consume fewer calories than the person who eats large meals several times a day. For this reason, people who regularly eat smaller meals tend to consume fewer calories than those who eat larger meals.
Eating Many Small Meals a Day Will Boost Your Weight Loss Goals
When it comes to losing weight, there are numerous benefits of eating many smaller meals a day. In this article we will cover 3 specific smaller meals that can greatly assist you in losing weight and building muscle at the same time. By now you may have heard of the two big benefits of eating smaller meals, but did you know that by eating multiple smaller meals a day you can also help your body recover faster from any type of exercise you may be doing?
This is accomplished by feeding your muscles throughout the day, and eating smaller meals during these meals will ensure that you keep your metabolism up during your workout, which in turn will maximize the amount of weight and muscle that you lose during your workout.
The first of the smaller meal benefits of eating many meals a day is that it will allow you to eat smaller portions throughout the day. Why would you want to do this? Well by eating smaller portions throughout the day, you will be able to fill more of your body’s energy needs. Additionally, by eating several smaller meals you will be able to keep your blood sugar levels stable, allowing you to make smarter food choices throughout your diet. Lastly, because you are eating smaller meals you will not feel as hungry, which will allow you to be able to eat more without gaining weight.8
The second of the two smaller meal benefits of eating many meals a day is that it will allow you to eat several smaller meals throughout the day. Again, by eating multiple smaller meals you will be feeding all of your muscle groups, giving your body maximum nutrition at all times. Lastly, by eating multiple smaller meals you will keep your blood sugar levels constant, allowing you to make smarter food choices throughout your diet. Both of these incredible benefits of eating many meals a day are great ways for you to reach your weight loss goals, and they will help you stay the course in your diet!
Image Credits
Health Europa / Google Stock Images
Idaho Nutrition Associates / Google Stock Images
Lifesum / Google Stock Images
White Cloud Foundation / Google Stock Images
Health Central / Google Stock Images
1 “B vitamins and folic acid – Vitamins and minerals – NHS.” https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-b/ Accessed 21 Aug. 2021.
2 “Carotenoids: Everything You Need to Know – Healthline.” https://www.healthline.com/health/carotenoids Accessed 21 Aug. 2021.
3 “Balanced Diet: What Is It and How to Achieve It – Healthline.” 18 Aug. 2021, https://www.healthline.com/health/balanced-diet Accessed 21 Aug. 2021.
4 “Top 5 Benefits of Meal Planning, According to An Expert.” 26 Jan. 2021, https://www.cookinglight.com/eating-smart/smart-choices/meal-planning-benefits Accessed 21 Aug. 2021.
5 “Health benefits of meal planning | Beaumont Health.” https://www.beaumont.org/health-wellness/blogs/health-benefits-of-meal-planning Accessed 21 Aug. 2021.
6 “Menu planning: Eat healthier and spend less – Mayo Clinic.” https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/menu-planning/art-20048199 Accessed 21 Aug. 2021.
7 “Enzymatic Therapy, Metabolic Advantage, Metabolism, 100 Capsules.” https://www.iherb.com/pr/enzymatic-therapy-metabolic-advantage-metabolism-100-capsules/2211 Accessed 21 Aug. 2021.
8 “How Small, Frequent Meals Can Help Athletes Keep Energy High.” 4 Jun. 2018, https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-small-frequent-meals-can-help-athletes-keep-energy-high/ Accessed 21 Aug. 2021.
