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Nov 26, 2012

The Importance of Eating Small Portions


With obesity becoming more of a common around the world, you may have heard about the importance of eating small portions. No matter if you are concerned about your weight, your energy level or nutritional deficiencies, eating small portions can help maintain optimal health.

Decreased Calorie Intake

One of the most important reasons that you should eat small portions is that by doing so, you are decreasing the number of calories you are putting in your body each day, thereby reducing your chances of developing obesity. While you may believe that it doesn't matter how many or what size meals you eat, but rather the total amount of food you eat each day that contributes to obesity, research has actually found that people who eat only two to three large meals per day are much more likely to become overweight than those who eat more frequent, smaller meals.

Maintain Blood Sugar Levels

Eating smaller portions more frequently throughout the day will also help to maintain constant blood sugar levels. Your blood sugar helps to give you energy throughout the day. Therefore, a low blood sugar makes you feel tired, sluggish and slow. Each time you eat, your body releases blood sugar from the food. If you eat small meals frequently, you will receive a steady stream of blood sugar, thereby preventing blood sugar "crashes." In contrast, if you eat larger portions only once or twice per day, your blood sugar will spike much higher after eating these meals, and similarly will crash a short while later. This can be especially dangerous to people who suffer from diabetes or other insulin-related conditions.

Prevent Metabolism Crash

Another reason why it is important to eat small portions more frequently is that by doing so, you will help to keep your metabolism running strong. Your metabolism is a function of your body that works to digest food. By eating frequently, your metabolism will be working regularly, and therefore will maintain its ability to do work. In contrast, when you eat large meals at a more infrequent rate, your metabolism experiences large chunks of time when it is not active. When this happens, your metabolism begins to the slow the pace at which it works. This can result in substantial weight gain, and many potentially even lead to the development of obesity.

Prevent Nutrition Imbalances

Eating small portions several times per day will help to prevent nutritional imbalances. Research has found that people who eat several different meals through the day tend to eat different things at each meal, thereby getting a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, fiber, lean meats and dairy products.