Proper nutrition at what time. Basic rules of proper nutrition and a healthy menu. Why I Choose Intermittent Fasting Over Calorie Restriction

When we try to stick to our chosen diet, we pay a lot of attention to what we eat. But at the same time, we don’t think at all about when exactly it is better to sit down at the dinner table, how many times during the day we should eat and what will happen if we decide to eat too much.

The standard number of meals per day is three. And that's if you're lucky. Some people mistakenly believe that if they stop eating altogether or limit their meals to once a day, they will lose weight twice as fast. But usually such experiments lead to nothing but stress and health problems.

It is advisable to eat every 3-4 hours. This improves fat burning, prevents the release of excess insulin into the blood, allows leptin (the hormone that regulates energy metabolism) to work its magic and control appetite and metabolism. It also keeps the balance of cortisol production, the stress hormone, under control.

Don't skip breakfast! Our grandmothers were right when they said that you need to start the day with a good hearty breakfast. This gives you energy to start a long, productive day. If you skip breakfast, very soon the feeling of hunger takes you by surprise and you begin to interrupt the feeling of hunger with everything that comes to hand. And in offices, sweets and cookies are usually on hand.

Don't eat three hours before bed. Eating before bed increases body temperature, increases blood sugar and insulin, and reduces the production of melatonin and growth hormone. All of these factors affect sleep and the natural fat burning that occurs when we sleep. In addition, poor sleep leads to the fact that we may overeat the next day.

If it so happens that you have time to eat before bed, it is advisable to eat light food low in and high in fat.

Start your day with proteins. To improve appetite control, it is better to eat proteins at breakfast and leave carbohydrates for lunch or dinner. Omelette with tomatoes is a great quick breakfast!

Never start strength training on an empty stomach. For activities like these, your body needs energy to perform optimally. But cardio training can be done 30 minutes before meals.

This does not mean that you need to eat too much right before training. Just don't start exercising if you haven't eaten in a while and you're feeling hungry. Before the workout itself, you can snack on bananas, nuts or dried fruits - they are high in calories, quickly absorbed, provide the necessary energy and relieve hunger.

Focus on food. While eating, it is not advisable to be distracted by anything that does not concern your lunch. Focus on your main activity, feel all the flavors, finally relax and unwind. Your lunch is an island of peace and tranquility among the stormy ocean of the working day.

The squirrels go first. When eating, eat protein foods first, and then everything else. Proteins send a signal to your brain that your body is full. This way you will eat exactly as much as you need.

Drink alcohol after meals. If you decide to have a drink or any other drink with dinner, it is better to do it after you have eaten, and not during. Drinking alcohol after meals increases the production of hormones that control appetite and digestion.

And if you decide to drink white wine in the evening, keep in mind that it increases your appetite and the chance that you will want to snack is very high.

For many people, their diet is regulated by appetite. What is appetite and how to treat it?

The question often arises: how to suppress appetite? It has been shown that fractional meals (5-6 times a day) suppresses the excitation of the food center. In this case, sometimes one apple or a glass of kefir is enough. In order not to whet your appetite, you should not eat spicy or salty foods and you should completely avoid alcoholic beverages. Alcohol not only poisons the body, but also has a strong, appetite-stimulating effect.

So, increased appetite can be harmful to health, but its complete absence is also undesirable. This often affects young children, whom loving mothers and compassionate grandmothers endlessly stuff with something “tasty.” As a result, the child loses his appetite, and frightened parents, instead of coming to their senses, try to feed him continuously.

Eating with appetite is always a pleasure. It takes time for appetite to develop. Eating breaks are absolutely necessary. IN childhood they should be shorter than in a mature one.

What should these breaks be? How much and what should you eat during a particular meal? In other words, what should be the diet of an adult healthy person?

The diet is based on four basic principles.

Regularity of nutrition
Divided meals during the day
Rational range of products
Physiological distribution of the amount of food according to its intake during the day

Meal times

The main criterion that determines this time is the feeling of hunger. It can be identified by the following sign: when thinking about unattractive food (for example, the image of a piece of stale black bread), saliva appears; at such a moment, the tongue, rather than the stomach, primarily needs food.

You can confuse the feeling of hunger with the following conditions: the stomach “fails”, the stomach “sucks”, cramps occur. All this indicates the unloading of the organ after overflow, the needs of the stomach and the food appetite center (a number of brain structures that coordinate choice, food consumption and the initial stages of digestive processing).

It is necessary to distinguish between the concepts of hunger and appetite when organizing a proper diet. Hunger indicates the need for energy, appetite - the need for pleasure. The surest impulse to eat should be hunger, since the deceptiveness of appetite leads to excess weight.

Number of meals

The frequency of meals or the number of meals affects the metabolism in the body. Factors to consider when determining the frequency of meals:

age;
labor activity (mental, physical labor);
state of the human body;
working day routine.

Benefits of multiple meals (four meals a day):

The most complete food processing.

Better digestion of food.

Highest nutrient absorption.

Maintaining a constant internal environment through the timely supply of vital substances to the body.

Ensuring better flow of bile.

Approximate meal schedule

A sample meal schedule might look like this:

7:00 - First breakfast.
10:00 - Second breakfast.
13:00 - Lunch.
16:00 - Afternoon snack.
19:00 - Dinner.

Breakfast- the most important meal of the day. Breakfast should be rich in proteins; you can include, for example, eggs, cottage cheese or other dairy products, and turkey sausages. If you can't do without carbohydrates, include fresh fruit or some granola in your breakfast menu.

Lunch should be light and low carb. If you are not very hungry at this time, still try not to skip breakfast, but limit yourself to a glass of kefir or juice or some fruit.

Dinner should be balanced and include a source of protein (meat, fish or poultry) and some healthy carbohydrates, preferably only in the form of vegetables or grains. Some healthy fats from olive oil, nuts or avocados will also benefit.

Afternoon snack may include carbohydrates, preferably only in the form of some fruit, porridge or, at worst, a whole grain bun.

Dinner, like lunch, should be complete and well-balanced. After dinner, the so-called “Danger Zone” begins. Eating at this time is caused only by psychological, not physiological hunger. Only the desire to cheer yourself up can draw you to the refrigerator. If you intend to lose weight, never eat in the Danger Zone.

Biorhythm - the secret of a proper nutrition schedule

The secret to proper eating schedule is understanding how your body's internal clock is set, i.e. what are your biorhythms? Each person has his own specific pace of life, and the body’s readiness to eat is directly related to the time at which a person usually wakes up, when he begins active activity, when he rests, and, finally, when he gets ready for bed. If you are used to waking up no earlier than 11 am, you are unlikely to feel the desire to have breakfast at 11:30. However, by lunchtime your appetite will probably be quite good, and by dinner you will definitely arrive without delay. Those who like to watch the sun rise when they rise, on the contrary, have a wonderful appetite in the morning, but they may completely forget about dinner.

Start your day with protein foods. Breakfast should be rich in proteins. This will help you get a sufficient boost of energy and is guaranteed to delay the feeling of hunger until your next meal. It is believed that it is best to have breakfast no earlier than 8 a.m. and within 1 hour of waking up. If you wake up much earlier than eight in the morning, then drink a glass of water, do exercises, take a contrast shower in order to delay breakfast closer to the specified time.

Eat at the same time every 3-4 hours. This will help control your appetite. To organize such fractional meals, you can distribute over time the intake of the set of dishes that you usually eat for lunch, for example. First - salad and first course, after 3 hours have a snack with the second course. Drink more water when snacking. Water removes toxins from the body.

Lunch at lunch is an important point in the meal schedule. It is at lunchtime that you can afford the largest amount of food, because... The average daily peak of gastric acidity is observed in the middle of the day. Lunch should be served before 3 pm.

Have dinner no later than 8 pm. Eating after 8 pm overloads normal pancreatic function and blocks the release of melatonin, which is essential for sound, healthy sleep.

Distribution of calories during the day

Preparing for a new day for the body should begin with a certain supply of energy. To work fully, a person needs calories. That is why the most useful and optimal diet will be one in which our body receives a little more than 70% of the total kilocalories consumed at breakfast and lunch. And less than 30% of the total amount remains for dinner and intermediate snacks. With such a nutritional schedule, a person receives enough strength for his activities without storing excess fat during a rich evening feast.

A gap of 4-5 hours between individual meals will be the most optimal and physiological. And the time from the last meal to bed should be at least three to four hours. Such a diet can replenish the energy costs of our life and control appetite without loading the human system with extra calories.

Following these principles of optimal nutrition and rational eating, as well as the previous rules of healthy eating, will not only protect your weight from extra pounds, but also keep it from unnecessary problems with the stomach and heart disease.

Correct menu for the day: how should you eat during the day?

There are a huge number of diets that allow you to lose excess weight. But for some reason, few people think that it is enough to approach the issue of nutrition competently and wisely, and no restrictions will simply be needed. There are certain rules that should be followed so as not to cry on the scale later, and there is also a list of the most unhealthy foods. How to eat right?

Proper nutrition. Basic recommendations
How to eat properly during the day?
Correct menu for one day

Buns, sandwiches, toast and croissants - out. They only tire the body, which after such a breakfast wants to go back to bed.
Pulses for breakfast are too much. The exception is buckwheat.
The main part of breakfast should be fruit. Especially in the summer. In winter, you can replace them with dried fruits.
Must be included in your morning meal yogurt, fermented baked milk or cottage cheese.
Pure milk for breakfast can only be consumed before six in the morning. For example, with cinnamon - it provides vigor.
Ideal breakfast - fruit salad, seasoned with yoghurt or fermented baked milk. You can also add berries and nuts.
For second breakfast you can eat porridge(for example, oatmeal), fruit and a small piece of dark chocolate.

For the most part, we eat lunch very quickly, without really thinking about what we are eating, and throwing what we have at hand into the firebox. Because the job is waiting. And this meal requires a serious approach. And of course, sandwiches are absolutely not suitable for lunch. As a last resort, you can order lunch to the office or find a canteen with hot lunches. Requirements for a proper lunch:

At lunch you don’t have to limit yourself in food, but this meal should not occur later than two o'clock in the afternoon.
For the first course you can eat, for example, borscht, for the second - buckwheat side dish and two hundred grams chicken breast. Don't forget about salad (fresh vegetables only) and yeast-free bread. For the third - compote or juice from fresh fruits.
Avoid smoked and fried meats at lunch. Replace it with steamed meat and plenty of vegetables.

How does dinner usually go? We eat a lot of everything (and certainly with dessert), after which we collapse on the sofa in front of the TV to digest all this abundance of food. Moreover, while you come home from work, while you prepare dinner, while you gather the whole family at the table, the clock hands are confidently approaching ten in the evening. As a result, we spend the night digesting food instead of resting. So how should it be? Requirements for a proper dinner:

Dinner should be light. The optimal time for dinner is no later than four hours before bedtime. Preferably around six o'clock in the evening.
For dinner you should not eat pulses– they should be eaten in the first half of the day.
The best dishes for dinner are stewed or raw vegetables . Of course, not meat with fried potatoes and a huge piece of cake.
You can drink warm milk before going to bed, seasoned with a spoon of honey - it promotes restful sleep and quick fall asleep.

Since morning:
A glass of water immediately after you get out of bed. Get yourself into this habit.
Breakfast:

A couple of dried breads.
Fruit salad with yogurt.
Or vegetable salad with vegetable oil.
100 g cottage cheese (cheese).
Tea, coffee, maybe with milk.

Lunch:

100 g of berries (fruits).
Natural juice.

Dinner:

Soup (lean, fish, vegetable puree soup, or low-fat broth).
About 150 g of fish, turkey or chicken (not fried). Baked or stewed. No “tasty” skins or crusts! For example, salmon kebab or turkey stew.
Salad (fresh vegetables only!) with vegetable (olive) oil.
Garnish – maximum four tablespoons. It is preferable to avoid it altogether, replacing it with a larger portion of salad. Or stewed vegetables.

Afternoon snack:

100 g of berries or fruits.
Tea-coffee, juice or water. You can use low-fat yogurt. Choose.

Dinner:

A couple of dried breads.
Any vegetables. It's better if you follow the "tradition": fresh vegetables and vegetable oil.
100 g of cheese or cottage cheese, plus a boiled egg.
Boiled (baked) chicken (turkey) breast. Or boiled (stewed) fish.
Drink optional.

And the most important thing to remember: we eat only to live, and not vice versa.

In this article, I will tell you how to properly consume foods during the day for weight loss/healthy lifestyle.

And so, the use of products, whether for weight gain, for weight loss, or for a healthy lifestyle, has a general principle:

Proper healthy eating involves SMALL MEALS.

Fractional nutrition involves eating food very often (ideally every 2 hours), but little by little (in fractional portions) within the number of calories you need!

Ideally, you need to arrange it so that meals are taken at the same time every day, for example: 8.00, then 10.00, 12.00, 14.00, 16.00, 18.00, 20.00, 22.-. see? Every 2 hours.

Fractional meals– will allow you to maintain stable and high level metabolism in your body, which means more calories will be spent during the day (more energy will be spent, i.e. fat burning will accelerate), if you build muscles, then accelerating your metabolism will speed up muscle growth and all of -due to the fact that fractional nutrition boosts your metabolism (your metabolism), i.e. all processes and synthesis in your body go much faster. Do you understand?

To implement “DP”, you need to purchase containers for food (and carry food in them, with you, everywhere):

Although, many, now, probably, are almost going crazy... they will say: wow, what is it that you need to eat every two hours, they say, why the hell do you need it, am I a cow or something, etc. P.

However, I'm not kidding, it will be necessary accustom yourself to fractional meals within the number of calories you need , otherwise your metabolism will be slowed down and fat burning will occur very, very slowly, up to full stop or it won't happen at all. The choice is yours.

The rule is simple: The more often you eat, the faster your metabolism, accordingly, in this situation, more energy is spent, and this helps speed up the burning of excess fat. The same applies to gaining mass (muscle), only in this case, it is not fat loss that is accelerated, but muscle growth.

Moreover, split meals (frequent meals) are the best method of controlling appetite. Knowing that you will eat every 2-3 hours, you will never have the desire to eat “from the belly”, thereby eliminating “overeating”. But most people eat 1-2-3 times a day and most often when they feel hungry. And hunger manifests itself due to a long break between meals. As a result, when a person is very hungry, he eats and eats, that is, he cannot stop, he wants and wants everything (in the end, he eats until, figuratively speaking, his belly bursts).

This category of people does not even need to be explained that the feeling of fullness does not occur immediately after eating, but only after some time (guideline, 20 minutes after a meal). They also don’t need to explain that they need to eat slowly, chewing food thoroughly, because this is correct, this way the body is satiated much faster, and a person will not be able to “overeat,” but people... grab it quickly, swallow in pieces...

In general, forget about the past 2-3 meals a day, embrace the new realities, split meals are what is good for your health, your figure and other things. Fractional nutrition is the key to your future success. Also learn to absorb food correctly (slowly, slowly, chewing food thoroughly).

Read more about this in the main article: “FRACTIONAL NUTRITION from A to Z.”

The second important component of our article, which I could not help but tell you about.

During the weight loss (fat burning) stage I strongly recommend focusing on COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES in the first half of the day (before 15.00) - after 15.00 emphasis on PROTEIN FOODS!

This is done on purpose, for the reason that during the day, people are usually ACTIVE! Accordingly, this requires energy (complex carbohydrates), and it will be “wasted” due to activity, and in the evening, after work, study, etc. - PASSIVE (what is the use of energy? sitting at the computer? lying on the couch? in general, obviously, there is no need, because if energy comes in, and you are passive, it will not be “wasted”, as a result, excess fat will accumulate, therefore emphasis is placed on protein foods).

During the weight gain stage- this rule may not apply (see the situation).

Ectomorph (left) / Mesomorph (middle) / Endomorph (right)

There are 3 body types. In short, the recommendation may remain valid for ECTOMORPH and MESOMORPHOUS, but not for ENDOMORPH (fat man). I would recommend to him (even though this is a mass-gaining period) to exclude all kinds of complex carbohydrates and leave only animal proteins. This will help him minimize the accumulation of excess fat.

Additional articles that are similar in topic and may be useful to you:

What to eat for breakfast
Snacks on a healthy diet
What's best to eat for lunch?
What to eat before training
What to eat after training
What's best to eat for dinner?
What to eat at night
What to eat before bed

Best regards, administrator.

Did you know that some foods lose their valuable properties if eaten at the wrong time? When is the best time to eat apples, cottage cheese, cheese, dried fruits, sweets and much more, read the review.

And now it seems to you that you already know everything about a healthy diet. You give advice on proper weight loss and are a family consultant on healthy eating for households. Or, on the contrary, you begin to think that you will never remember all the rules and principles that are so necessary for you for a new life with only healthy eating habits.

Understand all the intricacies proper nutrition It's really quite difficult, but it's possible. For example, did you know that some healthy foods may not be healthy at all under certain conditions? We have compiled for you a list of 10 foods that you need to eat at certain times so that they benefit your body.

Right. It is best to eat apples in the morning or as a snack between meals. Apples contain pectins, which improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and prevent constipation.

Wrong. If an apple eaten in the morning is good for you, then in the evening it is better to abstain from this healthy fruit. The same pectins can cause increased acidity in the stomach and discomfort, as well as awaken a feeling of hunger.

Right. Cottage cheese is perfect for breakfast and lunch. It improves the functioning of the digestive system and is perfectly absorbed by the body without burdening the stomach.

Wrong. But you shouldn’t eat it for dinner. Don't create unnecessary discomfort for yourself before bed. By the way, dairy products tend to provoke inflammation and exacerbation of chronic diseases during sleep.

3. Sweets

Right. Of course, sweets are not healthy foods, but sometimes you can treat yourself. By the way, sometimes it’s in the morning. At this time of day, insulin in the blood is already high, so sweets will not lead to a sharp jump in it.

Wrong. At any other time, it is better to abstain from sweets. It is not so difficult. And useful. After all, even relatively harmless sweets, such as marshmallows, marshmallows and marmalade, do not have the most favorable effect on your figure, immunity and well-being.

Right. Everyone knows that carbohydrates guarantee vigor and energy for a long time. If you lead an active lifestyle, then eat rice for lunch. And go on numerous errands.

Wrong. Many people believe that rice is an ideal dietary product. But it is very high in calories. Therefore, if you want rice for dinner, cook wild rice instead of white.

Right. Bananas are simply irreplaceable if you play sports. This is both an excellent source of energy before a workout and a great way to close the “carbohydrate window” after exercise. They also promote the production of endorphins, uplifting your mood and calming the nervous system. But it is still better to eat bananas in the first half of the day.

Wrong. Bananas at night are not a good idea. Firstly, they have the same property as dairy products, provoking inflammation. Secondly, they are still quite high in calories, and you need to know when to stop.

Right. Meat is a valuable source of animal protein. Regular use of this product increases endurance, improves brain function, and stimulates the body's defenses. Choose meat for lunch.

Wrong. Meat is not suitable for dinner. It is not so easily digested that you can afford to eat this product at night. Opt for fish, vegetables or seafood.

7. Legumes

Right. Legumes are best eaten for dinner. They normalize the functioning of the digestive system, reduce cholesterol levels in the blood and improve sleep. So you can't imagine better food for the evening.

Wrong. But in the first half of the day it is better to refrain from consuming this product. Legumes can cause flatulence, and after them you don’t feel full for a long time.

8. Walnuts

Right. With walnuts everything is very simple. Eat them at night. The main thing here is not to overdo it, because nuts are quite high in calories. The thing is that they contain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and they are best absorbed at rest.

Wrong. Basically you can eat walnuts anytime and use them as a snack. But the maximum benefit from this product can be obtained only in the afternoon.

Right. Breakfast should definitely include a couple of slices of cheese. It's tasty, nutritious and healthy. Cheese contains a lot of vitamins and minerals, and it also provides great energy.

Wrong. In the afternoon, we advise you to refrain from cheese. Firstly, this is a dairy product, and we have already described the dangers of this above. Secondly, cheese is high in calories, and consuming it later can lead to excess weight gain.

10. Figs and dried apricots

Right. Of course, figs and dried apricots are ideal for morning meals. They speed up your metabolism, thereby improving the functioning of your digestive system, and force your body to wake up and get ready for a productive day.

Wrong. It is better not to eat figs and dried apricots at night. Their miraculous effect is so strong that your increased metabolism at rest will cause bloating and stomach discomfort.

Anyone who wants to lose weight by summer or always keeps themselves in good physical shape has probably heard more than once that not only the total calorie intake is important, but also the time of consumption of certain products. Yes, it turns out that everything has its time and some food products may even lose their beneficial features, if they are eaten at the wrong half of the day when needed. But thanks to our article, you won’t go wrong again!

Apples

Right. It is best to eat apples in the morning or as a snack between meals. Apples contain pectins, which improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and prevent constipation.

Cottage cheese

Right. Cottage cheese is perfect for breakfast and lunch. It improves the functioning of the digestive system and is perfectly absorbed by the body without burdening the stomach.

Sweet

Rice

Right. Everyone knows that carbohydrates guarantee vigor and energy for a long time. If you lead an active lifestyle, then eat rice for lunch. And go on numerous errands.

Wrong. Many people believe that rice is an ideal dietary product. But it is very high in calories. Therefore, if you want rice for dinner, cook wild rice instead of white.

Bananas

Meat

Right. Meat is a valuable source of animal protein. Regular use of this product increases endurance, improves brain function, and stimulates the body's defenses. Choose meat for lunch.

Wrong. Meat is not suitable for dinner. It is not so easily digested that you can afford to eat this product at night. Opt for fish, vegetables or seafood.

Legumes

Wrong. But in the first half of the day it is better to refrain from consuming this product. Legumes can cause flatulence, and after them you don’t feel full for a long time.

Walnuts

Wrong. Basically, you can eat walnuts anytime and use them as a snack. But the maximum benefit from this product can be obtained only in the afternoon.

Cheese

Right. Breakfast should definitely include a couple of slices of cheese. It's tasty, nutritious and healthy. Cheese contains a lot of vitamins and minerals, and it also provides great energy.

Figs and dried apricots

Wrong. It is better not to eat figs and dried apricots at night. Their miraculous effect is so strong that your increased metabolism at rest will cause bloating and stomach discomfort.