It is always said to eat 6-8 meals a day. The aim of eating 6-8 meals a day is to secrete insulin hormone 6-8 times less and frequently. Eating little and often keeps the metabolism active and tames the insulin hormone secretion. Hunger slows down the metabolism.
Man expends 2 kinds of energy;
- The energy expended in movements with a muscle.
- The energy expended by the work of our two internal organs.
The energy spent with our muscles, that is, with physical movement, is very little compared to the energy we spend with the work of our internal organs.
Because although a person does not move at all in 1 day, he spends 1 calorie per kg per hour, that is, weight x1x24 hours. Let’s explain this with an example; A 55 kg person spends 55x1x24=1320 calories without moving. This is the energy expended by our internal organs. With physical activity, let’s take a student, he can only expend 10% of that calories. So (( 1320 x 10 )/ 100 ) = 132 calories. As seen here, if we keep the work of our internal organs active, we also keep the energy expenditure active.
We can only work our internal organs by taking food. Because a lot of energy is needed to eat the food, to digest the digested food, to pass the digested food to the blood, to go to the cells, to be processed and burned, and to create energy. In these processes, we can get energy from food. To keep these processes active, we need to be fed. Since hunger makes this process lazy, there is no weakening or it stops after a while.
People on a weight loss diet begin to lose weight. They weaken for a while, then the weakening stops. In order for this not to happen, they need to implement a weight loss program that includes small and frequent meals and sufficient and balanced nutrition.
People who eat little and often are more energetic. They wake up earlier in the morning, because their blood sugar will not rise much after the meal, they do not sleep, they become more energetic in business life.
The secretion of insulin hormone is also related to the amount of food eaten. If we eat a lot, it is secreted more; if we eat less, it is secreted less. Eating in long intervals causes excessive secretion of insulin hormone, which is undesirable. Because the excess of insulin hormone stimulates fat storage and stops weakening. And long hunger makes the metabolism lazy. It prevents the internal organs from burning too much energy, which stops the weakening as it reduces the burning of energy.
Eating little and often also regulates the secretion of Ghrelin and Leptin hormones. By feeding little and often, hypoglycemia and low blood sugar are prevented. Insulin hormone decreases.
Prevention of hypoglycemia prevents hunger. Ghrelin is secreted when hungry. When insulin hormone decreases, blood sugar rises. Ghrelin (hunger) hormone decreases. When the stomach is constantly full, the hormone Leptin is secreted, which transmits the message that the stomach is full. The hormone leptin sends a message to the brain that the stomach is full. And it creates a feeling of satiety. The hormone leptin increases energy expenditure and reduces appetite.
