Should You Eat 3 Meals a Day? An Expert Dietician Weighs In

If you, like me, have an unpredictable eating pattern, you love to snack throughout the day. I don't like putting effort into cooking, and I even skip meals until I'm so hangry I can barely think straight. Three meals a day is a rare victory. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the proportion of people consuming three meals a day declined significantly from the 1970s to 2010 (73% to 59% in men and 75% to 63% in women). I'd venture to guess those numbers have gone down even more in the 12 years since that survey, as stress and burnout has reached a fever pitch in recent years. This made me wonder how important is it to have frequent meals? Why aren't two meals (or the popular OMAD) safe? And why is it so hard to eat three meals a day? I talked to a nutrition expert and dove into the research to find out. Here's how my own eating habits have transformed for the better. John Eder/Getty Images Three meals a day: An origin story Though we now take it for ... Read full article.