Contents
Amount of recommended meals per day
DAILY MEALS FOR CHILDREN
How many meals we should do every day?
Man is a very curious animal: hardworking, creative, artist, musician, athlete, cheerful, intellectual… Inside the Man many more features are being developed: how to think, to digest or grow.
Therefore, the human being is an animal with a nutrition as complete as their activities.
The nutrition science tells us that we must eat cereals and legumes every day to regain energy and good thinking; milk to grow strong bones; meat, rich in iron, for the muscles and blood; fish with containing iodine to grow better; vegetables to attain a beautiful skin, a healthy hair and a strong heart. We should not forget the sweet fruits, because they are rich in vitamins for defences.
According to each region of the world, people can also consume dairy products, to grow and have strong bones; meat, rich in proteins, iron and carnitine, for muscles and blood; fish, to grow better thanks to the essential fatty acids and the iodine it contains, …
Nutrition tells us what to eat, but how to eat all the food we need in an organized and pleasant way? How to combine them? That’s why there is dietetics. Dietetics is the science that organizes meals (diet) in an orderly manner so that we find it delicious to eat a variety and that taking care of ourselves is a pleasure.
What is dietetics?
Dietetics is the science that organizes meals (diet) in a harmonious and orderly way so that we can make eating a delicious and healthy process.
There are many types of healthy diets. What characterizes them all is that they exclude junk food.
- Dietary experts tell us to do at least 5 meals a day to ensure a full nutrition, rich in vitamins and minerals that help us to fully develop, grow and study
• Breakfast:
• Mid morning snack:
• Lunch:
• Dinner
Importance of breakfast
Our body is fasting all night long, working to get energy from the reserves of the body. A good breakfast helps wake up the brain and prepare the body for the workday or student.
Breakfast is very important especially in those cases where people have to make physical efforts during the morning, like bricklayers, workers with a lot of stress, etc. But for sedentary people, it is not a meal more important than any other.
A breakfast in Sri Lanka: In many countries it is common to eat eggs, potatoes, rice, lentils and beans at breakfast. The Western diet has been replacing these traditional dishes so nutritious by packaged, sweetened and ultra-processed products.
If you eat enough, not too much, it will be easier to concentrate, study, attend in class, … It has been proven that students who have a good breakfast every morning have a harder time studying.
Breakfast errors
For many years it has been emphasized that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. However, for most people it is the worst meal of the day as it is full of ultra-processed, sugary and poor quality products: industrial bread, breakfast cereals, sweetened yogurts, cookies, processed meat, industrial juices, jam, .. .
You can have more or less quantity, there is no problem, but in no context of a healthy diet you can have a variety of industrial products every day. On the other hand, the human being is prepared to fast or eat little without it entailing any negative consequences for health …
What can you eat at lunch and dinner?
Lunch and dinner are the two main meals of the day. At this time, people usually share their meals with their companions or relatives, get together and enjoy good company. It is a good time to prepare recipes together, learn to cook, chat, etc.
From a dietary point of view, you should eat a good source of protein (for example a plate of vegetables, eggs, etc.) and accompany all the dishes of a good portion of vegetables, such as a good salad or a good vegetable dish .
What foods make up the snack?
The snack is important to maintain energy during the afternoon and be able to play, do homework, study or play sports at maximum performance.
To reflect: the number is not important!
What would you say to someone who asks you how many meals a day you should have to be healthy? The answer is neither 3, nor 5, nor any other number. Sometimes we forget that the most important thing to be healthy is to make a complete diet and quality food. Currently many people eat 6 times a day, but they fill their meals with ultra-processed products of poor quality.
The idea that you “have” to eat 5 meals a day is a general recommendation, but it does not respond to any scientific reasoning. You can eat less and be healthy.
The stressed society consumes mostly fast food, such as biscuits, ultra-processed snacks or processed meat sandwich, to the detriment of traditional recipes, stews, stews and vegetables.
The typical menu of chips and very greasy meat, with almost nothing of fresh vegetables, is detrimental to the circulation. Poor circulation is a silent disease, because it has no symptoms.
Therefore, each diet should be personalized to the person, according to their circumstances and their schedules. It is better for health to make 3 healthy and complete main meals, than 5 harmful foods, full of ultra-processed foods, which could be causing more harm than good.
In addition, of course, there are days when you eat a little more, and others a little less. There are no compulsory eating times, but it is also important to attend to the instinct and pay attention to the sensation of hunger and satiety.
| TO REMEMBER: DAILY MEALS |
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* A practical case: Diet for strong bones
More information on nutrition.
