Cecil Whig

Posted on: April 14, 2008

Three Square

Skipping meals isn’t a good game to play for people looking to lose or maintain weight

By Bev Bennett
CTW Features

You skip breakfast while you make sure everyone else eats their morning meal; then you use your lunch break to run errands. It’s easy to bypass breakfast and lunch, especially if you’re a woman with a family to care for. You probably congratulate yourself for making a dent in your to-do list, but your habit may take a toll on your health, say nutrition experts.

“I’ve heard from women who complain they don’t have the time [to eat during the day],” says Amy Jamieson-Petonic, registered dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, Chicago.

If you limit yourself to one meal a day you may not get all the nutrients you need; your body won’t respond well when you deny yourself food for long stretches.

“You’re trying to do everything you need to do on an empty tank. You put your body on starvation mode and may be slowing your metabolism [to compensate], “ says Jamieson-Petonic, employee wellness manager at the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio.

You may also put yourself at greater risk for type 2 diabetes, according to the results of a recent study from the National Institute on Aging, Bethesda, Md. For the study healthy adult volunteers consumed all their calories between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m during an eight-week period. After the eight weeks the volunteers had elevated fasting glucose levels and delayed insulin response.

Even if you eat a well-balanced dinner, you’re unlikely to make up for what you miss during the day, says Joan Salge Blake, registered dietitian.

“The wider the variety of foods you get in your diet, the better it will be. When you skip meals, going from three to one, your variety is cut. You may have one vegetable, one grain, one protein. You’re not going to eat three different vegetables,” says Blake, clinical assistant professor of nutrition, Boston University, Boston.

Blake, however, is more concerned about overeating at the end of the day.

“You get so ravenous you walk in the door and eat anything that’s not moving. You eat the things that are fastest going in – calorie-dense foods,” says Blake, author of “Nutrition & You” (Benjamin Cummings, 2008).

The Right Stuff

Instead of making excuses, dietitians recommend you find some easy and portable foods to eat during the day. Combine protein and carbohydrates for the best energy boost, says Amy Jamieson-Petonic.

“Carbohydrates will give you a quick burst, but your energy drops quickly. Protein prolongs the energy so you don’t have the drop,” she says.

Easy combos include a banana and stick of low-fat mozzarella cheese; trail mix that includes whole-grain cereal and nuts or peanut butter on whole-grain bread. Don’t wait for a set mealtime to eat, says Jamieson-Petonic.

“Have nuts, a piece of fruit or a granola bar with dietary fiber in your desk drawer. You’ll want to fuel your body throughout the day,” says the Cleveland dietitian.