The 5:5:5 diet: how many meals should we really eat a day?
A new diet says eating five meals a day is a good way to lose weight. But what's behind it?
How many times a day should we eat?
I myself am a three square meals kinda girl, with the odd snack thrown in when I’m feeling a little bit peckish.
But I also know a lot of people who eat five times a day every three hours or so and that suits them.
And this is where the hottest new diet trend comes in, the ‘5:5:5’ method.
Could this be the way to keep the pounds off for good? We take a closer look at what it involves.
5:5:5 diet
On this diet, you’re encouraged to eat five times per day, and is said to help you lose up to five pounds in just a week. Sounds a little too good to be true, doesn’t it?
UK nutritionist Angela Dowden claims it’s the ‘easiest and healthiest’ way for people to get a healthier body by limiting portions in a consistent, sustainable way.
On the 5:5:5 diet, you’ll eat little and often and your daily five fruit and veg portions take centre stage in every meal. This is the trick!
Dowden told GoodToKnow: “The science behind our 5:5:5 is very simple – it's about eating more (at least five portions daily) of healthy fruit and veg – particularly high fibre, low cal greens – that fill you up and help keep you trim.
“It's also about having regularly-spaced meals and snacks every day to keep hunger at bay. These healthy eating principles help lower risk of heart disease and cancer and boost energy levels too!”
But what can you eat?
Your average day on the diet could see you enjoy blueberries, kiwifruit and fat-free yoghurt for breakfast, poached salmon fillet accompanied by salad and tzatziki at lunch, and for dinner you could have cous cous, vegetables and some delicious lean lamb chops.
You can have snacks between meals like a handful of nuts and raisins or a banana, but you’re strongly advised to never snack too close to mealtimes, and be sure to keep portions small.
What do we think?
It doesn’t seem too hard, does it? And it actually doesn't sound that revolutionary.
The 5:5:5 diet in theory is logical, i.e. you eat at regular intervals to stop your body from going hungry, don't snack close to meal times and avoid sugary drinks.
In reality, it sounds like you'll be eating three meals a day, packed with more low-carb, high-fibre vegetables and eating a snack halfway between two meals.
And that sounds like common sense really, doesn't it? Because we all know eating healthy meals throughout the day is the key to weight loss rather than starving ourselves.
What do you think of this new diet? Vote in the poll below and let us know your thoughts in the Comments box below.
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