There is a lot of confusion about how many meals to eat in a day. Most of us have been brought up to believe that 3 large meals are the right choice, while we have also heard that 5 small meals helps you lose weight. So which one is it?

The first argument that everyone makes when it comes to eating 5-6 small meals every day is that it keeps your metabolism high. The truth is that even though digesting food does slightly raise your metabolism, there has been no study suggesting that this makes a difference in your weight loss or weight gain efforts. Eating 3 meals of 800 calories has the same effect as eating 6 healthy snacks of 400 calories. Many studies have been conducted comparing smaller meals to larger meals and no significant effect has been found on the metabolic rate or the amount of fat lost.

There is also a belief that large meals lead to highs and lows in blood sugar, while smaller and more frequent meals can help stabilise your blood sugar levels throughout the day. However, there has been no evidence supporting this theory either. There has actually been a study which shows that people who eat fewer and larger meals have lower levels of blood sugar compared to their counterparts. Large meals have also been shown to reduce hunger and leave you feeling satiated for longer periods of time.

The truth of the matter is that your body doesn’t care about how many meals you eat. The thermic effect of food is directly proportional to your caloric intake and the foods you eat. If all you eat is potato chips, tortilla chips and chocolates then you are bound to gain weight. As long as the caloric intake remains the same you can eat 10 meals or one single meal and still get the exact same metabolic effect. This means that regardless of whether you graze throughout the day or gorge in one sitting, it doesn't matter unless you are hitting your caloric goals.  Ideally, one should eat healthy snacks when one is feeling hungry versus an entire meal. You can consider munching on whole grain chips, khari biscuits or homemade baked bhakarwadi.

The best approach to your diet is one that is sustainable for you and fits with your lifestyle. A diet that does not feel like a diet is the one that you are most likely to stick with and thus the most likely one to give you the results you want. Worry more about what you’re eating instead of how often you’re eating and you will be just fine.