# Eating one large meal a day -- is it unhealthy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 13, 2016, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-one-large-meal-a-day-is-it-unhealthy/754693 "2016-05-13T16:43:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-one-large-meal-a-day-is-it-unhealthy/754693/21 "2016-05-17T13:31:54Z")
> [@spamforbrains](#): > > um, actually, it may be more healthy to eat one meal a day than to eat multiple small meals. After the invention of the idea of eating constantly, the obesity and diabetic epidemic exploded. Eating constantly is one meal. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-one-large-meal-a-day-is-it-unhealthy/754693/22 "2016-05-17T13:39:22Z")
Sumo wrestlers eat one meal a day. One BIG meal. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-one-large-meal-a-day-is-it-unhealthy/754693/23 "2016-05-17T15:58:18Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > Cite please. If you have one, I’ll send it to all of the doctors and professional diabetic counselors who told me the direct opposite - but I doubt you do. > **[Eating two larger meals a day (breakfast and lunch) is more effective than...](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4079942/)** > > The aim of the study was to compare the effect of six (A6 regimen) vs two meals a day, breakfast and lunch (B2 regimen), on body weight, hepatic fat content (HFC), insulin resistance and beta cell function.In a randomised, open, crossover,... > [@](#): > > **Eating only breakfast and lunch reduced body weight, HFC, fasting plasma glucose, C-peptide and glucagon, and increased OGIS, more than the same caloric restriction split into six meals**. These results suggest that, for type 2 diabetic patients on a hypoenergetic diet, e **ating larger breakfasts and lunches may be more beneficial than six smaller meals during the day.** ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-one-large-meal-a-day-is-it-unhealthy/754693/24 "2016-05-17T16:09:57Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > Hunter gatherers generally didn’t have a lot of refined sugar, white bread, and french fries handy, while the fast food your cousin is eating likely has a ton of carbs. **They were also much, much more active than people today,** especially people with isolating mental issues. Also not true. Hunter-gatherers burn roughly the same amount of calories per day as we do: [http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/26/opinion/sunday/debunking-the-hunter-gatherer-workout.html?\_r=0](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/26/opinion/sunday/debunking-the-hunter-gatherer-workout.html?_r=0) > [@](#): > > We found that despite all this physical activity, the number of calories that the Hadza burned per day was indistinguishable from that of typical adults in Europe and the United States. We ran a number of statistical tests, accounting for body mass, lean body mass, age, sex and fat mass, and still found no difference in daily energy expenditure between the Hadza and their Western counterparts. ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-one-large-meal-a-day-is-it-unhealthy/754693/25 "2016-05-17T16:43:36Z")
> [@spamforbrains](#): > > In regards to diabetes, eating multiple small meals keeps your insulin levels high at all times. This causes your tissues to stop listening and then you develop insulin resistance, which is the cause of type II diabetes. I asked for a cite supporting the above, and got: > [@Surreal](#): > > [Eating two larger meals a day (breakfast and lunch) is more effective than six smaller meals in a reduced-energy regimen for patients with type 2 diabetes: a randomised crossover study - PMC](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4079942/) There’s nothing in that study supporting the contention that eating multiple small meals keeps your insulin levels high at all times and leads to insulin resistance, which then leads to type II diabetes. The study says that eating 6 meals per day may not be as effective as eating 2 meals per day for people who are already diabetic and taking diabetic medicines, but absolutely nothing about developing insulin resistance or causing type II diabetes. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-one-large-meal-a-day-is-it-unhealthy/754693/26 "2016-05-17T16:52:17Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > One thing to keep in mind is that we evolved from animals that did not eat according to a regular schedule. If Grog the cave man (or more accurately Al the Australopithicus) had a bad day hunting, he didn’t eat that day… This makes sense. However, most have us have lived our lives eating multiple meals every day and I’m wondering if switching to a once day meal would be problematic for some people. ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-one-large-meal-a-day-is-it-unhealthy/754693/27 "2016-05-17T17:07:24Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > I asked for a cite supporting the above, and got: > There’s nothing in that study supporting the contention that eating multiple small meals keeps your insulin levels high at all times and leads to insulin resistance, which then leads to type II diabetes. The study says that eating 6 meals per day may not be as effective as eating 2 meals per day for people who are already diabetic and taking diabetic medicines, but absolutely nothing about developing insulin resistance or causing type II diabetes. In the linked study, consuming fewer meals per day resulted in improved insulin sensitivity. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-one-large-meal-a-day-is-it-unhealthy/754693/28 "2016-05-17T17:09:47Z")
I think one meal a day is a little extreme, but twice in my life I lost 60 pounds by eating just two medium sized meals a day, spaced at least 5 hours apart. ---
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-one-large-meal-a-day-is-it-unhealthy/754693/29 "2016-05-17T17:16:58Z")
Thanks ever so much, folks, for all your responses! I’ll pass on information to my sister. I have another, related question, but I’ve decided to make it a separate thread. ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-one-large-meal-a-day-is-it-unhealthy/754693/30 "2016-05-19T18:45:01Z")
One piece of advice I’d offer is that if he decides to continue eating just one meal per day, it would be a good idea to have this meal earlier in the day rather than later, particularly if the meal includes lots of carbohydrates. Skeletal muscle has a higher insulin sensitivity in the morning, whereas adipose tissue has a higher insulin sensitivity in the evening. So even if the number of calories consumed is identical, carbohydrate-rich meals eaten late in the evening will cause you to gain more fat than the same meal consumed in the morning. ---
**Author:** ![Esturionette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9d8465/32.png) [@Esturionette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esturionette)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-one-large-meal-a-day-is-it-unhealthy/754693/31 "2016-05-21T17:50:47Z")
When it comes to nutrition, there is a lot of individual variation and different things work for different people. Meal frequency is definitely less important than the content of those meals. I personally think that one needs to be extremely disciplined to eat five _small_ meals per day. Some people just like to eat until their stomach is full. I attribute my weight loss success to a one-meal diet; it is simply easier to not eat for most of the day than to stop myself from eating more at a meal. In the case of Anny Middon’s nephew, if he decides to start losing weight, it will be easier to control what goes into his one large meal. ---
**Author:** ![karlh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@karlh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/karlh)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-one-large-meal-a-day-is-it-unhealthy/754693/32 "2016-05-21T20:58:53Z")
If you have a pet, have a look at its eating habits and adjust your own. Animals eat only when they are hungry, or stressed… Depending on a pet, it will usually eat one large meal a day. Rest of the time it may snack. Do the same, have the large meal at lunch time, rather than the evening. In times gone by, breakfasts were always the biggest meals of the day,to sustain you for the day. Nowadays, breakfast seems to be the smallest, if anything at all. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-one-large-meal-a-day-is-it-unhealthy/754693/33 "2016-05-21T21:28:49Z")
Most of my life I have skipped breakfast and tend to eat my first meal in the late afternoon, about an hour later I have something starchy like a sandwhich and a couple hours after that maybe a waffle or a bowl of cereal. I don’t eat any what I would call large meals. I stay about 30# overweight. ---
**Author:** ![spamforbrains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-one-large-meal-a-day-is-it-unhealthy/754693/34 "2016-05-21T21:38:59Z")
> [@](#): > > If you have one, I’ll send it to all of the doctors and professional diabetic counselors who told me the direct opposite Please keep in mind there is an approximately 20 year lag between the time that new findings come out before professional health care personnel start changing their approaches. What your average doctor tells you is probably wrong especially in regards to diet. Many doctors don’t even bother to follow the guidelines listed on USPSTF and NGC, which are updated regularly, but still lag at least 5 years behind the current state of knowledge. Which of course is always in flux. ---
**Author:** ![spamforbrains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-one-large-meal-a-day-is-it-unhealthy/754693/35 "2016-05-21T22:10:47Z")
Current theory as far as I understand it: when you eat a meal containing carbohydrates, your body releases insulin from the pancreas. Insulin triggers your muscles and other cells to absorb the resulting glucose from your blood, and they then either use it for immediate energy needs, turn it into glycogen for short-term energy storage, or turn it into fat for long-term energy storage. People who snack frequently or eat many small meals per day or just eat a lot of carbohydrates on a regular basis are constantly experiencing increased blood glucose levels and constant release of insulin. Over time, the tissues appear to become annoyed by the constant demands to absorb glucose from the bloodstream by the chronically elevated levels of insulin, so they down-regulate their insulin receptors. They become insulin-resistant. Namely, the tissues start to ignore the insulin signal and thus the person’s blood glucose levels remain chronically elevated, which is very damaging to the body. Solution: stop eating frequently and/or cut out carbohydrates in order to prevent the development of insulin resistance. ---
**Author:** ![doubleminus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5daacb/32.png) [@doubleminus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doubleminus)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-one-large-meal-a-day-is-it-unhealthy/754693/36 "2016-05-21T22:19:02Z")
> [@karlh](#): > > If you have a pet, have a look at its eating habits and adjust your own. Animals eat only when they are hungry, or stressed… Depending on a pet, it will usually eat one large meal a day. Rest of the time it may snack. Do the same, have the large meal at lunch time, rather than the evening. In times gone by, breakfasts were always the biggest meals of the day,to sustain you for the day. Nowadays, breakfast seems to be the smallest, if anything at all. I have a large Labrador (female). It will eat anything in any quantity if available. She once stole and ate a whole frozen chicken, another time a huge box (1kg) of Godiva chocolate. She has a stomach of titanium. She is the most unstressed dog you can find, so… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-one-large-meal-a-day-is-it-unhealthy/754693.md?page=1)