Meal Frequency

I've been reading about meal frequency and was wondering what people thought about this. Is it better to eat fewer times a day or more?

I've read that eating the recommended 5 small meals a day is not ideal because this prevents the release of STH (rejuvinating growth hormone somatotropin) from the pituitary gland. This hormone is only released when the stomach has been empty for long periods of time.
Insulin and blood sugar also only decrease when the stomach has been empty for a long time. Insulin, which is released from the pancreas when you eat, prevents the release of growth hormones.
STH influences on the body include:
1) muscle mass increases
2) fat deposits reduced
3) immune system strengthened
4) skin grows tauter
5) bone density increases
(Axt & Axt-Gadermann, 2001)

I am finding that I feel good doing this. Anyone else have similar experiences?

Tags: blood, frequency, hormones, insulin, meal, sugar

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Permalink Reply by Esmée La Fleur on May 24, 2011 at 11:16am

You are right, Josh, the brain can burn ketones, but it prefers glucose, and there is usually always a little bit of glucose around to fuel the brain. Either way, it is only dangerous in diabetics. It is an alternative energy fuel (one that we may actually be well designed to run on for extended periods of time, or else we would not possess the pathways to do so) and I personally feel better eating this way and that is what is important to me. I did a 25 day water-only fast in January, which is only possible because of ketosis, and my brain never worked better. Based on everything I have read, I am not convinced there is anything wrong with ketosis in a non-diabetic person. God bless DR.

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Permalink Reply by Courtney on May 30, 2011 at 10:58am

I'd love to hear how intermittant fasting (IF) goes for you, too. I'm not interested in calorie restriction so much, but I'm absolutely fascinated by IF, which is essentially the idea of eating all one's calories in a shorter time period. During my two-week trial with it, it seems to be just as effective for me as LFRV in detoxing and shedding weight. I want to go back and experiment with it more. However, the interesting thing is that I found that for me, IF was much less effective when I failed to drink enough water. I'm wondering if you've experimented with IF and lots of water (rather than the dry fasting that Tonya advocates). I am not buying the dry fasting as good for health. I find that not drinking enough water only slows me down, slows down detox, and slows down other metabolic processes in my body. But I'm still am curious about other's experiences...

Ultimately, I'd love to combine LFRV and IF (but with no calorie restriction).

Thanks! :)

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Permalink Reply by Esmée La Fleur on May 30, 2011 at 11:50am

I am writing about it on my blog, if you want to follow my experience:

http://thetaooffruit.blogspot.com/

I am not sure about the dry fasting either, but I am doing for now.

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Permalink Reply by Courtney on May 31, 2011 at 4:09am

Great, I'll follow you there :)

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Permalink Reply by Durianwriter on May 31, 2011 at 4:39am

Esmee,

There are some negative side effects of ketosis. One negative side effect is that the process of making ketones changes the PH of the body, making it more acidic. This can damage bones, teeth, and lead to osteoporosis. While ketones can provide energy for most of the nervous system, some parts of the brain only accept glucose and will die once the body runs out of protein to convert to glucose. Fat is never converted to glucose.

Remember too that the body needs many other things besides energy: it needs vitamins, minerals, and other stuff I don't even know the names of. Without certain vitamins the body is unable to process proteins, break things down, or basically function. When fasting this is a problem particularly with water soluble vitamins, which we need to replenish every few days or risk deficiency.

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Permalink Reply by Esmée La Fleur on May 31, 2011 at 5:23am

Hi Lindsay, thanks for your concern. I actually checked my urine and I don't seem to be producing ketones, or at least not enough to spill over into my urine. I have a feeling that 811rv contains too many carbs to produce ketones even when eating in a restricted 6-hour window. So, the benefits I am feeling must be from some other metabolic change. Dr. Herring, who recommends eating in a 5 hour window, is the one who stated that his program puts one into a ketogenic metabolic state, but he recommends a diet of fruits, vegies, grains, and meat--so, while it includes carbs, it includes less than what I am eating. I will test my urine periodically and see if anything changes as I stay with this eating pattern for a longer. I just completed a 25-day water fast and did not experience any water-soluble vitamin deficiencies.

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Permalink Reply by DURIANRIDER on May 24, 2011 at 12:10pm

I can see Julie has progressed a LOT from Sept 2009. I was a bit confused till I read the date. ;)

I eat enough to last me till the next time food sounds good. Bit like sleep. I get enough. :)

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Permalink Reply by Freshtival on May 24, 2011 at 1:31pm

Meal frequency for me depends on what I'm eating. If I'm juicing or blending I eat meals a lot more frequently probably because liquid digest so much faster then heavy meals. The more solid meals are spaced further apart because their in my stomach longer.

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Permalink Reply by Rawfruitygoddess on May 30, 2011 at 12:25pm

I use to eat 6 times a day,now i focus on eating 3 times a day,sometimes it's 4,but rarely.I eat enough to tide me over to the next meal 4-5 hours in between,and i feel so much better than eating constantly,my teeth and gums are better,my digestion is better because it isn't constantly working,i don't think about food allllll the time,energy is so much more vibrant,and emotionally more stable.

anyone who thinks eating 1000cals per meal,needs to reeducate themselves on abundant eating and thinking :)sometimes 1000cals is only half the meal i eat.