One of the most frequent questions I have gotten over the years, is whether or not a person should eat 3 square meals a day, or whether they should break that into 5 or 6 small meals.
The answer is…it depends.
If you are asking if I think you should make room in your diet for the top 10 foods people are likely to think of when they hear the word,"snack," the answer is no.
Unfortunately, we've let the food industry define"snack" for us, and if you look at the average snack machine in the break room, airport, or hotel, it is more likely to contain Pop Tarts, candy bars, and corn chips than it is apples, string cheese, or anything containing protein.
If you are asking if you should add more eating moments to your day without making your normal meals smaller…the answer is no. This is one of the issues I see with people switching to more meals. Their definition of meal is preset, and the switch adds unnecessary calories. If you want to eat more meals, each meal needs to be smaller so that the total adds up to be the same at day's end.
One of the biggest issues with PCOS is that large amounts of calories, especially when they are carbohydrate calories, are not handled well by the hormones that digest and absorb those calories. It may be easier for your body to process the food you eat if you do eat smaller amounts of food, more frequently.
All of your"eating incidents" should include some type of protein and a healthy fat. I almost don't like to use the words"meals" and"snacks", because each one conjures up images of what is and is not ok for each. I encourage you to redefine, and to eat what works best for you. When we use those words, it is almost as if one kind of eating is when we're doing healthy,"good" stuff, and the other is when we try to sneak in the other stuff. Every time you eat is an opportunity to be good to yourself, so be sure you choose wisely.
If an energy bar is an easier breakfast for you than a traditional breakfast, then do it!
If a half sandwich before bedtime is more reasonable than something that feels like a sweet and may trigger binge eating, then do it!
It can be challenging to figure out what plan works best for you. Here are some scenarios that would tell you a smaller, more frequent eating pattern might work better for you:
--you wake up not feeling hungry. If you didn't binge the night before, this may mean your blood sugar bottomed out overnight and your stress hormones released sugar to compensate while you were sleeping. A high protein meal/snack shortly before bed might help prevent this from happening.
--you eat a healthy meal, and just as you're finishing up, you start to feel ravenous. In this case, your blood sugar levels are telling you there was a dip prior to dinner, and the food you just ate has not had a chance to fix the problem. The answer is not to eat more food in the moment (as it is tempting to do), but to add a protein/carb combination a few hours before dinner to stablize your blood sugar.
--you participate in physical activity. You're simply going to need more food, more often, since you are using more energy.
--your schedule is not 9 to 5. If you work hours that interfere with our culturally standard mealtimes, you may do better with smaller meals that do not interfere with sleep. This is a situation where prepackaged foods that you can throw in a backpack or briefcase could be the answer.
A PCOS-trained dietitian can help you to analyze your food preferences, your lifestyle, and your own personal blood glucose response to certain types of foods. Whatever approach you determine is best for you. As I said, every time you eat is an opportunity to treat yourself well. Don't miss out!