According to data managed by www.dosfarma.com, the leading Spanish online pharmacy in the market, the vast majority of Spaniards (8 out of 10) claim to eat well. However, the reality is that only 4 in 10 eat vegetables every day and only 60% fruits.
In addition, it was difficult for many Spaniards to maintain their usual diet during labor. Months later, good eating habits may not have been restored, especially when it comes to schedules. But when and how we eat is almost as important as what we eat.
DosFarma experts explain why it is important to pay attention to the meals and the time we spend on them, as well as some tips for establishing healthy eating habits:
Eat five meals a day
When compiling the daily menu, it must be taken into account that not many hours should pass between meals. Therefore, eat a light snack in the middle of the morning between breakfast and lunch (nuts, whole grains with yogurt, coffee with tomato toast and oil …). The same thing happens between lunch and dinner, where you have to include a snack. Thanks to these two extra, lighter meals, the necessary energy intake for the entire day is achieved.
Plus, eating five meals helps balance hunger throughout the day. If we only do three, we will gain weight with a lot more appetite, which can lead to us eating more than we need to. However, only half of women eat 4 or more meals a day, and only 4 in 10 men.
Set fixed hours
Teleworking or incarceration has greatly affected Spaniards’ routine and, of course, their meal times. However, having a set time to eat helps to synchronize our entire body.
The body has a master clock in the brain that controls all activities (for example, hormone production), but it also has other clocks in each organ that depend on the master clock. Light and dark help regulate the main clock, but so does feeding. If the times of meals are always changing, it will be very difficult to properly synchronize the brain and the different organs.
This desynchronization is often caused by people on changing shifts or taking long flights and switching time zones. If the body is getting food at a time when it is not used to it, it cannot absorb the nutrients in the same way. Over time, imbalances can translate into problems such as diabetes, obesity or insomnia.
Early breakfast
The first meal of the day marks the time of our body. It is important to have breakfast more or less early to synchronize all our clocks. Now it is not necessary to do it at 5 in the morning. Let melatonin, the hormone that makes us sleepy at night, down a bit. It’s a great time between 7am and 8am.
Dinner, too early
As night approaches, the hormones responsible for the digestion of sugars and carbohydrates decline. So carbohydrates are better metabolized when we eat earlier. And the sooner we take them, the more time the body will have to digest them, so 8:00 PM is a really good time.
If it is not possible to have dinner at that time, it is important to leave about two and a half hours before going to sleep. And if you stay up late and have eaten early, you can have a yogurt or a glass of milk before going to bed. Dairy products contain tryptophan, an amino acid that aids in the production of melatonin and serotonin, essential for falling asleep.
Eat in no hurry
You have to take into account not only when you eat, but also for how long. Eating too fast, with anxiety or stress, prevents nutrients from being properly absorbed. That can lead to constipation, gas, hiccups and other digestive problems.
Chew well
Since you don’t have to eat fast, make sure that the food is chewed well, even if that means spending a few more minutes. It is important that food mixes well with the saliva in the mouth because saliva contains amylase, an enzyme that helps digest carbohydrates. If food reaches the stomach without the amylase working properly, it will have to work much harder to digest everything.
Drink plenty of water
Meals should have set times, but fluid intake should be done throughout the day. The key is to drink before you get thirsty to replace the fluids lost through sweat and urine (about 1.5 to 2 liters per day). The important thing is not to leave for too long without drinking liquids. It is not necessary to drink only water, but adding other liquids stimulates the desire to drink: infusions, natural juices …
Amanda Dutruc, DosFarma pharmacist, says: “It is essential to maintain a stable schedule at mealtimes. People who often have to adjust their schedule due to work often find this out due to digestive problems, weight gain, sleep problems and other illnesses. . It is important to eat for a few hours so that we can synchronize the rhythm of our body. We must adapt to the cycles the body works in. At DosFarma we want to raise awareness about the importance of a healthy diet which is natural means eating a varied and balanced diet, as well as devoting time to each meal and properly distributing food intake throughout the day with stable meals. “