We can learn a lot from our caveman ancestors about food, nutrition and portion size. As they walked the earth some 2 million years ago, stone-age hunter gatherers ate small amounts of fruits, vegetables, fish and lean meat throughout the day. Storing food for long periods or carrying it for great distances was not practical so typically hunter gatherers would eat what they could when they could find it.
People today have a different approach. Many admit to having no breakfast, a big lunch and an even bigger dinner. Thinking of your metabolism as being like a fire helps explain why this is not a good idea. Ideally, you want to keep your metabolism at a steady pace during the day. Skipping meals is like starving the fire of oxygen. Eating big portions is like taking a large log and throwing it onto the fire. In both cases the fire doesn't respond well. On the other hand, eating small portions regularly is like taking a handful of twigs and throwing them onto the fire at regular intervals. The result - the fire burns evenly throughout the day and you'll avoid those sudden cravings of hunger.
The ideal number of meals is six per day consisting of a good breakfast, a medium sized lunch and a small dinner. You need less energy while sleeping hence the smaller portion size close to bed time. Your 3 main meals should be supplemented throughout the day by 3 smaller healthy snacks such as fresh fruit or a handful of nuts.
A bowl of porridge in the morning garnished with dried fruit is an excellent way to start the day. Porridge is an example of a slow release carbohydrate. It releases energy slowly and steadily to your body. Quick release carbohydrates such as cakes, biscuits and sweets tend to give a sudden burst of energy followed by a slump. It's this slump in energy which can leave you feeling hungry for more food.
Other foods such as sweet potatoes in their skins, carrots and parsnips provide us with the essential carbohydrates we need to keep healthy. A lack of carbohydrates in a nutrition plan can sometimes lead to problems concentrating and headaches.
For Fruit and vegetables you should be consuming at least 5 servings every day spread across your meals and snacks. One serving is roughly equivalent to:
- 1 large piece of fruit such as an apple, banana or pear
- 2 medium sized pieces of fruit such as kiwis or peaches
- 1 cup of berries or grapes
- 2 tablespoons of cooked vegetables
- 1 small bowl of salad
For meat and other sources of protein we should be consuming 2-3 servings every day. One serving is roughly equivalent to:
- 1 chicken breast
- 1 medium sized lean steak
- 1 fillet of fish such as salmon, cod or Pollock
- 1 can of tuna
- 2 boiled eggs
For fatty and sugary foods and foods with high salt content, try to consume as little as possible. Reduce your saturated fat intake by cooking with small quantities of vegetable based oils and use reduced fat spreads such as margarine. Avoid refined sugars as they are essentially empty calories and have little, if any, nutritional value.
So if you're trying to kickstart a healthier lifestyle, a great place to start is by eating the kind of natural foods our cavemen ancestors would have eaten in small portions and at regular intervals throughout the day.
