The Most Important Food Resolution - Never Ever Skip a Meal

The greatest food resolution anybody can make and the most important diet resolution we all must make is that we will never ever skip a meal. Skipping meals damages our metabolism, imbalances the nutrient intake and finally makes you want to eat more of the wrong foods at the wrong times. This will lead to an unhealthy weight gain situation and health problems.

    1. Damage of Metabolic Rate

Metabolic rate means the ticking of all the systems of our body which results in a burning of calories or energy. When we skip meals a message is sent to the body that the fuel that is available for burning is less and therefore the body tries to adjust itself and reduce the burning of the fuel to a minimum. This results in the metabolic rate being lowered. E.g. The normal metabolic rate of a woman should be between 1200-1500 cals. burnt per day. The normal metabolic rate of a man should be 1500-1800 or 2000 per day. Those engaged in regular sports and training should have an even higher rate.

Women who skip meals and engage in fasting one or two days a week may find their metabolic rate ( BMR –Basal Metabolic Rate) drop to 1000 or 1100. This is low for a woman and a BMR of 1200 or 1300 for a man is low.

When the BMR drops like this the result is that you will find it very, very difficult to lose weight and very easy the put on weight. So if you have planned a weight reduction programme which involves skipping any meal, breakfast or lunch or dinner or if you have planned to fast for one or two days a week, regularly then you are paving the way for a very serious damage to your body, health and BMR.

    2. Nutrient Imbalance

The second problem that arises is that when you skip a meal the body has to provide the energy and nutrients that you have not received from the food you were supposed to eat. Each meal is supposed to provide energy as well as protein and vitamins and minerals. The body will draw energy from glycogen stored in the liver and muscles as well as some fat breakdown will happen. The sad part is that the protein requirement has to be met and this will be taken from the muscle tissue of your body.

This breakdown of muscle happens with every meal you skip and on every day you fast. Finally your skin will look wrinkled, aged and sagging. This one damage can never be rectified naturally. It is one of the worst things we can do to our body. The vitamin and minerals that have been missed cannot be pulled out from anywhere. The body just has to manage to function with the lesser amounts of this and overtime results in deficiencies. This will be seen outwardly as dull skin, falling hair, weak bones and internally as poor blood levels of iron, calcium, vitamins, etc., which leave you weak and tired.

    3. Overeating and Cravings

All those who skip meals and fast will surely have to eat more latter in the day or definitely in the next day. Please note that we may think that the body will adjust but the internal story is different. e.g. if you eat 10% for breakfast,20% for lunch and then 70% at dinner instead of 40% breakfast, 40%lunch and 20%dinner, the body at dinner time will say I need only 20%, so if you have eaten 70% the body will store the 50% extra as fat. The calorie intake has to be correct at each meal and properly distributed in all the 3 meals breakfast lunch and dinner with breakfast and lunch to evening tea time providing about 80% of the calories and only 20% at night as the metabolism is slowing down at that time.

Lastly those who skip meals feel weak and have low self-control over food and therefore keep indulging in tasty foods like sweets, pastries, cookies and deep fried snacks which will result in a lot of fat accumulation in the body as well as pave the way for diabetes and heart disease. So treat yourself to good health and fitness this year by making the resolution to eat all 3 meals of breakfast, lunch and dinner daily and never, ever skip a meal throughout 2014 and always.