BellaOnline Forums Food and Wine Healthy Foods Smaller/more frequent meals

I have always been a fan of eating three meals a day with limited snacking but now during pregnancy I become hungry more often and have started eating smaller meals. For example, oatmeal in the morning, fruit and yogurt mid morning, soup and half a sandwich for lunch, fruit salad and the other sandwich half midafternoon and then small portion dinner. A lot of people say its healthier for your anyway, do you guys like smaller/more frequent meals?

Congrats on your pregnancy, Jill!

As the Stomach Issues Editor, I have to say, Yes! It is much easier on the digestive process to have 5 small meals a day, than the tradition 3 large one's. I also find it keeps my energy consistent throughout the day.

And being pregnant, acid reflux can be a problem, as the stomach is pushed up into the chest cavity by the growing uterus. So smaller meals can help with that, too.

Shay

Great, thanks for the input!

I used to have smaller and more frequent meals (as many as 6 per day), and my body loved it. Not only it regulated my metabolism better, it actually helped me slim down. I have NEVER seen a study saying that smaller frequent meals are bad for you. In fact, I really like to get back to my old meal habit as I currently eat 1-2 large meals per day.

Go for it Jill. I think it's great you are taking good care of yourself during pregnancy. Congratulations!

It is better to have smaller meals more often. What happens when you eat is your metabolism kicks in. So, it will happen more often throughout the day and can come in very handy during your less active times.