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Grazing can satisfy better than the standard three meals

February 4, 2007 12:51 am

BY DONYA ARIAS

Dolly Parton swears by it. Toddlers do it naturally. Personal trainers recommend it to clients wanting to drop pounds.

Grazing--eating several small meals throughout the day instead of three larger ones--has been under debate in nutrition circles for decades. Some say it can be the key to feeling healthy, keeping your weight in check and maintaining energy.

"I'm a proponent of it," said Nancy Farrell, wellness dietitian for Spotsylvania County Public Schools and a grazer herself. "I think it's healthier. I think it's smarter. I think it makes sense, as long as you remember each time you eat shouldn't be a party."

In other words, healthy grazing doesn't mean grabbing a handful of chips as you walk through the kitchen, scarfing down a cupcake an hour later and then munching on popcorn in front of the T.V.

Instead, effective grazing means eating mostly "nutrient dense" foods throughout the day, a practice many say leaves them feeling more satisfied than two or three larger meals. Think a peach instead of peach cobbler, low-fat yogurt in lieu of a milkshake, and a few handfuls of fiber- and protein-rich trail mix instead of a candy bar.

Grazing can fit well with a hectic lifestyle and can help many people avoid the ravenous hunger that often leads to overeating. But it does take some planning.

Gary Roach, a personal trainer at the Rappahannock Area YMCA, advises clients wanting to lose weight to eat every three hours, and to combine either a protein and a fat, or a protein and a carbohydrate-rich food. For example, a lunch of tuna with mayonnaise, minus the bread. A snack might be an apple smeared with peanut butter.

"It has worked for many of my clients much better than getting up, skipping breakfast, and then eating two heavy meals," Roach said. "The most important thing for people who graze is to set themselves up so they don't fail."

He tells clients to put their five to six mini meals into containers the night before because "it's always better with a plan."

Scientifically, the jury is still out when it comes to comparing grazing with eating the traditional breakfast, lunch and dinner spaced out over a 12-plus-hour day.

Several studies have shown that grazing is easier on the heart and digestive system, helps keep blood sugar levels constant and helps stoke the metabolism. That's important for dieters whose bodies can slip into "starvation mode," making it tougher to lose weight on fewer and fewer calories.

Best-selling books such as "The 3-Hour Diet" by fitness guru Jorge Cruise have brought cachet to the idea of grazing. Cruise believes people wanting to lose weight should eat within an hour of waking and then every three hours throughout the day, finishing the last meal three hours before bedtime. The idea is to keep cravings in check while maintaining a steady metabolism.

Yet for some people, grazing can be a nutritional mine field. People who struggle with compulsive overeating, for example, often fare better with three scheduled meals and a small snack or two. And despite more than 40 years of research looking at the question of three large meals versus multiple smaller ones, "no clear consensus has emerged," said a 2005 editorial in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

A study of 10 obese women found those who grazed ate 80 more calories a day than those who ate three scheduled meals. But for every study concluding that grazing is not the best way to eat, another finds that grazing lowers cholesterol levels, or improves cognitive skills such as memory and attention span.

Stafford County mom Suzanne Whatley, who has never had a weight problem, said she's always been a natural grazer, and it's the only way to get her 3-year-old twin boys to eat.

"Sometimes, it can be frustrating because I never feel like I get a meal into them," Whatley said. She makes sure her boys get their fill of nutritious foods by serving up such favorites as cheese sticks and celery stalks filled with peanut butter.

When Kim Kopp, also a Stafford County stay-at-home mom, became pregnant with her fourth child, she had to quickly adjust her eating habits. She credits her Pittsburgh roots for her love of heavy meals such as kielbasa and pierogies (dumplings stuffed with potatoes, butter, onions and cheese) topped with sour cream.

But the only way she could keep food down during the first months of her pregnancy was to eat every few hours. Some of her early pregnancy standbys included Italian wedding soup and tuna salad on crackers.

No matter what your style of eating, portion size is key, and Farrell said that's especially true when it comes to grazing. She uses theportion plate.com as a guide to show parents and kids what a healthy portion looks like. For example, a meat portion for an adult is about equal to a deck of cards, and for a child it should be the size of a box of eight crayons.

If you're going to graze, go for the good stuff, such as fruits and vegetables, lean meats, low-fat dairy products and whole grains. But don't forget regular treats, whether that means a milkshake, a chocolate chip banana muffin or a cheeseburger with fries.

"I think when you deprive yourself, you just want it more," Farrell said.

Donya Arias regularly contributes to many health-related publications, including the AARP Bulletin and the American Public Health Association's newspaper.