Medical Is intermittent fasting a healthy option for students with busy schedules?

[Mentalist]

I am wondering if the old saying of having your pyramid of food is valid? Recently I have been discussing with people in the lab whilst waiting around for reactions to occur about nutrition and one guy said the old pyramid thing was a scam. Is he correct in his statement?

I have not paid much attention to my nutrition but I have been noting that I have only been eating 1 meal a day now for about a month or so (I do eat a candy bar between classes), but the reason is that I have so much studying to do. Is that healthy or will something bad happen down the road?

I am unsure about this. I don't necessarily feel bad other than tired most of the time, but that is primarily due to going to bed at 1 am and waking up at 6 am to commute to school for lecture, etc...

Thanks

 

[Monique]

The food pyramid is just a guideline and subject to change. What do you mean with one meal? You eat only once a day, with the exception of a candy bar?

There is a saying: "Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper", there's probably truth in that: your body needs energy throughout the day and it's best to consume most of it early in the day so that it will be useful immediately.

If you're having trouble finding time to cook you can make a big batch of food and freeze it so that it can last several days. Do vary your diet to get the required nutrition.

 

[jim mcnamara]

FWIW this sounds more like a terrible academic schedule than a nutrition issue. Sleep deprivation (deficiency) has some nasty effects, see the "outlook" paragraphs:
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sdd/

Maybe more on your radar is the result of reduced academic performance - poor grades:
http://www.med.upenn.edu/uep/user_documents/dfd3.pdf

Monique is right on. Cook your own food, cut down on prepared frozen food. In the US, those handy frozen dinners with an ingredients list that looks more like a chemical larder than a food one are a good thing to avoid.

As long as you get a balanced diet, it is not important when you eat or how many times per day that you eat. Humans are extremely adaptable. Just try to keep a consistent schedule and your body will adjust admirably. It will never adjust well to constant sleep deficiency.

 

[jim mcnamara]

Hmm. Based on this thread:
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=655198

You really need to rethink your schedule. Graduating early by killing yourself is not a commendable trait. Neither is blowing off university studies.

When I was in grad school I had to pass to language competency exams. ALL students in the graduate school had to do this to become PhD candidates. People who came out of the program had to demonstrate they have learned how to learn. Almost anything.

Attitude is aptitude.

Point received?

 

[Drakkith]

There is a saying: "Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper", there's probably truth in that: your body needs energy throughout the day and it's best to consume most of it early in the day so that it will be useful immediately.

Ugh, I can't do this. I'm just not hungry enough to eat more than a bowl of cereal or two in the mornings!

 

[Evo]

I'm also very bad when it comes to eaten properly, what Monique says is correct. Unfortunately, I have never been able to eat early the morning, if I do, it will just come back up.

 

[Monique]

I once had a friend who would cook Indian meals for me so that I could have it for breakfast (he used to drop me off at work around 6 am), I absolutely loved it.

A good middle solution is to have a nutritious lunch. My "parents in law" are retired and have their dinner during lunch, so when we stay over at their house we follow their diet. In that case I do miss having a warm meal in the evening.

On the other hand I have some foreign colleagues who find it very strange that we only eat bread for lunch, they bring left-overs from dinner to have something warm and hearty.

 

[Devils]

This is the new US food pyramid.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/daily/graphics/diet_042005.gif

Diet is full of politics though most people don't realize it. Companies sell billions of dollars of food each year & want you to use their products. They lobby governments, health professionals etc looking for subsidies, legislation & to change food preferences.

 

[bohm2]

I have not paid much attention to my nutrition but I have been noting that I have only been eating 1 meal a day now for about a month or so (I do eat a candy bar between classes), but the reason is that I have so much studying to do. Is that healthy or will something bad happen down the road?

I don't think it's problem short-term but there are some studies suggesting that this may not be the best dietary approach over the long-term? At least that's what quite a few papers suggest. It does seem to lead to greater fat loss, at least over the short-term. I've come across other papers suggesting this also.

Subjects who completed the study maintained their body weight within 2kg of their initial weight throughout the 6-mo period. There were no significant effects of meal frequency on heart rate, body temperature, or most of the blood variables measured. However, when consuming 1 meal/d, subjects had a significant increase in hunger; a significant modification of body composition, including reductions in fat mass; significant increases in blood pressure and in total, LDL-, and HDL-cholesterol concentrations; and a significant decrease in concentrations of cortisol.

A controlled trial of reduced meal frequency without caloric restriction in healthy, normal-weight, middle-aged adults
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/85/4/981.full.pdf

 

[dimensionless]

I am wondering if the old saying of having your pyramid of food is valid? Recently I have been discussing with people in the lab whilst waiting around for reactions to occur about nutrition and one guy said the old pyramid thing was a scam. Is he correct in his statement?

The food pyramid has it's weaknesses and flaws. It is, however, a reasonable guideline for many people.

I have not paid much attention to my nutrition but I have been noting that I have only been eating 1 meal a day now for about a month or so (I do eat a candy bar between classes), but the reason is that I have so much studying to do. Is that healthy or will something bad happen down the road?

Eating a candy bar is like eating a big glob of butter. You're probably young enough that you can recover, as heart attacks don't normally occur before age 50 or so. That being said, eating something along the lines of a granola bar would probably be a healthier option.

 

[Devils]

Eating a candy bar is like eating a big glob of butter. You're probably young enough that you can recover, as heart attacks don't normally occur before age 50 or so. That being said, eating something along the lines of a granola bar would probably be a healthier option.

Err what do you think saturated fats has to do with heart attacks?

'Enjoy Eating Saturated Fats: They're Good for You. Donald W. Miller, Jr., M.D.'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRe9z32NZHY\

And you know granola bars are highly procerssed & full of sugar and god-knows-what fat? No way I would eat them. You have bought into the food industry advertising without you knowing,

 

[dimensionless]

Err what do you think saturated fats has to do with heart attacks?

'Enjoy Eating Saturated Fats: They're Good for You. Donald W. Miller, Jr., M.D.'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRe9z32NZHY\

And you know granola bars are highly procerssed & full of sugar and god-knows-what fat? No way I would eat them. You have bought into the food industry advertising without you knowing,

Saturated fats are associated with heart disease. It is true that there are a few human populations that both eat a diet high in saturated fat and have low rates heart disease. These populations, however, are not reliant on the western/agrarian food supply.

There are a variety of granola bars out there. Certainly some of them are lower in sugar and have simple ingredients without additives.

 

[MarneMath]

There's something called "intermittent fasting" which is a variation of eating one meal a day. There are some studies out there that claim some benefits from this.

http://www.pnas.org/content/100/10/6216.full
http://jn.nutrition.org/content/31/3/363.short
http://www.ajcn.org/content/85/4/98...MCauzbz+AuMoCAAAABAEAAMrjlQAgHAAAAAAAAAkFAAA=