I have a few theories on meal frequency as it relates to Paleo eating. It
doesn't seem natural that humans through most of our history ate 5-6 small
meals a day, even though every diet book (paleo and non-paleo) suggests
this. It seems humans are the only animals that "graze" on meat, while
other predatory animals binge, and go some time without eating. Without
refrigeration or preservatives it would seem difficult to have a constant
supply of animal protein. These hunters (wolves, lions, tigers, etc etc)
are extremely lean despite large feedings and infrequent meals. Of course
we are different but even Neanderthin talks about the relationship between
man and wolf coming from a similar diet and eating pattern. Grazing
animals graze on plants, grass, etc. but animals dont graze on meat
s,
generally. Ocassionally, if a large kill is made, the animal may be lucky
to have a few days of frequent feedings on a carcas, if no scavengers come
along to steal the food, but these ocassions are rare. It seems to me
humans would have followed a similar eating pattern, eating a large amount
of meat, and then none for a period of time. I don't buy into
the "starvation mode" idea, in the sense that going only a few hours
without food will initiate this response. It does exist, but most say that
we should eat every few hours or our metabolism quickly enters this state,
and starts to cannibalize muscle. From an evolutionary standpoint, this
doesn't make sense, and I doubt we would have made it this far if this is
the case. Since amino acids are an integral part of our body (muscles,
organs, etc) Why would our body immediately feed from it when food isn't
available. If following a proper die
t low in carbs, fat efficiency is
raised so wouldn't the body utilize stored bodyfat for energy. After all,
Why would we be given the ability to store unlimited amounts of bodyfat,
without a way of utilizing as fuel, it doesn't make sense. Fasting also
stimulates glucagon which would transport triglycerides from the fat
cells, and stimulate fat burning. Yves Boirie has done studies on Protein
metabolism that even supports this. In elderly women, who have poor
protein efficiency, there were studies comparing 4 meal protein intake,
spread evenly and a group getting 80% protein in 1 large meal, the pulse
group. The pulse group increased protein synthesis by 19% compared to the
spread group, where it only increased 4%. I'll check my references for
more details if anyone is interested, but this strongly supports my idea.
Victor Zammit, head of cell biochemistry at the Hannah Research Institute
in Ayr,
 Scotland, has said.
"Evidence is emerging also that our "grazing" pattern of eating could
partly explain why syndrome X is on the increase. Zammit believes that
eating too frequently could be one of the triggers that turns your liver
into a relentless fat-secreting machine."
I've been researching this idea for quite some time now, my initial
interest came from my love of watching Discover, Animal Planet, etc. and
seeing how other animals live. Using what we've learned about our past,
while looking at other animals eating patterns now may help give us a
better idea on what could be optimal for humans to eat. By the way, i'm
also very involved in weight lifting and sprinting. Both are anearobic,
similar to what hunting would be like, a short, intense activity which
would be followed afterwards by eating a large meal. I've been
experimenting with 1-2 meals a day and have been making great progress so