Introduction

Food is one of life's most basic—and frequent—pleasures. We eat every day, typically several times a day, and often without even giving it much thought. But just as we speak or walk with a natural rhythm all our own, we also tend to develop eating patterns in the foods we like to eat and the times we choose to eat.

Our food choices are influenced by many things, including culture, convenience, cost and taste. Sometimes our choices are dictated by medical concerns or other health objectives. More often, they are a simple matter of taste and convenience.

Our eating schedules are sometimes a matter of choice, but most often we eat when our schedules allow it: in the morning before leaving for school or the workplace, mid-day when everyone else takes a lunch break and at some point toward the end of the day. Some people use snacks to bridge the hunger gap between meals. Others snack to feed an emotional hunger triggered by stress.

Research suggests that eating patterns have a powerful effect on our health. Diet can reduce the risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes, stroke, heart disease, osteoporosis and some cancers. It can also help control high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity—all risk factors for disease.

Poor eating choices become patterns, or habits, through repetition: skipping meals only to overeat later in the day; reaching for sweets or high-fat snacks instead of a carrot or whole-wheat cracker. But the best patterns can become routine with practice, too, improving our health and outlook.

Your eating style doesn't just happen. You can make it happen, modify it to make it work better or change it completely to achieve your health goals.

Follow the steps below to review your current eating style and the patterns it creates. Look for ways to tailor your eating patterns—choices and scheduling—to support your personal health objectives.

• Use the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Dietary Guidelines as a framework for your food choices and to determine how much food you need each day. (Read on for a discussion of these guidelines.)
• Make a list that describes your eating pattern, noting the times of day you eat, whether it is alone or with others, whether sitting or on the move and any other significant factors. List the foods you eat and the amounts you eat. Include everything. Keep a food diary for a week to get the most accurate picture.
• Think about the reasons you eat when you do, and about your food preferences. List the influences that contribute to the most and the least healthful aspects of your eating style.
• Outline changes you want to make in your eating patterns, such as increasing or decreasing the number of times you eat each day—whichever works best for you. Plan how you can substitute more nutritious options or eat more or less of certain foods. Check with your physician about the impact of any changes in diet or mealtimes or underlying medical conditions.
• Enlist support for your improved eating style.
• Commit to a long-term change. Allow yourself occasional splurges. Don't give up over occasional lapses. Keep a flexible and positive attitude.

If your eating style makes food a source of enjoyment as well as nutrition that promotes health, fuels an active life and reduces the risks of disease, then it's a winner!

Make Any Eating Style Work for You

Traditional Three-Square

Breakfast, lunch and dinner punctuate the day with a balanced array of foods at each meal. Meals tend to serve as social time with family, friends or business associates. If the last meal of the day is late, keep the menu light. Try fruit or sorbet for dessert.

Tip: Take small helpings. Eat slowly. Share rich desserts instead of finishing them yourself.

Traditional with Snacks

Mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks bridge the gap between lighter versions of breakfast, lunch and dinner. Try fruit, bite-sized cut raw vegetables or whole-grain crackers for snacks.

Tip: Save something from the meal menu to eat at snack time.

Mini-Meals

More frequent, but small-scale meals, from wake-up to bedtime, distribute the day's food group servings and calories more evenly over the course of the day. Research suggests that spreading the day's food intake more evenly over time carries cardiovascular benefits.

Tip: Use low-fat whole-grain items throughout the day to boost nutrition and fiber.

Nibbling and Grazing

Frequent eating of small food portions eliminates meal schedules altogether. It also may help lower cholesterol and may provide other benefits by the slow and steady intake of nutrients throughout the day.

Tip: Healthful nibbling takes planning. Prepare good foods in large quantities to avoid "junk food" alternatives.

The USDA Dietary Guidelines

What do they mean?

The dietary guidelines promoted by the USDA were developed to help you make food choices that provide you with a balanced diet for good health and disease prevention. In general, the guidelines suggest that you:

• Eat a variety of foods to provide the recommended calorie allowance for your build and lifestyle.
• Keep track of calories. The recommended range is from 1,600 to 2,800 calories a day. Sedentary adults should aim toward the low end. Very active adults and fast-growing teens can afford the high end. To lose weight, reduce portions, but don't go below 1,200 calories a day.
• Choose low-fat, high-fiber foods from the grain products, vegetable and fruit groups most often. Use sweets, oils and other fats sparingly.
• Exercise to help your body use the food you eat more efficiently. Aim for 30 minutes of exercise a day.

For more information on the USDA's dietary guidelines, write:

Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion

United States Department of Agriculture

1120 20th Street, NW

Suite 200, North Lobby

Washington, DC 20036

What's Your Eating Style?

A successful personal eating style is one you can stick with comfortably. If you enjoy sit-down meals with family or friends, use those mealtimes as the anchors in your eating day. If you often are hungry between meals, then build healthful snacks into your pattern.

Some tips for success:

• Your eating pattern should reflect your individual preferences and lifestyle.
• Keep it flexible to accommodate workday, casual and special activities.
• Focus on calm, mindful eating, alone or with others.

How Many Meals is Best?

The research says...

• More frequent mini-meals or snacks that spread your calorie intake evenly over the day help maintain a steady balance in blood chemistry, avoiding peaks and dips in blood sugar.
• A pattern of grazing, or eating frequent small amounts throughout the day, has been shown to help lower cholesterol.
• Small, more frequent meals also may be more comfortable—and thus more effective for young children, elderly adults and people with medical conditions that limit or diminish the appetite.

On the other hand...

• People tend to choose snacks based on taste—not nutrition. If your snack choices are high in fat, sugar or salt, then a steady stream of them all day is no good.
• Stress can fuel a destructive pattern of eating, no matter how you spread it over the day. Eating to relieve stress often leads to overeating—even on "good" foods—and weight gain. If stress plays a role in your eating pattern, get it out. Try exercise instead. Other emotional problems can lead to eating disorders that include gorging or self-induced vomiting. Professional counseling is important.
• Calories count. It's easy to lose track of how much you eat if you eat smaller amounts more frequently during the day. Plan a day's menu ahead of time, with attention to portion control.

What is a Serving?

Most people think of a "serving" simply as the portion of food they eat at any one time—no matter what size that portion is. The USDA's Dietary Guidelines servings are based on the amount of food suggested for adequate nutrient intake. Use the following as a guide for portion sizes.

Tip: To lose weight, trim portion size.

Have it Your Way!

What's important to you about mealtime? What are your real feelings about food? Check the clues that reflect your eating patterns and read on for ways to tailor a healthful eating style that works for you!

I like an old-fashioned breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Then enjoy them. Just aim for healthful choices and wise portion control.

I fix meals for my family and can't resist nibbling while I cook.

Try harder to break the taste-as-you-go habit. Focus on enjoying the foods in a more relaxed way with your family. If you really can't stop cook-time nibbling, reduce your meal portion by the amount you eat during preparation.

I exercise on my lunch hour and don't have time to eat.

Try snacking on a piece of fruit or whole-grain crackers—something that's light and wholesome and requires no preparation.

I skip breakfast to lose weight.

Skipping meals is not the most effective way to lose weight because it tends to lead to overeating later. Experts recommend a light, healthful breakfast as part of a weight-loss diet.

I don't have time for breakfast.

If you're on the go early, pack along a healthful snack to eat on the way.

I'd rather eat my calories in sweets than sandwiches.

A balanced diet can include sweets, but don't use them as a substitute for healthful foods. When you trade sweet calories for wholesome ones, you're trading away your long-term health one bite at a time.

I eat out a lot.

Choose places that support your healthful eating style. Aim for salads and other low-fat items.

I eat when I'm stressed out.

Explore other ways to manage stress, including exercise, meditation, listening to music or engaging in a creative activity.

I like a bedtime snack.

Make it light and nutritious.

Get Picky!

Mix and match foods you like from these basic food groups to create a menu pattern for the day. The range of servings can be used as a guide for tailoring daily calorie consumption. If you're aiming for 1,600 calories a day, choose the smaller number of servings. If your calorie allowance is 2,800 calories a day, use the larger number as your guide. Whatever your calorie allowance, the more meals or snacks you eat, the smaller the portions should be at each one.

FOOD GROUPS

• Grain Products (bread, cereal, rice, pasta) 6­11 servings
• Vegetables 3­5 servings
• Fruits 2­4 servings
• Milk (milk, yogurt, cheese) 2­3 servings
• Meat and Beans (meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, nuts) 2­3 servings
• Fats and Sugars: Eat sparingly

Source: USDA Dietary Guidelines

Tip: If you like to snack, try saving a portion or half-portion of a meal item to eat later.