Benefits of Meal Spacing: Why When You Eat Matters

If you’ve been following me for a while, you may have seen me discussing my experiences with an autoimmune disease called Graves, which attacks the thyroid. Although I am now in remission (#grateful). I still deal with lingering symptoms of my two year battle. Among the symptoms of Graves (and other thyroid conditions) can be digestive issues.

As a holistic health coach, my approach to managing Graves integrates many different methods, including breath work and energy healing, conventional Western medicine, and lifestyle changes. Recently, I’ve been practicing meal spacing to help manage my symptoms, as well as boost my gut health and support the function of my immune system.

Meal spacing is something I first discovered when I had SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth). It is often recommended for people struggling with digestive issues, including SIBO and IBS but the science is now showing when you eat has major benefits for everyone.

I found that meal spacing really helped me on my healing journey from SIBO. But as so often happens, I had gotten out of the habit of eating this way. 

Returning to meal spacing has already made a noticeable difference in my daily life. I feel more energized, have better digestion, and am sleeping better. 

I know meal spacing doesn’t get that much attention – many of us still believe we should be eating little and often, which was the kind of meal pattern promoted in the 90s and early 00s. But our understanding of gut health and how it affects our overall wellbeing has increased hugely since then. 

In today’s post, I’m sharing some of the benefits of meal spacing in the hope you may find the information useful on your own journey.

What Is Meal Spacing?

We are always told that there are three meals in a day – breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But in fact, very few of us eat this way.

We might skip breakfast and make up for it by snacking later in the day. We might grab a snack mid-afternoon. Or we might follow an early dinner with a little something before bed.

Of course, we tend to think of snacks and meals as food. So, we see all those soft drinks, smoothies, and lattes we grab during the day as separate from our meals. 

The trouble is our guts don’t see it that way. Every time we eat or drink anything other than plain water, our digestive system kicks in to process the new nutrients. When you factor in three meals, two or more snacks, and countless drinks, you can see that our digestive tract is getting very little chance to rest and reset.

Very simply, meal spacing involves eating just three meals a day. Nothing in between, including no drinks other than plain water. Ideally, those three meals will be spaced around four to six hours apart.

Some people combine meal spacing with intermittent fasting, which also aims to rest the gut by giving a longer period of time (e.g., 12-16 hours) where we don’t eat at all. 

Of course, if you do the math, you’ll notice that you wouldn’t be able to fit in three meals spaced four hours apart then also fast for 16 hours. One option if you combine meal spacing and intermittent fasting is to drop down to two larger meals. You may need to experiment to find the exact meal pattern that works best for you.

Now, the aim is not necessarily to cut down the amount you eat, unless you feel that you were out of balance before. You simply combine the amount of food you would usually eat throughout the day into fewer meals. Those meals might need to be larger than you would have eaten before to make sure you stay satiated until the next meal.

What Are the Benefits of Meal Spacing?

To understand why meal spacing can benefit your health, especially if you struggle with digestive issues, we need to look briefly at how our bodies process food.

When we eat or drink, food travels down our throats to our stomachs, where it is broken down and combined with digestive juices. Then, it moves to the small intestine, where nutrients are absorbed into our bloodstream. Finally, it is passed into the large intestine, which extracts the final minerals and water before forming the remainder into waste.

This is a simple explanation for a set of complex processes. And one step in the digestive process that is often overlooked is something called the migrating motor complex (MMC). This is a natural cleaning process that takes place in our stomachs and small intestines. It moves any remaining undigested food through our systems to the large intestine.

However, if the MMC isn’t given a chance to do its job properly, small fragments of food can remain in our small intestines, leading to bacterial build-up. This is thought to be the major cause of SIBO and is also associated with chronic constipation and IBS.

The MMC process only starts roughly 2 -4 hours after we eat. It makes sense. Any earlier, and our bodies might not have had the chance to absorb all the nutrients we need from our food.

But the MMC also stops as soon as any new food or drink hits our stomachs. So, if we eat and drink regularly, the MMC never gets a chance to properly clean our small intestine.

Now that we know more about the impact of our gut flora on our physical and mental health, it is clear we want to avoid bacterial overgrowth, even if it hasn’t yet caused digestive issues. Spacing meals out allows the MMC time to work as it should.

Just to be clear, you don’t need to avoid drinking between meals altogether. Although the jury is still out on how water affects the MMC, it only seems to create a very short disruption in the process. And staying hydrated is essential to our digestion and overall health, so don’t stop drinking water.

Small Changes Add Up

Changing how often you eat may seem like a small thing. But when you combine it with other small steps, you soon see a big impact on your health and wellbeing. 

This is what it means to take a holistic approach to our health – we combine many different changes to address the unique needs of every individual.

Personally, I’ve seen several improvements since returning to meal spacing. Interestingly, I feel less hungry now that I am eating less often – I definitely think I was eating too frequently before. My sleep is better, and I feel more energized. I’ve also noticed that I have more mental clarity and focus. Plus, as you might expect, my digestion has improved.

Meal spacing may not be right for everyone. Some conditions, such as diabetes, require you to eat more regularly. But if you are experiencing digestive issues, even if they are mild, I’d encourage you to give it a try. Our gut health is so vital, and it is important we look after it.