Table of contents:
- The timing and schedule of meals also affect health
- What are the consequences if I often eat irregularly?
- 1. Impaired digestion
- 2. Hormonal changes
- 3. Increase in weight
- 4. Increased blood sugar levels
- 5. Stomach cramps
- 6. Accustomed to skipping meals
Have you ever missed breakfast because you wake up late? Or, have you ever put off lunch because you were busy with your work? If so, you should no longer get in the habit of skipping your meals, because apparently, eating irregularly can be bad for your body.
The timing and schedule of meals also affect health
Based on several studies, it is stated that eating activity can affect your health. Eating irregularly can put you at risk of obesity, high blood pressure, or diabetes.
However, how can irregular mealtimes make you sick?
Without you knowing it, your body has an internal body clock or what is known as the "sikardian rhythm", which is a biological process that repeats itself every 24 hours or so. This cycardian rhythm regulates sleep, diet, body temperature, hormone production, glucose and insulin levels, urine production, cell regeneration, and other biological activities.
In addition, the cycardian rhythm also regulates appetite, digestion and metabolism of fats, cholesterol and glucose. So, when you eat at inconsistent times, it can affect the cycardian rhythm clock, especially in organs such as the liver and intestines.
What are the consequences if I often eat irregularly?
Based on a study it is known that eating irregularly can cause:
1. Impaired digestion
Eating irregularly can reduce the "thermal effect" of the food you eat. The thermal effect is the energy you use to digest and absorb food. If you eat irregularly, it can irritate your digestive system. This happens because your digestive system is a "machine" for food processing that is used continuously for 8-10 hours. Thus, the "machine" needs to get a regular supply of food.
2. Hormonal changes
Eating irregularly will make the hormones in your body unbalanced, because when you skip breakfast / lunch / dinner, the hormone cortisol will increase and can cause an increase in body weight.
3. Increase in weight
If you eat irregularly, this will increase the risk of obesity. Obesity is the accumulation of fat that is very high in the body so that the body weight is outside the ideal body limit. Study conducted Northwestern University have found that eating at irregular times can affect body weight or lead to obesity. The sikardian rhythm clock regulates hunger and satiety signals that can maintain your weight, however, eating at irregular times will interfere with the biological clock in carrying out its function.
4. Increased blood sugar levels
Eating irregularly can affect the increase in glucose levels in the body. This happens because eating irregularly can cause insulin resistance in the body and increase fat levels during fasting; both of these are risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
5. Stomach cramps
What often happens when you get used to eating irregularly is stomach cramps. Usually, stomach ulcers occur due to gastric disease, acid reflux, gastric ulcers, gastric infection, etc. In fact, when you skip meals or leave your stomach empty and then eat on an empty stomach for a long time, it can create a sensation of bloating and excess gas along with abdominal pain.
6. Accustomed to skipping meals
It turns out, eating irregularly can become a habit if done repeatedly. Therefore, you are strongly discouraged from skipping meals because skipping meals is not good for your health.
One of the ways to maintain mealtimes is to plan and adapt them to the guidelines for balanced nutrition; planning is done so that you do not consume too much saturated fat, added sugar, salt, and calories and you can consider what foods are good for you to consume.
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