How to Plan Six Small Meals Daily

A study published in the British Medical Journal shows eating six small meals a day, instead of the standard one to three, reduces cholesterol and stabilizes blood sugar. You may lose weight using this method of food consumption, according to the Cleveland Clinic. To switch your eating style, you need to plan your six daily meals in advance and purchase food items to prepare and consume in smaller quantities. Just because you eat throughout the day does not mean you should increase caloric intake beyond your normal consumption. Decide how to split daily calories into a combination of meals and snacks planned for breaking points in your day.

Things You'll Need

• Food inventory
• Calorie counter
• Recipes

Show More

Instructions

• 1

  Determine how many calories to distribute to each meal. For an 1,800-calorie day, plan 400 calories for each main meal and 300 for each snack, or choose a similar breakdown to fit your lifestyle. Make a menu plan listing your choice of meals for each day.

• 2

  Take inventory of the pantry, refrigerator and freezer to determine items to add to the grocery list for the week. Plan for portability with purchases of single-size vegetable packs, small cans of tuna or cubes of cheese. Divide bags of grapes into individual portions when purchased and make meat and cheese roll-ups ahead of time.

• 3

  Buy precut vegetables and store them on the middle shelf of the refrigerator. Food behavior expert Ph.D. Brian Wansink's research showed that people who keep their vegetables there as opposed to in the crisper eat 230 percent more greens, according to O magazine. Keep vegetable snacks in grab-and-go containers that are easy to access when dashing out the door to work.

• 4

  Prepare meals and snacks ahead of time by freezing leftovers or cooking double amounts of meals from the menu plan. Freeze single-serving portions of leftovers to eat in the future. Boil enough eggs for snack consumption on several days when time allows.

• 5

  Read restaurant menus online prior to arrival to determine what choices are within your calorie boundaries. When ordering, ask for a portion of the main entree packed to go before serving or split the main course with a friend. Choose lower calorie foods from the salad bar when possible or add a clear soup to the meal.