How Many Meals Should You Eat per Day?

12. Safely adopting intermittent fasting

Integrating intermittent fasting into a daily schedule can be difficult, especially if an individual is already used to eating throughout the day. It may be easier to slowly reduce the number of meals each day over several weeks. While 12 hours could be the "optimal" period for fasting, the science is still undecided, and skipping even one meal a day could have beneficial effects. When adjusting to a new meal schedule, try to avoid temptations like snack foods that are easy to grab and end a fast. Humans are more likely to eat when they see food, so keep groceries in pantries and refrigerators to help limit this urge.