[bad_user]

Two things define the western diet:

1. high in refined carbohydrates

2. snacks between meals

Yes, there are Asian cultures with diets high in carbs that don't suffer from our epidemic. But those diets aren't high in refined carbohydrates or other crap we've been told to eat to lower the fat intake (e.g. margarine).

[kevin_thibedeau]

> snacks between meals

Where is it written that thou shall only eat three meals a day? This is in itself a Western cultural bias.

[bad_user]

There is a high correlation between snacking and obesity.

The obesity crisis started in approx 1977. If you look at the the eating patterns from 1950, people ate less meals per day back then, an average of 3.

There's also a scientific explanation for it: when you snack, insulin goes up. By having 6 meals per day, like the average American now does, the insulin never goes down during the day. The body then develops insulin resistance, leptin resistance (satiety hormone) and it's all downhill from there.

[Tehnix]

I think you are mixing up your correlations. Obese people may be more prone to snacking, but snacking does not make you obese!

In fact, ACTUAL studies show that the number of meals doesn’t affect weight loss, only the amount of calories[0].

How you eat, how many times and how that affects your weight loss is totally up to the individuals preference, and what they feel is easier for them to maintain in their daily life.

[0] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/11319656/

[stevenhuang]

Parent did not say snacking causes obesity, only correlated.

And you did not address his main point: that when one snacks, insulin goes up. It's a contributor to obesity, and as I understand it, is not controversial.

[bad_user]

Are you seriously showing me a study done on 26 women only?