Energy balance
An increase in the frequency of eating occasions (EOs) is the primary driver of increased total daily energy intake in US adults, contributing more to energy imbalance than increases in portion size or energy density.
To reduce caloric intake, focus on reducing the number of times you eat or drink (eating occasions) rather than just shrinking portion sizes. The data suggests that adding extra meals or snacks contributes more to excess energy intake than making individual meals larger. Try to consolidate eating times and reduce snacking frequency.
Over the full time period, changes in PS accounted for the next largest proportion, at 10 kcal/d/y, and our results suggest that the average ED of each EO has actually decreased, offsetting increases in PS and the number of EOs and accounting for roughly 24 kcal/d/y of the annualized change in TE. ... the largest contributor to change in annualized total daily energy intake was change in the number of EOs, accounting for roughly 22 kcal/d/y.
Why this rating
Large-scale, nationally representative cross-sectional data (n > 17,000 per wave) spanning 30 years, though limited by self-report methodology.
Source
Energy Density, Portion Size, and Eating Occasions: Contributions to Increased Energy Intake in the United States, 1977–2006
Kiyah J. Duffey et al. · PLoS Medicine · 2011
DOI 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001050
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