I’ve been doing some research on the evolutionary eating habits of humans using religious/philosophical texts as historical examples and anthropological evidence from around the world. My conclusion: one meal a day or two meals eaten in a brief period such as breakfast and lunch or lunch and dinner is the way humans evolved to eat. That is what our bodies are designed for.
In fact, I found that eating three times a week was more common than three meals a day until the industrial revolution. Three meals a day was largely created by economics, work schedules, industrialization, and later… advertising.
Fat, weak and sick. Just the way they want us.
I admire your strength and determination. It’s an adjustment period, but you’ll be stronger and healthier for doing it.
Biblical Israelites
1–2/day
Occasional multi-day fasts
Rabbinic Judaism
2/day
Annual and communal fasts
Early Islam
1–2/day
Ramadan + voluntary fasting
Buddhist monastics
1–2/day
No food after noon
Hindu householders
2/day
Frequent holy-day fasting
Hindu ascetics
1/day
Extended fasts
Jain monastics
1–2/day
Very frequent fasting
Confucian China
2/day
Moderation emphasized
North American Indigenous peoples
1–2/day (varied)
Seasonal scarcity and ritual fasting
Maya/Aztec
~2/day
Ritual fasting existed
Inca/Andean peoples
~2/day
Interesting note, it seems that ancient people who had more access to meet ate less often than those who had access to primarily grains as staples.
