Over the past 15 + years of working with people in this field, I have noticed a few patterns of how people eat. In fact, most people will strongly identify with one of the following eating styles. While I did this post more for my own fun, understanding your own eating style can provide important insight into what you are doing well and what may be some areas of improvement. Remember, when and how you eat is strongly linked to what and why you eat. 

Do you identify with one of the following eating styles?

GRAZER

Grazers tend to snack throughout the day, and may or may not have set meals. Some grazers snack all day and don’t eat your typical meals, while others will eat a typical meal but then continue to snack in-between meals. The common theme among grazers is that they love to snack and typically have a wide variety of snack-like foods in their kitchen. Snacking often happens regardless of hunger.  

The takeaway: The biggest issue with this group is that grazers tend to only eat snack-like food, which by nature, isn’t as nutritious as foods you may eat in a meal. So, if this is your eating style and you enjoy it, make sure your snacks are packed with fresh produce, proteins and healthy carbohydrates. Also, if you have gut issues, this may not be the ideal eating style, as spacing out your meals is oftentimes more helpful for healing gut symptoms. 

THREE SOLID MEALS PER DAY

These eaters tend to be the most regimented. They typically eat consistent sized meals at similar times from day to day. These type of eaters also rarely skip a meal, regardless of their schedule or how busy they are.

The takeaway: These eaters tend to eat the most nutritious foods. Our bodies love consistency, so this is a great eating style for not only your regimented brain, but the body as well. Just make sure you are getting variety in your food choices from day to day and not eating the same thing every meal.

GO WITH THE FLOW

These eaters tend to be the least regimented. There is almost no rhythm or reason to their eating habits from day to day. One day they might eat three meals per day, the next day they might graze all day, and the next they may only eat one meal. These eaters typically eat when they can or when they are hungry and most of their eating is dependent on their schedule and to-do list.

The takeaway: This type of eating style can be hard on the body. I see this eating style a lot in people who prioritize everything but themselves… work, friendships, their daily to-do list can all come before themselves. If you fall into this group, make sure you are taking care of and prioritizing yourself first. This eating style can also be hard on blood sugar levels and therefore affect energy levels and mood. If you fall into this group and are dealing with low energy, gut issues or find that you struggle with overeating when you do get a chance to eat, you may want to consider revamping your eating style.

RESTRICT DURING THE DAY, INDULGE AT NIGHT

These eaters tend to try to eat “good” during the day but often overdo it at night. A big contributor for this nighttime habit is that these kinds of eaters aren’t actually eating enough during the day. This leaves them hungry at night, which leads to overeating. The majority of daytime restricters daily intake comes in a limited (few hours) window at the end of the day (the evening) instead of spreading food intake throughout the day.

The takeaway: Just like the go-with the flow eating style, this style is hard on the body. If this is your eating style, take a step back and think about how you could be eating more throughout the day. I know this may sound counterintuitive as most people in this group are trying to lose weight or eat healthier—but, eating more during the day will help you avoid overeating at night.

FASTERS

These people typically follow an intermittent fasting schedule and only eat during a specific eating window each day. For instance, an 8 hour eating window is common for this group.

The takeaway: This approach works great for some people and terribly for others. If this eating style works great for you, great! If it doesn’t, consider changing things up to something that’s more reasonable with your schedule and lifestyle. Fasting is not the only way to meet your health goals. It is only one path. 

In conclusion, if you identify with one of these groups and you’re not happy with your eating style or results, reach out! I’m happy to help you identify what might work best with your lifestyle and nutrition goals.