You know the expression "breakfast like a king, lunch like a king and dinner like a beggar"? We asked a dietician about the situation and how many calories you should take per meal.
Dietician Lenny Versteegden: “How many calories you should be taking in each day depends on your current diet and body weight. When you have a healthy body weight and you don't need to lose weight, your energy needs are higher than if you are too high in weight and you want to lose weight.
Of course there are averages. Most Dutch people today have a less active lifestyle. For 30- to 50-year-olds, that means an average energy requirement of 2,000 calories for women and 2,500 calories for men. I always advise you to make time for breakfast. Your breakfast should contain ten to fifteen percent of the daily energy and nutrients required. With an average energy requirement of a woman (and this can be different for every woman), that comes down to about 350 calories. You will then have 1,650 calories left for the rest of the day. As a format, I recommend lunch and a good hot meal, both of which are about 500 to 600 calories. There are then about 500 calories left for snacks such as dairy, fruit, a sandwich or possibly a (responsible) snack with coffee.
The expression "breakfast like an emperor, lunch like a king and dinner like a beggar" applies in that it is important that attention is paid to breakfast. Research shows that you can (almost) not make up for the nutrient deficiency that you incur by skipping breakfast during the rest of the day. In addition, there is a great temptation to eat what is available later in the day because you are hungry. These are often unhealthy snacks that contain a relatively large amount of fat and energy, but few vitamins and minerals. So remember:a good start to the day is half the battle!'
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