Historically it has been the amount of daylight which dictated when and how often meals were eaten but our bodies are highly adaptable and are able to function within many kinds of eating patterns.

A number of recent studies have explored the health effects of eating three daily meals, and the findings have been far from conclusive. Eating just one large meal a day was found to lower weight and body fat, but raise blood pressure, insulin resistance and glucose intolerance. Eating at least four small meals daily, on the other hand, was found by one study to reduce obesity risk by 45 percent — but a different study found no such effect. Some research seems to indicate that “alternate-day fasting” might decrease your risk of heart disease and cancer.