A Definition of "Regular Meals" Driven by Dietary Quality Supports a Pragmatic Schedule

Barbara Lohse, Kathryn Faulring, Diane C Mitchell, Leslie Cunningham-Sabo, Barbara Lohse, Kathryn Faulring, Diane C Mitchell, Leslie Cunningham-Sabo

Abstract

Public health guidelines advise eating regular meals without defining "regular." This study constructed a meaning for "regular" meals congruent with dietary quality. Parents of 4th grade youth in a school-based intervention (Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02491294) completed three, ASA24 online 24-h dietary recalls. Differences in time of intake across days for breakfasts, lunches, dinners were categorized with consistency denoted as always, often/sometimes or rarely/never and assigned values of 3, 2 or 1, respectively. Meal-specific values were summed to form mealtime regularity scores (mReg) ranging from 3 (low) to 9. Healthy eating index (HEI) scores were compared to mReg controlling for weekday/weekend recall pattern. Linear regression predicted HEI scores from mReg. Parents (n = 142) were non-Hispanic white (92%), female (88%) and educated (73%). One mReg version, mReg1 was significantly associated with total HEI, total fruit, whole fruit, tended to correlate with total protein, seafood/plant protein subcomponents. mReg1 predicted total HEI (p = 0.001) and was inversely related to BMI (p = 0.04). A score of three (always) was awarded to breakfasts, lunches or dinners with day-to-day differences of 0-60 min; also, lunches/dinners with one interval of 60-120 min when two meals were ≤60 min apart. More rigid mReg versions were not associated with dietary quality.

Keywords: chrononutrition; dietary assessment; dietary patterns; dietary quality; eating competence; meal timing.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Guidelines for labeling meals and intervals.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Density distribution of meal-specific scores for each mealtime regularity score. Meal specific scores are 1 rarely/never; 2 often/sometimes; 3 always. Circles represent counts with larger circles indicating more counts. Counts range from 1 [e.g., 1 participant with an mReg1 score of 4 had a score of 1(rarely/never) for lunch; 1 participant with an mReg1 score of 5 had a score of 3 (always) for breakfast] to 45 [All persons with an mReg1 score of 9 had a score of 3 (always) for each meal].

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