Eating three meals a day is as much a part of our routine as getting up in the morning and going to sleep in the evening . Now , experts have warned eating breakfast , lunch and dinner may be damaging our health . In fact , there is no evidence eating three square meals a day is beneficial to the body ’ s needs for energy , the website Mother Jones reports . In fact , skipping meals and fasting could actually be better for health than sticking to rigid eating patterns . There is no evidence eating three meals a day is healthier than eating in other forms , such as six or nine meals a day . Historian Abigail Carroll told journalist Kiera Butler that these meals are cultural constructions European settlers enforced on Native Americans . In her new book , ‘ Three Squares : The Invention of the American Meal ’ , Ms Carroll said the settlers ate meals at regimented times and considered this more ‘ civilised ’ than the natives whose eating patterns varied with the seasons , and included fasting . A quirk of history has meant this pattern has been heralded as healthy , when in fact there is no evidence for this assertion , Ms Carroll said . For example , breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day largely due to advertising campaigns by cereal and juice companies , she claims . In fact , a 2014 study by the University of Bath found whether or not a person ate breakfast had zero effect on the overall calories they consumed in a day . Those who ate breakfast did burn more calories than those who skipped it , but they burned off the extra calories later in the day , meaning the net calorie consumption was the same . New research shows skipping meals and fasting could actually be beneficial for health , triggering weight loss and strengthening the immune system . Similar University of Alabama research found eating breakfast or not made no difference to dieters trying to lose weight . And last year , MailOnline reported on research published in the journal Cell Metabolism , which found eating meals within an eight hour window each day could help a person shed weight . Fasting can be good for your health , experts claim . A study found that fasting for two days or more can help to kick-start the immune system , especially if it has been damaged by ageing or cancer treatment . It encourages the body to replace old and damaged cells , U.S. researchers said . Valter Longo , a longevity expert at the University of Southern California , said : ‘ When you starve , the system tries to save energy , and one of the things it can do to save energy is to recycle a lot of the immune cells that are not needed , especially those that may be damaged. ’ His team found fasting for two to four days every six months forced the body into survival mode , using up stores of fat and sugar and breaking down old cells . ‘ The body then sent a signal telling stem cells to regenerate and “ rebuild the entire system ” . ' Mice fed a high-fat diet within an eight hour time frame – for example between 9am and 5pm – were both healthier and slimmer than those given the same number of calories throughout the whole day . Even when obese mice had their eating window reduced to nine hours , they were able to drop five per cent of their body weight within a few days – while still enjoying the same amount of calories . Whether a person eats three large meals a day or six smaller ones makes no difference to their overall calorie count , a 2010 study published in the British journal of Nutrition found . Researchers found no weight or hormonal differences between the two groups . Last year , a University of Warwick study found no difference between women who ate two meals a day and another group that ate five . And new research suggests fasting - deemed 'uncivilized ' by the European settlers - could actually be healthy . Advocates of the 5:2 diet , which involves limiting food to just 500 calories on two days a week , say denying the body food leads to weight loss , a longer lifespan and lower blood pressure . Similarly , a University of Southern California study published last year found fasting for two to four days every six months forces the body into survival mode , using up stores of fat and sugar and breaking down old cells . This caused the body 's entire immune system to regenerate , providing better protection against infection and disease , experts said .
Abigail Carroll wrote 'three Squares : The Invention of the American Meal ' Argues three meals a day was a European invention from the Middle Ages . There is 'no evidence ' it is beneficial to eat in this way , over other patterns . Studies show it does n't matter if you skip breakfast or eat more often . Fasting leads to weight loss and a stronger immune system , say experts .