Benefits To Eating Only One Meal Per Day

Many people swear that eating one meal per day, more popularly known as OMAD, can make you lose weight and improve your overall well-being. The OMAD diet is an extreme type of intermittent fasting. 

Intermittent fasting is a weight loss and fitness routine wherein you alternate eating and fasting. The program entails you having a fasting period and an eating window. 

In the case of the OMAD diet, you fast for 23 hours and then eat anything and all you can in one meal or one hour per day. The idea is to limit your calorie intake throughout the day so you can feast on one meal but still lose weight. 

The content of your meal and what time you will eat your one meal for the day depends on your personal preference.

During the fasting period, you can take unsweetened tea and coffee, water, and some mints.

Eating one meal a day benefits includes more than just weight loss. 

Eating only one meal per day is not a bullet train ticket to lose weight but it will surely help you reach your fitness goals and promote overall good health. 

It will make you lose weight

Eating one meal a day allows you to have less body fat. Even if you feast to the maximum on your one meal for the day, you will not be able to eat a full day’s worth of meals.

 You lose weight because you have a calorie deficit. The calories you burn will be more than the calories you consumed. 

There is no specific rule on when you should eat your one meal for the day.  But eating a large meal in the morning and fasting overnight will make you lose more weight.

You can gain a lot of health benefits

Although weight loss and improved fitness are the main benefits of the OMAD diet, the fasting part of the OMAD diet has some notable benefits:

  • lowers your risk of developing heart disease
  • reduces your blood sugar levels
  • fights inflammation
  • lowers your cholesterol level
  • improves your blood pressure
  • lowers your risk of developing metabolic diseases
  • increases your cognitive performance
  • makes you live longer

The OMAD diet is an extreme form of intermittent fasting. Can you have mints when fasting? Yes, you can, along with water, coffee, or tea.  

You develop discipline

Eating one meal a day will challenge your willpower and improve your self-discipline. 

Saves time and money

Planning and preparing meals can consume so much of your time. Having only one meal a day can reduce your food expenses by about 70%. Savings on time and money are often underrated benefits of eating only one meal per day. 

Regardless of what dietary pattern you want to follow, you should always make sure your meal includes foods with high nutrient content such as:

  • Fruits
  • Green Leafy Vegetables
  • Healthy fats
  • Starchy Vegetables
  • Legumes
  • Protein sources
  • Dairy products

You should also avoid or limit highly processed foods because they have little nutritional value: 

  • White Bread 
  • Baked goods that are high in sugar
  • Chips 
  • Soda
  • Fast food

Eating only one meal per day can allow you to reap a lot of benefits. It is, however, best to consult your healthcare provider before getting into the OMAD diet.