Is eating one meal a day healthy? Eating one meal a day is simply not sustainable for most people. And this is because you are not consuming enough calories and the result of this is you will be deficient in many important nutrients your body needs. Eating one meal a day will make you hungry because you are depriving your body of the calories and nutrients it needs.
Is Eating One Meal A Day Healthy? iStock-photo credit: igor Barilo
When you restrict yourself to just one meal it releases a hormone called ghrelin which makes you feel hungry. You will lose some weight in the interim eating one meal a day. But if you do this for a prolonged period it will slow your metabolism. Why? Because your body will go into starvation mode which isn’t a phase you want to be in.
What many people need to know there is no conclusive scientific evidence that eating one meal a day is better for weight management than eating the conventional way of 3 meals a day. Let’s think about how strict and difficult it is to just eat one meal a day. And then not eat again for 23 hours. And then after that consume all your calories in that one single meal.
Although that is considered a form of intermittent fasting that is one of the most extreme intermittent fasting diets you can ever do. And it is not advisable for anybody to try this for too long. This type of fasting can cause your blood sugar to crash, particularly in people that have Type 2 diabetes.
Some of the nutritional deficiencies in eating one meal a day are:
- It is not getting enough protein.
- Lacking in getting enough essential vitamins and minerals.
- And this can lead to fatigue issues
- loss of muscle mass
- poor immune function.
One meal a day diet is known as OMAD. The OMAD diet is not appropriate for pregnant women, women that are breastfeeding, children, teens and people that have eating disorders.
What is interesting is there was a 2022 research study that revealed that eating one meal a day is associated with an increased risk of death from any cause. And as well as death from cardiovascular disease.
Downsides
Some of the downsides of eating one meal a day are the following:
An older study reveals that extreme calorie restriction can lead to increase in total cholesterol levels and LDL (bad cholesterol) levels. And an increase in blood pressure levels compared to normal eating patterns.
Some of the symptoms of eating one meal a day are:
- Constipation
- Dizziness
- Low Energy
- Nausea
- Irritability
The Bottom Line is eating one meal a day can lead to a high number of nutrient deficiencies. And it is not sustainable from a long-term perspective because the calories are too low.
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References
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- Paoli A, Tinsley G, Bianco A, Moro T. The Influence of Meal Frequency and Timing on Health in Humans: The Role of Fasting. Nutrients. 2019 Mar 28;11(4):719. doi: 10.3390/nu11040719. PMID: 30925707; PMCID: PMC6520689.
- Carlson O, Martin B, Stote KS, Golden E, Maudsley S, Najjar SS, Ferrucci L, Ingram DK, Longo DL, Rumpler WV, Baer DJ, Egan J, Mattson MP. Impact of reduced meal frequency without caloric restriction on glucose regulation in healthy, normal-weight middle-aged men and women. Metabolism. 2007 Dec;56(12):1729-34. doi: 10.1016/j.metabol.2007.07.018. PMID: 17998028; PMCID: PMC2121099.
- Stote KS, Baer DJ, Spears K, Paul DR, Harris GK, Rumpler WV, Strycula P, Najjar SS, Ferrucci L, Ingram DK, Longo DL, Mattson MP. A controlled trial of reduced meal frequency without caloric restriction in healthy, normal-weight, middle-aged adults. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Apr;85(4):981-8. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/85.4.981. PMID: 17413096; PMCID: PMC2645638.
