Traditional guidance was to eat three proper meals a day, but trending diet plans force some people to eat only once.
Known as the one-meal-a-day (OMAD) diet, it's a type of intermittent fasting in which you eat all your calories for the day in one meal after a 23-hour fast.
Dr. Jason Huang, a Canadian nephrologist (nephrologist), is known as an expert on intermittent fasting (IF). He spoke to FOX News Digital about the OMAD diet, which he described as a stricter version of IF.
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Both diets involve “time-restricted eating,” but intermittent fasting allows you to eat twice a day, Huang noted.
If you only eat once a day, the natural tendency is to eat less overall, he said.
The one-meal-a-day (OMAD) diet is a type of intermittent fasting in which a person consumes all of the day's calories in one meal after a 23-hour fast. (St. Petersburg)
Experts say the body is either storing calories or burning calories.
When you fast for a long period of time, your body starts using fat for energy, which can actually reduce your hunger, Huang said.
Who will benefit?
Two major health conditions that could benefit greatly from OMAD and intermittent fasting are weight loss and type 2 diabetes, Huang said.
“Fasting has a big impact on weight and carbohydrates because calories are stored as carbohydrates and fat,” he says.
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He noted that losing weight not only reduces back pain, knee pain, and pressure on joints, but also may reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and obesity-related cancers.
“Intermittent fasting can actually reverse type 2 diabetes,” Huang said, citing research previously published by the National Institute of Health and Diabetes Care.
According to some experts, when you fast for long periods of time, your body starts using fat for energy, which may actually make you feel less hungry. (St. Petersburg)
Huang explained how one of his patients, who had had diabetes for 15 years, was able to stop taking insulin after following the OMAD diet three times a week for one month.
He added that the patient is not yet taking insulin and continues to fast regularly, although less frequently.
“In fact, intermittent fasting can reverse type 2 diabetes.”
People with hypoglycemia who are not taking type 2 diabetes medications to lower blood sugar levels should be able to follow the OMAD diet as long as they avoid highly refined carbohydrates that can cause elevated blood sugar levels. Mr. Huang said.
He recommends eating whole, unprocessed foods.
“Fasting has a big impact on weight and carbohydrates because calories are stored as carbohydrates and fat,” one fasting expert told Fox News Digital. (St. Petersburg)
Fern Katzman, a Toronto-based clinical dietitian, told Fox News Digital that patients with type 2 diabetes stop taking metformin, an oral antidiabetic drug, or never take it after undergoing intermittent fasting (OMAD). He said he has seen cases where there is no longer a need to do so.
Katzman said people need a reason to use OMADs, such as to address a medical problem or to reduce the rise in blood sugar levels after eating or drinking too much.
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“Insulin causes cravings,” she told FOX News Digital. “When you eat or drink a lot, your insulin spikes and you become hungry.”
Katzman added, “One thing everyone tells me after doing OMAD is that the cravings stop. That's the key to any weight loss program.”
Experts say the two main health conditions that benefit greatly from OMAD and intermittent fasting are weight loss and type 2 diabetes. (St. Petersburg)
In addition to losing weight, Katzman said, patients report better digestion and less bloating on the OMAD diet, because “sugar breeds yeast, and yeast causes bloat.” said.
Patients also noticed an immediate improvement in their mood and energy levels while eating, she added.
Katzman recommends filling your stomach with vegetables, protein, grains like quinoa, and a little brown rice.
“It’s not for everyone.”
Katzman cautioned that OMAD “is not suitable for everyone.” For example, it is likely not a good choice for people with eating disorders or hypoglycemia.
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Dr. Lisa Young, a registered dietitian in Florida, expressed similar concerns, warning that the OMAD diet could lead to eating disorders.
“You're not focusing on your intuitive body signals of hunger and fullness,” she told Fox News Digital. “You don't have confidence in yourself.”
Experts recommend that dieters stick to “natural, unprocessed whole foods.” (St. Petersburg)
Young also warned that the diet could “cause fatigue.”
“It can also make you feel hungrier and cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar),” she added.
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Dr. Joel Kahn, a Michigan integrative cardiologist, is also not a supporter of the OMAD diet.
He noted that research from the National Institutes of Health and the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) shows that eating only one meal in the evening can reduce metabolic health, increase blood sugar levels, and increase insulin resistance. He pointed out that it has been demonstrated.
“You're not focusing on your intuitive internal signals of hunger and fullness.”
“Theoretically, if you're going to do a one-meal-a-day diet, you might actually do it in the morning,” Khan told FOX News Digital.
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Doctors instead recommend the Daniel Diet, which they describe as a “faith-based diet” of plants and legumes inspired by the Book of Daniel.
Khan is also a fan of the Prolon 5-day program, a plant-based diet that mimics fasting, which he said could help people achieve a younger biological age. Ta.
