The traditional guideline was to eat three square meals a day – but the trending diet has some people eating just one.
Called the One Meal a Day (OMAD), it’s a form of intermittent fasting that involves consuming a day’s worth of calories in one meal, after 23 hours of fasting.
Dr. Jason Fung, a Canadian nephrologist (kidney specialist), is known as an expert on intermittent fasting (IF). He spoke to Fox News Digital about the OMAD diet, which he described as a stronger version of IF.
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Both diets involve “time-restricted eating,” Fung notes — but with intermittent fasting, people can eat twice a day.
If you only eat once a day, the natural tendency will be to eat less, he said.
One Meal a Day (OMAD) is a type of intermittent fasting that involves eating all the calories for the day in one meal, after 23 hours of fasting. (Stock)
The body is in a state to either store calories or burn them, according to experts.
When someone fasts for a long time, the body starts using fat for energy, which can actually reduce hunger, Fung said.
Who would benefit?
The two main health conditions that can benefit the most from OMAD and intermittent fasting are weight loss and type 2 diabetes, according to Fung.
“Fasting really affects weight and sugar, because that’s how calories are stored – like sugar and fat,” he said.
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Losing weight may reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and obesity-related cancer, the doctor noted, in addition to reducing back pain, knee pain and joint pressure.
“You can actually reverse your type 2 diabetes with intermittent fasting,” Fung said, referring to previous studies published by the National Institutes of Health and Diabetes Care.
When a person fasts for a long time, the body begins to use fat for energy, which can actually reduce hunger, says one expert. (Stock)
Fung described how one of his patients who had been suffering from diabetes for 15 years was able to get off his insulin medication after eating the OMAD diet three times a week for about a month.
The patient is still off insulin and continues to fast regularly, though not regularly, he added.
“You can actually reverse your type 2 diabetes with intermittent fasting.”
People with hypoglycemia who are not on blood sugar-lowering medications for type 2 diabetes should still be able to follow the OMAD diet if they avoid highly refined carbohydrates, which can cause glucose levels to spike, Fung said.
He recommends eating whole, natural, unprocessed foods.
“Fasting really affects weight and sugar, because that’s how calories are stored — like sugar and fat,” one fasting expert told Fox News Digital. (Stock)
Fern Katzman, a nutritionist based in Toronto, told Fox News Digital that he has seen patients with type 2 diabetes go off Metformin, an oral antidiabetic drug, or not at all after intermittent fasting, or OMAD.
Katzman said people must have a reason to continue OMAD, such as dealing with medical issues or reducing high blood sugar levels after eating or drinking excessively.
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“Insulin creates cravings,” he told Fox News Digital. “After you eat or drink a lot, your insulin goes up, and that makes you hungry.”
Katzman added, “One thing everyone tells me when they do OMAD is that the cravings stop – and that’s the key to any weight loss program.”
The two main health conditions that can benefit the most from OMAD and intermittent fasting are weight loss and type 2 diabetes, the expert said. (Stock)
In addition to weight loss, Katzman said his patients reported better digestion and less constipation on the OMAD diet because “sugar makes yeast and yeast bloats you.”
Patients also saw immediate improvements in their mood and energy levels while eating, he added.
Katzman recommends filling up on vegetables, protein and whole grains, such as quinoa and a small amount of brown rice.
‘Not everyone’
Katzman cautioned that OMAD is “not for everyone” — it may not be a good option for those with eating disorders or who are hypoglycemic, for example.
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Dr. Lisa Young, a registered dietitian in Florida, echoed those same concerns, warning that the OMAD diet could cause people with eating disorders.
“You don’t focus on your internal signals of hunger and satiety,” he told Fox News Digital. “You don’t trust yourself.”
For those following the diet, experts recommend sticking to “whole, natural, unprocessed foods.” (Stock)
Young also warned that the diet “can make you tired.”
“It can make you very hungry and cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar),” he added.
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Dr. Joel Kahn, a holistic cardiologist in Michigan, is also not a supporter of the OMAD diet.
The doctor noted that research by the National Institutes of Health and the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) proves that eating just one meal in the evening can lead to a decrease in metabolic health, high blood sugar levels and insulin resistance.
“You don’t focus on your internal signals of hunger and satiety.”
“Conceptually, if you’re going to do one meal a day, you’d do it in the morning,” Kahn told Fox News Digital.
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The doctor instead recommends the Daniel Diet, which he describes as a “faith-based diet” of plants and legumes inspired by the Book of Daniel.
Khan is also a proponent of the Prolon 5-Day Program, a diet that mimics a plant-based diet, which he says can help people live longer.
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