What are the pros and cons of the OMAD (one meal a day) diet?
The OMAD diet helps increase basal metabolic rate.
Studies indicate that prolonged fasting elevates adrenaline and Human Growth Hormone (HGH) in the body. When fasting for an extended period, the rate of metabolism increases and this process requires energy, in turn burning excess body fat.
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Periodic fasting programs like OMAD can improve several health markers.
Research indicates that periodic fasting can lead to benefits like improved immunity, lowered inflammation, reversing of age-related dysfunction, and cell regeneration.
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It’s impossible to eat, in one sitting, more calories than is healthy. The simplicity of the OMAD diet is a huge plus.
When you eat only one meal a day, it is hard to exceed your daily caloric intake all at once, because the stomach likely wouldn’t be able to stretch to contain the mass of the food required.
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Binge eating and long-term eating disorders are likely consequences of OMAD.
Research indicates that restrictive diets like OMAD can lead to long-term eating disorders. Binge-eating during the single mealtime is a common problem with the OMAD diet. People who divide their total caloric intake by having multiple meals display more controlled eating.
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OMAD is a flexible plan that one can tailor to their preferences and lifestyle.
The OMAD diet allows one to pick any one meal in a day and skip the rest. It also allows progressive modifications with time, based on a person’s needs and preferences. This means that you can change your meal preferences as you go along.
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The OMAD diet can make you more alert.
Daylight fasting helps release orexin-A, a chemical that increases alertness. It is most relevant to OMAD followers who do not eat in the morning.
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OMAD is healthy as long as one eats well.
Dr Xand Van Tulleken points to the guidelines by the UK’s NHS (National Health Service) for fasting, which recommends meals balanced with proteins, carbohydrates and fats.The NHS also recommends fruits, starch and whole grains to aid satiety.
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OMAD diet helps improve gut health.
With the intestines at rest and bad bacteria deprived of food during intermittent fasting, the OMAD diet builds gut health. A study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information also states that fasting during OMAD helps reduce inflammation.
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OMAD and other intermittent fasting methods are beneficial for heart health.
According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, intermittent fasting can help reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) and visceral fat, which are signs of good heart health.
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OMAD is a heavily restrictive diet that can lead to a host of problems, including poor gastric motility.
With strict limitations on the number of meals, OMAD can cause dizziness, nausea, irritability and extreme hunger. This hunger can also make people reach for processed foods that cause weight gain, suggests Hudson Medical and Wellness certified nutritionist, Preeti Pulaski.
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OMAD is unsafe for those reliant on medication.
According to Dr Bret Scher and Dr Michael Tamber, OMAD can be unsafe for people who have to take medication multiple times a day, especially following a meal.
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OMAD diet is the most extreme of all intermittent fasts and can lead to undernourishment.
According to Nutritionist Emily Rollanson, it is hard to obtain all the nourishment required by the body through one meal, and OMAD’s tight restrictions could lead to a disordered eating pattern.
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OMAD diet starves the body of excess fat, and also deprives it of essential nutrients.
An adult human needs 2000 to 2,500 calories per day for optimal functioning of the body. Consuming the entire caloric intake in just one meal with OMAD diet can be challenging for an average human. According to Dr Alex James, OMAD diet might even cause lethargy and hypoglycaemia.
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OMAD diet can be dangerous for diabetic patients, children, seniors, and pregnant and lactating women.
Fluctuations in blood sugar can prove quite dangerous for the groups who need to maintain healthy blood sugar levels consistently. Starving the body of food for long hours can trigger these fluctuations.
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You end up feeling a lot hungrier and eat more calories with OMAD.
The hunger hormone ghrelin is usually at risk of increasing with OMAD, says dietician Mitun De Sarkar. OMAD diet makes a person feel hungrier and results in an increased intake of food compared to when meals are spread throughout the day.