The “one meal per day” diet: advantages and disadvantages

“One meal per day” – the name itself explains the principle of this diet. With this diet, people who want to lose weight, eat only once a day. The whole point of the diet is to reduce the calorie intake, but you can eat everything and as much as you want. Recently, this intermittent diet has become very popular, and people usually stick to it twice a week, and sometimes even for 2 weeks a month. In this blog, I will talk about the advantages and disadvantages of this diet.

Benefits of the “One Meal Per Day” Diet:

1. Helps with weight-loss

An intermittent diet helps to lose weight because the body needs fat to function properly. Such a diet and a limited number of calories helps burn subcutaneous fat and fat around the waist.

2. Increases longevity

Studies have shown that limited calorie intake, while maintaining the necessary intake of nutrients, improves the functionality of the heart and also reduces the likelihood of respiratory and neurodegenerative ailments. It was also found that such a diet increases life expectancy.

3. Prevents the development of diabetes

It was noted that calorie restriction has a positive effect on people with a borderline state of diabetes and insulin resistance. Intermittent calorie restriction diet can increase resistance to the disease. In addition, it is very well known that weight loss improves insulin sensitivity and prevents diabetes mellitus in the initial stage.

4. Improves memory

It has been proven that calorie restriction by 20–25% improves memory and cognitive function. This preserves the function of learning and memory and reduces oxidative stress. Thus, such a diet can save brain cells from damage and destruction and prevent neurodegenerative diseases.

5. Maintains the heart’s health

Available evidence suggests that weight loss reduces the risk of developing and the progression of heart disease. Since the intermittent calorie restriction diet helps with weight loss, it also has a good effect on the heart. Studies have shown that fasting 1 day per week with a caloric restriction of 20% leads to weight loss and positive changes in risk factors for heart ischemia.

6. Reduces cholesterol

The presence of elevated lipids increases the risk of heart disease. A discontinuous diet combined with caloric restriction helps reduce cholesterol.

Disadvantages of the One Meal per Day Diet:

A one-day diet has some drawbacks and side effects.

1. Wrong food choices

Since there are no restrictions, people sticking to this diet choose the products themselves. Many of them end up making the wrong choice. If, after 23 hours of fasting, a person eats foods that are high in calories, then all the benefits of fasting are lost. You should choose only healthy food!

2. Large amounts of food

A large amount of food is another common problem with such a diet. After 23 hours of fasting, a person can eat a lot of high-calorie foods that are high in fat. Thus, if a person is hungry 2 days a week, he can eat more high-calorie and unhealthy foods than in the remaining 5 days.

3. Leads to obesity.

Intermittent dieting, if a person, in the end, eats more than necessary, can lead to weight gain, and not to its loss. It can also lead to other health problems associated with weight gain and obesity.

4. Intra-abdominal pressure

One meal a day, without any restrictions, may seem like a holiday. But it increases the pressure on the gastrointestinal tract to digest a huge amount of food. When you eat several times during the day, your stomach does not need to work so much, but in the case of a one-day diet, intra-abdominal pressure occurs. It may also lead to an increase in acidity.

In conclusion:

The “One Meal Per Day” diet brings some short-term health benefits, but in the long run, this type of diet can lead to weight gain and health problems. In addition to the physical side effects, such a diet can also affect your mental health, for example, by reducing your concentration levels and focus. However, the body of each person is individual, and such a diet will have different consequences for everyone.

Eat right!