What are the benefits of eating once a day? Eating once a day is considered a fasting method. This type of diet creates a caloric deficit, and you can lose weight eating like this. But I don’t think it is sustainable because you are not going to be consuming enough calories to support any reasonable day-to-day activity.
What are the benefits of eating once a day? iStock-photo credit: Povozniuk
Many people that follow the once a meal a day diet will just eat dinner and that is there only meal for the day. Or some people will just each lunch for the day. There is some reported health benefits related to fasting such as less inflammation, decreased blood sugar levels and lower risk of heart disease.
Eating just one meal a day can lead to losing lean muscle because your calories are so low. Lean muscle mass is very important, particularly as you get older. Muscle drives the rate of your metabolism. The more lean muscles you have the faster your metabolism will be.
Eating this way can lead to extreme hunger and potential bulimia issues. One of the best and simple approaches when it comes to eating food is only eat when you are hungry. As opposed to waiting for long periods of time to eat.
And try not to overeat, which happens if you wait for long periods of time to eat a meal. Some of the side effects of eating one meal in a day are:
• Nausea
• Low Energy
• Constipation
• Irritability
There was a 2022 research study that showed that eating one meal day is linked to increased risk of death. Most credible healthcare professionals will never suggest you eat one meal a day. And that is because it is not beneficial to your overall health. And this is because of the lack of nutrients you will be deficient in.
Anytime that you consume less than 1200 calories a day it will not be enough to support your normal physical activity levels. Studies have shown that people that consume less than 1200 calories a day see the biggest drop in their metabolism.
Most healthcare professionals recommend consuming a healthy balance of food such as fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, proteins, carbs, etc. This gives you enough nutrients to help drive your overall health the positive way. Your body needs these important vitamins and minerals to function properly.
The Bottom Line is eating one meal a day is considered a form of fasting. Most people can’t sustain eating like this for too long. And the reason is because you are not consuming enough calories to support normal activity levels. And eating one meal will most likely put your body at high deficiency risk in important nutrients it needs.
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References
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