Foods to eat and avoid
No matter the type of dietary pattern you choose, your intake should mostly consist of whole, nutrient-dense foods.
Although most health professionals would not recommend eating only one meal a day, if you do choose this eating pattern, it’s essential to ensure that you’re consuming a variety of nutritious foods, including:
fruits, such as berries, citrus fruits, and bananas
vegetables, such as kale, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus and peppers
starchy vegetables and grains, such as sweet potatoes, butternut squash, oats, quinoa, and barley
healthful fats, such as avocados, olive oil, and unsweetened coconut
legumes, such as peas, chickpeas, lentils, and black beans
seeds, nuts, and nut butters, such as cashews, macadamia nuts, almonds, and pumpkin seeds
dairy and plant-based alternative products, unsweetened yogurt, coconut milk, and cashew milk
protein sources, such as chicken, fish, tofu, and eggs
Limit highly processed foods, such as:
fast food
sugary baked goods
white bread
sugary cereals
soda
chips
These foods offer little nutritional value, and eating them too often can lead to weight gain and increased disease risk (13Trusted Source).
During fasting windows, the OMAD diet requires people to keep calorie intake to a minimum.
In the strict OMAD diet, this means complete restriction of calories. You can still enjoy water and other noncaloric beverages in fasting periods.
Others choose to eat low calorie, high protein snacks during the day, like:
egg whites
chicken
tuna
Again, most healthcare providers do not recommend eating just one meal a day, as it can be detrimental to overall health.
If you’re considering trying this dietary pattern, consult a trusted healthcare provider for advice before you start.
Sample menu
Eating one meal a day is unlikely to give you the calories and nutrients your body needs to thrive unless carefully planned. Choosing to eat within a longer time period may help you increase your nutrient intake.
If you do choose to try out eating one meal a day, you probably shouldn’t do it 7 days a week.
Most people follow the OMAD pattern a few days a week, cycling it in with a normal dietary pattern or a less restrictive intermittent fasting regimen, like the 16/8 method.
If eating one meal a day, try to make meals as nutrient-dense as possible. These meals should deliver at least 1,200 calories, which can be difficult for some to ingest over a normal meal window.
If you struggle to take in enough calories in one meal, consider increasing your eating window by an hour or so and splitting your meal into two smaller meals. This can help you get enough nutrients and calories without becoming overly full.
Here are some nutritionally complete meal ideas that are likely to exceed 1,200 calories, as long as portion sizes are large enough:
Baked chicken with mashed sweet potato topped with butter and roasted broccoli with olive oil, followed by full fat Greek yogurt topped with berries, nuts, seeds, and honey.
Grilled salmon topped with guacamole, brown rice and black bean salad, and roasted plantains, followed by fruit served with nut butter, hemp seeds, and coconut flakes.
Egg omelette with goat cheese, avocado, and grilled vegetables cooked in coconut oil, crispy baked potato wedges, followed by a side of fruit dipped in dark chocolate and whipped cream.
As you can see, each meal should account for all food groups and include:
carbohydrates
fats
proteins
In a day, eating 1,200 calories is a general minimum. Most adults need much more than that to maintain their weight.
Keep in mind that this way of eating is much more difficult for those following specific dietary patterns, like vegan diets or low fat diets, due to the number of calories that must fit into a single meal.
Overall, trying to cram all of your calorie needs into one meal is not necessary no matter what your health goal is. This dietary pattern is also not sustainable or practical for most people.
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