OMAD Diet, How Does it Work, Foods to Take & Avoid in OMAD Diet

OMAD diet is a diet adapted to lose weight. A person following it fasts for 23 hours and has one hour to eat healthy without any restrictions. It is an extended type of intermittent fasting.

A research done to study the effects of intermittent fasting depicted that the people who fast have low cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and also improved gut microbiota and active metabolism.⁽¹⁾

One meal a day or an OMAD diet requires the dieters to consume just one meal instead of three or two meals throughout the day. This leads to weight loss, improves energy and digestion. The one hour in which you eat food requires you to eat healthy and nutritious food.

You can as per your convenience choose that one hour in the whole day. Some people are allowed green tea, black coffee and even foods like egg or an apple during the day, just for the safety of the dieter.

The OMAD diet work on the principle of restricting calories and consuming nutritious food in that allowed one hour. During the time of fasting the body uses the reserved energy or fat as fuel.

Consuming the readily available energy in the form of carbs, fruit sugar aids fat mobilization, prevent constipation, and improves digestion.

The one hour in which you get to eat food can become an enemy if you don’t watch out what you are eating.

When you are eating just once in 24 hours, the food you eat should be healthy and should contain all the necessary nutrients required by the body daily.

Vegetables: Carrot, broccoli, bell pepper, scallions, purple cabbage, beetroot, turnip, cauliflower, spinach, kale, lettuce, sweet potato, and white potato with peels.

Fruits: Apple, banana, mango, blueberries, strawberries, gooseberries, acai berries, peach, plum, tangerine, lemon, lime, grapes, and oranges.

Dairy: Full fat milk and yogurt, buttermilk, feta cheese, homemade ricotta, and cottage cheese.

Whole grains: Brown rice, black rice, quinoa, wheat, millet, barley, and sorghum.

Proteins: Lean cuts of pork, chicken breast, fish, mushroom, beef, legumes, tofu, and eggs.

Fats and Oils: Rice bran oil, olive oil, peanut butter, sunflower butter, almond butter, and edible coconut oil.

Nuts and Seeds: Almond, walnuts, pistachios, macadamia, melon seeds, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds.

Herbs and Spices: Oregano, cilantro, white pepper, cardamom, garlic powder, black pepper, coriander, garlic, thyme, dill, fennel, rosemary, mint, chili flakes, and cloves.

Beverages: Water, homemade lemonade, homemade electrolyte, coconut water, freshly pressed juice, and cold pressed food.

There are a lot of foods to choose from. Also, you should be aware of the food that should be avoided when following an OMAD diet.

Fruits: Fruits with a high glycaemic index such as grapes, jackfruit, mangoes, and pineapple should be consumed in limited quantities.

Dairy: Low-fat milk, low-fat yogurt, flavored yogurt, and cream cheese.

Proteins: Beef, bacon, fatty cuts of pork.

Whole Grains: White rice intake should be limited. If at all it is included try balancing the glycaemic index by including 5 types of veggies in it. It will add to the flavor as well.

Fats and Oils: Dalda, lard, mayonnaise, margarine, hemp seed oil, vegetable oil, and butter.

Nuts and Seeds: Cashew nuts

Beverages: Packed fruits and vegetable juices, soda, diet soda, and energy drinks.

1. Aids Weight Loss: This is a modified version of intermittent fasting and helps in losing weight along with improving sleep patterns and aiding proper digestion⁽²⁾
2. Controls Glucose Levels: The main causes of type 2 diabetes are obesity, genetics, and unhealthy lifestyle. Research shows that people with type 2 diabetes who follow this pattern of intermittent fasting are able to lose weight and reduce the calorie intake and lower glucose and insulin levels post meals⁽³⁾
3. Energizes You: Following the OMAD diet, your energy levels shoot up, as the body gets rid of inflammation-inducing fat deposits. This lowers the fatigue levels keeping the cells active.
4. Protects Heart: This diet helps reduce the visceral fat and lowers the low-density lips (bad cholesterol). This, in turn, improves heart health⁽⁴⁾
5. Does Not Deprive You: Following the OMAD diet doesn’t deprive you as you are getting a filling, nutritious, and delicious meals, keeping the junk addiction away. You are not deprived of any nutrients important for the body.

OMAD is a refreshing, effective, and result-oriented diet. Talk to your doctor before starting it as different bodies react differently to diets. Moreover, a pregnant female should not start it