One Meal A Day [OMAD] is a type of Intermittent Fasting where you eat all of your food for the day in just one meal. Usually this will mean you're following a 22 or 23 hour daily fast with a 1-2 hour eating window.
From my experience with thousands of men and women around the world following the Complete Intermittent Fasting Bundle protocols, I've found shorter daily fasts (like a 14 or 16 hour fast) tend to have better long term results. However, there are some people who thrive on a "One Meal A Day" structure.
If you do choose to follow OMAD Fasting, it's extra important that you're paying close attention to what's going on your plate with that one meal of the day. Otherwise, you could lose muscle mass and become more insulin resistant, which can make it harder to achieve or maintain a weight loss goal in the future.(1)
Eating enough high quality protein can help to prevent muscle loss while also boosting satiety and making it easier to achieve a body recomposition goal.(2)
This is why the foods I've listed as most crucial with OMAD are also those that are most protein rich. (For a full explanation of why this is important and how much protein you need in a day with OMAD, check out the video below.)
So today, I'm sharing the 5 BEST foods for OMAD. These are foods that are incredibly nutrient dense so that you can get the most bang for your buck out of your one meal of the day.
Scroll down for the deets!
Ground Beef
Beef is very high in nutrients such as selenium, choline, zinc, iron and B vitamins. It's also very rich in protein. However, I've specifically chosen ground beef for One Meal A Day because it's much easier to eat a LOT of than other cuts of beef. Because when you're trying to fit in a FULL day of nutrients into one meal... you don't want to be spending more time chewing than is absolutely necessary.
Typically, most people will need to eat at least 11-12 ounces of cooked ground beef to hit their daily protein needs. Measured raw, that's about a pound of ground beef. You're likely going to find it a lot easier to eat that much ground beef vs. an equivalent amount of steak, which requires a lot more slicing and chewing.
Psssst... curious how long YOUR Intermittent Fast should be? Take my FREE Intermittent Fasting Schedule Quiz by clicking the button below!
Whey Protein Powder
If you're finding it difficult to hit all of your protein needs with OMAD, then whey protein powder is about to be your best friend. It's easy to use, dissolves well into liquids and can significantly bump up your protein intake.
I like to add my zero sugar Whey Protein Isolate to my low sugar smoothies for a fast and easy protein source. In fact, many of my clients following a One Meal a Day structure will pair a smoothie with their meal to help boost their protein intake. Plus, it tastes silky smooth without any sugar 😋
Cottage Cheese or Skyr
If you're looking for a meal that you don't have to cook, then cottage cheese and skyr are for you. Both are packed with high quality complete protein and can be eaten straight from the package. One cup of skyr (which is similar to greek yogurt) has a whopping 27 grams of protein. Stir in a serving of my zero sugar whey protein powder and you can bring that up to 47 grams in just one cup!
Just remember to pair it with low sugar fruits (like strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries) and unsweetened nuts or seeds to make it a complete meal.
Tempeh
Tempeh is a fermented soy product and a good protein option for those who are plant-based. You can use tempeh in a similar way as ground beef in various recipes. Keep in mind, tempeh is very lean, so it's important to add other high quality fats (such as avocado or olives) to get fat soluble vitamins.
Fatty Fish
Fatty fish is better than white fish with OMAD because it tends to be a bit more nutrient dense and have more fat soluble vitamins. Some of the best options include salmon, tuna, anchovies and sardines. Particularly if you're on a time crunch, canned tuna, anchovies and sardines can help provide the base to a nutrient dense meal without having to fuss over cooking.
Although, if you do have a few minutes to whip up a meal, the Weeknighter Bake (pictured above) from my Complete Intermittent Fasting Bundle is super simple to prep and loaded with flavor.
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❤️ Autumn
Autumn Elle Nutrition