Intermittent Fasting and OMAD

You’ve heard the terms intermittent fasting and the acronym OMAD floating around and wondered exactly what they entail and if you should give them a try? You might have figured out that both of these trends involve fasting (look at you go!), but let’s look a little deeper to see what each of them are and determine if either is right for you.

What is intermittent fasting?

In short, intermittent fasting (IF) is restriction of food, usually 12 hours or more each day.  There are many different ways to try intermittent fasting, so let’s cover the three most common:

What about OMAD?

OMAD, or “one meal a day”, is exactly what it sounds like.  You only eat one meal each day which means you are fasting for 23 hours each day, and have a one hour daily window in which to eat your meal.  This approach is typically for those who are experienced with fasting, and it isn’t for everyone. While OMAD may enhance the benefits of fasting like weight loss, it can be tricky to get all the nutrients your body needs in just one meal per day, and it can be difficult to adhere to over time.  Some choose to utilize OMAD a couple of times per week to make it easier to implement while also reaping the benefits of fasting.

Top 3 Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting can be a great complement to enhance the health benefits that come along with a ketogenic diet.  The great thing about IF is that it affects when you eat, but not what you eat, so it really can fit with many different styles of eating.  Let’s take a peek at a few ways IF could benefit your health:

 Intermittent fasting can be a great tool for boosting the positive effects of a ketogenic diet and you can implement IF in whatever way fits with your lifestyle.  Intermittent fasting’s flexible approach makes it simple to get started and incorporate into any healthy way of life. As with any restrictive dietary plan, if you are considering fasting via an intermittent approach or the more restrictive one-meal-a-day route, make sure to work with your health care provider or a dietitian to develop a strategy that  best suits your health goals

Kaleena Lundmark

Kaleena Lundmark is a registered dietitian, recipe developer, and food photographer. She also is the founder of The Crowded Table, a website dedicated to helping busy moms make easy paleo meals. You can find her recipes and get inspiration for kid-friendly meals  thecrowdedtable.com.