Dear Kayla,

I understand your OMAD is eat once a day. Within that framework how do you eat enough vegetables? And get the recommended amount of fiber?

Sincerely,

Julie

Dear Julie,

First of all, do I eat enough vegetables? My subjective answer is yes, I do. My basis for my answer is that I am in general good health, my bowel movements are regular, and my energy levels are good. I do not show any signs of any nutrient deficiency. On the other hand, I do not make a special effort to hit a targeted amount of grams of fiber, or servings of vegetables and fruits per day. I just eat what I eat. Some days, I have a lot of vegetables. This past weekend I had a lot of collard greens, straight from my garden. But there are some OMADs when I don’t have any vegetables at all. I don’t worry about it.

I understand that vegetables are nutrient dense. But those nutrients are not as bioavailable as the nutrients in animal products (meat, eggs, dairy.) I’ve read some scientific studies on this topic, and at the end of it all, I decided that I should just eat food and not worry over these things, just like humans have been doing for millennia.

If you have a specific number of grams of fiber, or servings of vegetables and fruits in mind, I say go for it. OMAD as a framework for eating does not preclude you from getting enough vegetables and fiber. This goes back to a misconception about OMAD in general. OMAD does not severely limit your caloric intake. It just squishes all your calories into one meal. For example, if you wanted to get 25 grams of fiber at your OMAD, you could eat a cup and a half of black beans. I find that to be totally doable.

At the end of the day, though, OMAD is not a great fit for everyone. I happen to be the type of person who loves to sit down and eat a large meal. Multiple servings of vegetables at a single sitting isn’t a challenge for me. Some people can’t eat much at one sitting. If that describes you, a longer eating window would likely work better.

Sincerely,

Kayla