Sugar has little nutritional value. Unfortunately, it is found in many packaged foods such as
flavored yogurts
cereals including oatmeal
applesauce
crackers and bread
jams
peanut and other nut butters
salad dressings
marinades
tomato sauce
protein powders
energy bars
dried fruit
juice
flavored waters
coffe drinks
coffee creamers, especially the non diary creamers
Reading a food label can help determine the amount of sugar that is added to a particular food.
Studies show that eating a diet high in sugar can change the gut bacteria and cause low grade inflammation. This inflammation is thought to increase the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and pre diabetes.
Yang Q, Zhang Z, Gregg EW, Flanders WD, Merritt R, Hu FB. Added Sugar Intake and Cardiovascular Diseases Mortality Among US Adults. JAMA Intern Med. 2014;174(4):516–524. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.13563
Satokari R. High Intake of Sugar and the Balance between Pro- and Anti-Inflammatory Gut Bacteria. Nutrients. 2020;12(5):1348. Published 2020 May 8. doi:10.3390/nu12051348
Questions?
Have you been making an effort to decrease added sugar?
The American Heart Association recommends less than 25g (about six teaspoons) of sugar daily for women, and 36 grams (about nine teaspoons) for men. According to the AHA, most American consumes 77g
Association between sugar intake and heart disease
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that as sugar intake increased, HDL or good cholesterol levels decreased. In addition, triglycerides fats which are associated with heart disease increased.
Resource
Welsh JA, Sharma A, Abramson JL, Vaccarino V, Gillespie C, Vos MB. Caloric Sweetener Consumption and Dyslipidemia Among US Adults. JAMA. 2010;303(15):1490–1497. doi:10.1001/jama.2010.449
We do not know enough about one meal a day, there have not been enough studies, intermittent fasting has been studied but most studies are in the 5:2 group ans one cannot equate these studies to one meal a day.
There are potential downsides such as difficulty sustaining this diet and micronutrient deficiencies. This would make sense as it would be difficult to get all of one’s nutritional needs in one meal.
There were 2 studies that I came across,
One study with 69 participants showed increase in LDL (the bad cholesterol) and blood pressure with one meal a day. I am not sure why this would be but these were the findings.
“when consuming 1 meal/d, subjects had a significant increase in hunger; reductions in fat mass; significant increases in blood pressure and in total, LDL-, and HDL-cholesterol concentrations; and a significant decrease in concentrations of cortisol.”
Resource
Stote KS, Baer DJ, Spears K, et al. A controlled trial of reduced meal frequency without caloric restriction in healthy, normal-weight, middle-aged adults. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007;85(4):981-988. doi:10.1093/ajcn/85.4.981
Another small study showed showed higher morning glucose levels and delayed insulin response in those who consumed one meal a day.
Carlson O, Martin B, Stote KS, et al. Impact of reduced meal frequency without caloric restriction on glucose regulation in healthy, normal-weight middle-aged men and women. Metabolism. 2007;56(12):1729-1734. doi:10.1016/j.metabol.2007.07.018
In summary, one meal a day is not a diet I endorse. We don’t know enough about it.
