Eating once a day for three months. Personal story and doctor’s opinion

professional philosopher and orientalist, mentor of experts in the field of self-development

In 1995 I practiced a three-month hermitage, when I was working on a spiritual work, where among the instructions there was also one meal a day (not enough, a measure of folded palms), and it was recommended to sprinkle the food with ashes to discourage the taste.

Strict fasting was kept in order to create conditions for prayer practice. By the end of the experiment I was weightless, according to sensations it was up to levitation, and my mind was clear and light, but I was weakened physically, so after the end of the summer and returning to study at the institute (it was my graduation year) I returned to a more intensive diet.

Much later, already being an orientalist by the second higher education, I often made meditative retreats in Buddhist monasteries of the countries of South-East Asia in zero years, often spending one or two months in a row in forest monasteries.

The daily routine of the monks and practitioners involved no eating after noon until the next sunrise. And although, in fact, in the morning from 4:00 to 12:00 there were both breakfast and lunch, I usually went out only for the second meal, not wanting to disturb the morning peace.

This way of life has been maintained for centuries, and there is a deep spiritual meaning to it, as it promotes deep immersion in meditation. However, there was no exhaustion here, on the contrary, one could eat to the fullest, and the food was dense and even heavy so as not to “fly away”.

From personal experience I can say that this way of life is suitable for spiritual practice, when all metabolic processes slow down a lot, and alternative sources of strength appear, and energy consumption from food is greatly reduced, so you can eat rarely and not starve.

However, with an active social life, and even more so with serious physical exertion, it is simply unrealistic to maintain such a regime. That’s why I do not recommend this diet for people who live in a normal rhythm – you simply do not have enough calories needed for work, socializing and mobility. And I don’t do it myself when I’m not on retreats.

Physician’s Opinion

Ph.D., integrative, preventive and conventional medicine physician, nutriciologist

While occasional skipping meals or intermittent fasting can be beneficial for some people, relying on only one meal a day can have negative consequences for the body.

First, eating once a day (not as part of a religious rule, but as a lifestyle) can lead to overeating because the body may need more calories.

Second, skipping lunch or dinner or eating infrequently (especially if the meals are monotonous) leads to nutrient deficiencies. This, in turn, can cause a weakened immune system, fatigue, and other health problems.

Finally, eating a single meal can also affect digestion and metabolism. Consuming large portions of food can overload the digestive system, leading to upset stomach, constipation, and other gastrointestinal problems.

Within religious and cleansing practices, these types of diets can be, but the author is right – for a person who lives an active social life, moves a lot, goes to work, and does other things, this type of lifestyle is not beneficial.

Although the practice of periodic fasting can have a healing effect if there are no contraindications to it.