How to Get All Essential Nutrients in One Meal

Understanding how to get all nutrients in one meal starts with selecting a wide range of nutritious whole foods that provide protein, healthy fats, fiber, as well as essential vitamins and minerals.

Choosing minimally processed foods and carefully selecting nutritious ingredients is vital to maximizing the health benefits of fasting practices such as one-meal-a-day, also known as the OMAD diet. 

Let’s explore the key principles that enable a single meal to deliver nourishment while meeting essential nutritional needs. 

What is OMAD?

OMAD, also known as the one meal a day approach, is a form of intermittent fasting (IF) that follows a 23:1 fasting structure.

This means that all food is consumed within one hour, while the remaining 23 hours involve no caloric intake.

During the fasting period, water, black coffee, or plain tea can be consumed to help maintain hydration without disrupting the metabolic fasting state.

While OMAD doesn’t have strict food rules, prioritizing high-quality ingredients and limiting processed options and added sugars is vital to help maximize nutrient intake and prevent the development of deficiencies and associated health issues. 

OMAD forces the body to tap into stored body fat during periods of caloric restriction, thereby supporting a healthy body weight, promoting blood pressure regulation, and significantly improving metabolic functions.

This is supported by a study published in Frontiers in Physiology, which found that eating one meal per day, compared with three meals per day, can lead to significant reductions in body weight and fat mass.

Due to OMAD’s restrictive nature, it’s recommended to consult a qualified healthcare provider to ensure this fasting pattern aligns with individual needs.

Watch the video below to learn how to get all your vitamins in one meal.

Is it possible to get all nutrients in one meal per day?

Yes, with careful planning and deliberate food selections, it’s possible to obtain nearly all the necessary nutrients in one meal.

Therefore, it’s crucial to choose foods with high nutritional bioavailability, such as high-quality proteins, seafood, oily fish, organic full-fat dairy products, bone broth, berries, nuts, and healthy oils, all of which support optimal nutrient absorption and provide more complete nutrient coverage.  

The 6 most nutrient-dense foods

When following OMAD, selecting a variety of nutrient-rich foods supports steady energy and helps meet the body’s nutritional demands within a single meal.

Here are six nutritious foods to prioritize when building a well-rounded meal. 

1. Fatty fish

Fatty fish provide fat-soluble vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids that assist in maintaining optimal energy levels, support cellular functions, and strengthen brain health and immune defenses.

Furthermore, a study published in the Annals of Translational Medicine found that consuming fatty fish one to two times per week is associated with improved biomarkers related to heart health, metabolic efficiency, and longevity.

Including nutrient-rich fish like salmon, sardines, mackerel, tuna, or trout in your meals helps provide the body with concentrated nourishment, including nourishing fats and vital nutrients. 

2. Red meat

Red meat offers high-quality protein and nourishing fats, and is an important source of highly bioavailable nutrients, including B vitamins, heme iron, and zinc.

Unlike many plant-based protein sources, red meat provides complete protein, meaning it contains all essential amino acids the body needs for muscle repair, tissue maintenance, and overall physiological functions.

It’s best to opt for grass-fed or organically-raised meat options, which tend to contain higher concentrations of health-promoting nutrients than conventional meat products. 

3. Eggs

Eggs don’t just deliver high-quality and highly bioavailable protein, but egg yolks are also packed with B vitamins, vitamin D, choline, folate, and iodine.

In combination, these critical nutrients help maintain bone and immune function while supporting brain and energy regulation.

Additionally, research published in Nutrients found that regular intake of eggs supports muscle protein synthesis, helps lower fat mass, and improves satiety.

4. Leafy green vegetables

Leafy green vegetables are rich sources of dietary fiber, vitamin C, folate, magnesium, and potassium, as well as offering a wide range of phytochemicals that support metabolic balance and promote a healthy body.  

Supporting metabolic balance enhances the body’s ability to efficiently regulate energy production, maintain stable blood sugar levels, metabolize fats, and absorb and use nutrients effectively.

5. Organ meats

Organ meats are an excellent ingredient for those following OMAD, as they’re concentrated sources of essential nutrients.

Foods such as liver, heart, kidney, and tongue supply highly absorbable nutrients, including vitamin A, vitamin B12, folate, iron, zinc, copper, and coenzyme Q10.

These nutrients provide numerous health benefits, including supporting energy production, brain function, oxygen transport, and maintaining nutrient balance.

6. Fermented foods

Fermented vegetables and dairy foods, such as sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, and kefir, enhance nutrient availability and absorption, delivering greater nutritional value without merely increasing calorie intake.

Eating fermented foods supports B vitamin intake and improves mineral availability, making nutrients more easily available for the body to absorb and utilize.

Additionally, fermented foods provide beneficial microbes and bioactive compounds that support digestive efficiency and immune function.

How to build a nutrient-dense meal

To build a nutrient-dense meal, prioritize combining whole foods from multiple food groups so the body can obtain a broad range of essential nutrients in a single meal.

“Start by filling about half of your plate with non-starchy vegetables,” explains Dr. Berg. “Then, add a palm-sized portion of protein, and include one to two servings of natural fats, rotating options such as oily fish, red meat, or organ meat.”

In addition to ingredient choice, preparation also plays a crucial role, as cooking methods such as steaming, sautéing, or roasting can help preserve nutrients and enhance their absorption. In contrast, deep frying and prolonged high-heat cooking may lower the nutritional quality of foods. 

Moreover, limit highly processed foods or pre-packaged meals, as these options often packed with harmful ingredients while offering little nutritional value. 

Instead, focus on nutrient-dense calories from ingredients that provide sustained energy and support overall health.

Common mistakes that cause nutrient gaps

Nutritional gaps often result not from a single poor choice, but from everyday habits that gradually limit the body’s ability to obtain and absorb essential nutrients.

Here are common mistakes that often lead to nutrient gaps:

• Consuming highly processed foods
• Poor hydration habits
• Limited food variety
• Inadequate portion sizes for energy needs
• Ignoring food preparation methods 

FAQ

Sources

1. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8787212/ 
2. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9951006/ 
3. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10304460/