Long daily intermittent fasting with one meal a day as the default eating pattern (and sometimes eating once every two days) is the healthy way to eat.

Original statement

يبدأ بصيام متقطّع طويل النهار يجعل وجبة واحدة هي الأصل، ثم وجبة الطبق الواحد (لا يُخلط فيها صنف بصنف)، وصولًا إلى صيامات أعمق.

verbatim according to source. Translation by the project; the Arabic wording is authoritative.

Translation

Long daily intermittent fasting with one meal a day as the default eating pattern (and sometimes eating once every two days) is the healthy way to eat.

Origin

Source status

Archive editors

Attribution

Archive editors summarising Elawady's view (homepage summary; not the quote box)

Origin

https://eltayebat.com/

Attribution uncertainty

Homepage summary written by the archive operators describing Elawady's views; partly cites his 'statement of the theory' video (aEbRfVSJIOw), otherwise no video reference.

Claimed mechanism

Fewer meals mean fewer insulin peaks and fewer 'intestinal obstructions'.

Claimed health effect

Better health, weight loss

Population concerned

General population

Geographic restriction by Elawady

none found

Diverging source versions

Scientific assessment

Unclear / insufficient evidence – The data do not allow an assessment either way.

Certainty of evidence: low – Further research is likely to change the assessment considerably.

1. What was claimed?

One meal a day and long daily fasting are the basic healthy eating pattern.

2. What is demonstrably correct?

Reducing eating frequency and nighttime eating can help some people reduce intake; intermittent fasting 'appears to promote weight loss and may improve metabolic health' (I-FAST-05). Modified alternate-day fasting (about 500 kcal on fast days) achieved weight loss similar to daily calorie restriction (I-FAST-02).

3. What is wrong or exaggerated?

Superiority is not shown: modified alternate-day fasting vs calorie restriction -6.0% vs -5.3% weight at 12 months, no difference in glucose, insulin or blood pressure, LDL +11.5 mg/dL with ADF, dropout 38% (I-FAST-02); this trial did not test one meal a day or true eating every other day. An 8-hour eating window plus calorie restriction vs calorie restriction alone: -8.0 vs -6.3 kg, not significant (I-FAST-03); 16:8 without calorie targets: no between-group difference, loss of lean mass (I-FAST-04). Eating once every two days has not been studied as a health strategy and makes it hard to meet protein needs (I-FAST-07). People with diabetes on glucose-lowering drugs who skip meals have more severe hypoglycaemia (I-FAST-10).

4. What remains unclear?

Long-term (multi-year) outcomes of one-meal-a-day patterns.

5. Which studies support it?

I-FAST-05, I-FAST-03; partly I-FAST-02 (similar, not superior, weight loss with modified ADF).

6. Which studies contradict it?

I-FAST-04, I-FAST-07, I-FAST-10; partly I-FAST-02 (higher dropout, LDL rise).

7. What applies to Germany and Europe?

DGE recommends regular, balanced meals but accepts different meal patterns; no recommendation for one meal a day (not fetched).

8. What is known about Egypt?

Ramadan provides a cultural model of daily fasting; IDF-DAR guidelines describe risks for people with diabetes (I-FAST-11).

9. What practical conclusion is appropriate?

For healthy adults who like it, a shortened eating window is an acceptable option for weight control, comparable to other calorie-reduction methods. People on diabetes medication must adapt doses with their physician before changing meal patterns.

Assessment details

Rationale for certainty of evidence

RCTs show intermittent fasting/time-restricted eating are viable weight-loss strategies but not superior to daily calorie restriction (moderate-high certainty for that comparison). No RCT evidence that one meal a day or eating every second day is superior for long-term health; alternate-day fasting raised LDL and had higher dropout. 'Potentially true' refers to IF being a reasonable option for healthy adults, not to superiority.

Source quality

Homepage paraphrase plus own words (advice to individual viewers; personal habit).

Regional transferability

Universal.

Individual exceptions

Unsuitable without supervision for people on insulin or sulfonylureas (hypoglycaemia), pregnant women, children, people with eating disorders or underweight.

Regional scope of the claim

general (biological/medical)

Last reviewed

25 October 2026 provisional

In plain language

Eating within a shorter time window or only once a day can help some people eat less and lose weight. Studies show it works about as well as simply eating smaller portions every day, not better. Eating only every second day has not been studied properly. People who use insulin or certain diabetes tablets can get dangerously low blood sugar if they skip meals.

Studies on this claim

Regional context

Germany / EU

DGE recommends regular, balanced meals but accepts different meal patterns; no recommendation for one meal a day (not fetched).

Egypt

Ramadan provides a cultural model of daily fasting; IDF-DAR guidelines describe risks for people with diabetes (I-FAST-11).

• Drinking water quality

What applies in my country?

General scientific assessment

Unclear / insufficient evidence A reasonable option for some healthy adults, not a superior or universal rule.

This statement concerns biological or medical relationships. The scientific assessment above applies regardless of the country; country-specific food data do not change it.

References

1. Metabolic Effects of Intermittent Fasting.. Patterson RE et al.. Annu Rev Nutr 2017 · PMID 28715993 · DOI 10.1146/annurev-nutr-071816-064634
2. Calorie Restriction with or without Time-Restricted Eating in Weight Loss.. Liu D et al.. N Engl J Med 2022 · PMID 35443107 · DOI 10.1056/NEJMoa2114833
3. Effects of Time-Restricted Eating on Weight Loss and Other Metabolic Parameters in Women and Men With Overweight and Obesity: The TREAT Randomized Clinical Trial.. Lowe DA et al.. JAMA Intern Med 2020 · PMID 32986097 · DOI 10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.4153
4. Evidence-based recommendations for optimal dietary protein intake in older people: a position paper from the PROT-AGE Study Group.. Bauer J et al.. J Am Med Dir Assoc 2013 · PMID 23867520 · DOI 10.1016/j.jamda.2013.05.021
5. A population-based study of diabetes and its characteristics during the fasting month of Ramadan in 13 countries: results of the epidemiology of diabetes and Ramadan 1422/2001 (EPIDIAR) study.. Salti I et al.. Diabetes Care 2004 · PMID 15451892 · DOI 10.2337/diacare.27.10.2306
6. Effect of Alternate-Day Fasting on Weight Loss, Weight Maintenance, and Cardioprotection Among Metabolically Healthy Obese Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial.. Trepanowski JF et al.. JAMA Intern Med 2017 · PMID 28459931 · DOI 10.1001/jamainternmed.2017.0936