Single Meal a Day and Why?

This topic is personal to me.

I have gone through a single meal a day for straight 10 years.

I was busy doing several jobs in the university (research included) and coming home for lunch and going back to work, took a toll on me.

I decided to skip the lunch.
Two big bananas and a pint of milk was my lunch.

Good cup of tea in between kept me alert.

My productivity went up the scale.

Research work was finished double quick time.
Three books, one on Linux, one on Buddhism and a third book of poems successfully published.

I kept this routine until my retirement.

In between, I finished a long article, A single Meal a Day.

It included spirulina.

My reasoning was based on Buddhist monks.

They have light breakfast and a mid day meal not later than 2PM.

It is supposed to be conducive for meditation practice.

Buddha practiced it.

Buddhist monk of good old days lived a long life.

Besides they were healthy except perhaps a few cases of cataract.

They never used transport in their own villages and used to walk a lot.

They probably had a good night sleep.


Then I went into research mode.

1. Wolves can go on without a meal for 10 days.

2. Dogs go on hunger for 10 days if the owner is absent.
Most of the stray dogs tag to another guy or girl after 10 days.

Some pedigree dogs die on the 10th day.

Think about it before bringing a puppy home.

3. Prehistoric man and his dog can starve only upto 10 days.

If one goes through the above facts, a single meal a day is not a big issue.

Having said that, if one had been eating 3 meals a day going for one meal is drastic.

It leads to vitamin deficiency and guy or girl becomes very irritable.

Post prandial hypoglycaemia ensues and urge to eat or consume sugary stuff becomes a habit.

It took nearly 3 years to master my chemistry.

Ten years without rice as a mail meal was a revelation.

I never put on weight.

Of course, the replacement diet was hard to come by and chocolates and coconut cookies became staple and healthy alternative.

I broke this habit in old age.

Bit of extra fat in old age is a bonus.

If one becomes bed ridden for 7 days this extra fat is an insurance for trouble times.

Do not be regimental on a weight reduction diet!

I am back to my highest weight minus one kilogram.

Scale for weighing daily is mandatory, if somebody is trying weight reduction.