Angel Aquino shares how she keeps healthy in her 50s via fasting, OMAD diet
MANILA, Philippines — When the thought of young-looking seasoned actresses comes to mind, Angel Aquino undoubtedly is on top of the list.
The Baguio model-turned-actress is not even shy to say that she is 52, a fact that earns admiration because of her svelte body and glowing morena skin.
Angel attributes it to her health routine that she tightly keeps watch due to necessity and practicality.
The actress is a proud single mom to her daughters, and as the one who puts food on the table, it is important for her be healthy and able.
“If you love yourself and if you want to stay, ako, I want to stay in this business for a longer time because I'm a single mom. I'm still, you know, providing for my family, so I cannot stop working and how do I do that? I have to keep myself healthy,” Angel recently told a group of reporters, including Philstar.com, at the launch of the Heart Failure Week, celebrated this year from February 10 to 15.
When she talked about how she takes care of her health, Angel revealed that she does not follow the common practice of eating three times a day.
“I don't subscribe to that,” she confided, referring to eating breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Instead, Angel believes in the power of fasting, which she revealed she learned from her fellow Ka-Aguilas, who were the actors who co-starred with her in Coco Martin’s “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano.”
The show was shown from 2015 to 2022. She’s now reunited with Coco in the latter’s current series, “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo,” also inspired by one of the late Fernando Poe Jr.'s movies.
“I started, I think when we were in ‘Probinsyano’ kasi a lot of our Ka-Aguila were into fasting na rin. So, I started understanding it from them,” Angel revealed.
Angel said that fasting is a “powerful tool” that allows the body to correct itself.
She is doing Intermittent Fasting, and she has done a 24-hour fast.
“Mahirap in the beginning, you know. You get a headache, but if you do it at least once a week, it really regulates your body, whatever inflammation you have. Sinasabi ko sa inyo, it's a good tool to start using and learning,” Angel said.
'Never combine carbs and fatty food'
She keeps herself updated when it comes to health and wellbeing concerns, checking and watching videos online.
Her journey to fasting has eventually led her to discover the OMAD diet, or the One Meal A Day diet. As its name suggests, a person who does OMAD only gets to eat one meal a day and then goes on fasting. Some medical literature described it as an extreme form of Intermittent Fasting (IF).
“Eventually it will turn into a weekly 24-hour, 48-hour, or even maybe longer whatever you can, kung ano ‘yung kayanin mo. Siguro once a month of a two-day fasting. I know it sounds, uhm, iniisip ko pa lang, sumasakit na ‘yung ulo ko at tiyan ko, but then your body will get used to it. You'll stop craving food and you really feel better,” Angel said.
For a sucker for sweets, saying she loves cakes, muffins, desserts, pastas, and breads, Angel keeps to just taking a bite to savor their flavor. It is also because Diabetes runs in their family.
“I’m not saying that it's totally out of my system, but hindi na siya ‘yung I can eat the whole slice. Siguro titikman na lang and then I'm fine,” Angel said.
If she has to, Angel said that she does not combine fatty food with carbohydrates.
“Sabi nila kasi, alam mo okay lang kumain ng fatty food, but if you combine that with carbohydrate, then that becomes bad. But if you take out the carbohydrates and your body sees that as your fuel, and that's what it will use, so it's not bad. Kasi it will get used up if you eat it properly," she added.
In the Januay 18, 2025 episode of GMA-7's informative lifestyle show "Pinoy MD," internist and functional medicine expert Dr. Rolando Balburias stressed that undergoing OMAD must be "medically supervised" and it needs initial assessment prior to undergoing it. The physician underscored that it is not suitable for everyone because there are various factors, such as muscle mass and fat mass, that need to be considered.
"Kailangang i-assess muna ang estado ng sistema ng iyong katawan," said the doctor. "Hindi lahat ay agad-agad pwedeng mag-engage sa OMAD, kailangan ito ay medically supervised.”
The actress also shared her observation about the regular notion of eating in a day.
“I think it's the business of food and the business of, you know, that encourages us to eat more and more. Always more. Imagine mo parang pantry. Lagay ka lang nang lagay, ‘di ba? It’s gonna overflow,” she said.
She offered suggestions on how one can withdraw from the accustomed habit by exercising, walking and generally keeping tabs on one’s overall health and wellness.
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