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Women’s health
If your Instagram feed is any indication, everyone and their mom are trying intermittent fasting right now, and maybe you’re interested, too. People swear that intermittent fasting can have many benefits, from resetting your relationship with food to weight loss. But it can be difficult to get it right and figure out what foods and drinks Pause a fast (and thus overcome the goal of having a fasting window).
Here’s the thing: Fasting doesn’t mean you have to do part or all of your day without whatever in your body. And, while the fasting police won’t chase you if you don’t fast perfectly, it makes sense that you want to do it the right way.
You can probably guess that water is good (and essential) during a fasting window – you need to stay hydrated, after all – but what about things like coffee and tea, which are ~ essentially ~ of the water? And can you also have some sugar or cream, or is that forbidden? Is there some kind of calorie limit here? Also, what’s the best thing to eat and drink when you’re ready to break your fast?
So many questions! But don’t worry – dietitians have * all * the answers for you here on what to break a fast and what not.
Here’s a quick reminder of what it means to do intermittent fasting.
Before we get into what you can and can’t eat and drink, it’s a good idea to go over what intermittent fasting involves in the first place. Intermittent fasting focuses on following a pattern of eating and fasting times – that is, times when you eat and when you don’t eat. Intermittent fasting usually involves fasting for a certain number of hours or even days spaced out in the week.
There are many types of intermittent fasting to choose from, but some of the more popular forms include the 16: 8 diet, where you fast 16 hours a day and only eat for eight hours (most people tend to quit eat at evening time, like 6 p.m., then wait to eat again until 4 p.m. later) and the 5: 2 diet, where you eat less than 500 calories for two non-consecutive days per week (for men, that’s less than 600 calories) and eat normally the rest of the time.
Research has linked intermittent fasting to lower insulin levels and blood pressure, and increased appetite control. Some people also lose weight during intermittent fasting.
The idea is that any amount of calories can technically break a fast and should be avoided while you are in a fasting window.
Technically, fasting means refraining from eating any type of food. As a result, “any amount of calories will break a fast,” says Scott Keatley, RD, of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy.
“The rule of thumb that circulates on the internet is that 50 calories will break your fast, but this is based on the experience of a random type and has been said so often that people believe it to be true,” he says. . But, Keatley points out, “any amount of calories will break a fast. [because] the energy ingested will be broken down as quickly as possible and supplied to your cells. ”
Unfortunately, there’s no rigorous research that gives a certain number of calories that are suitable for fasting, says Jessica Cording, MS, RD, author of The little book of game changers. Plus, she points out, everyone’s metabolism is different, so what gets you out of a fast may be different than what does the same for your friend.
In addition, there is this, according to Cording: “As soon as you consume enough calories to give your body the energy to do anything, it brings you out of this fasting state because your body has been given energy to do anything. fuel to work. ” Basically having any amount of calories means that you are rolling the dice by exiting your fasting state.
If you want to consume * something * during your fasting period, here are your best options.
Again, fasting means you don’t eat, so it’s really more what you can drink. Including:
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Water. “The water is good for sure,” Keatley says. This includes still or sparkling water, although flavored waters get a bit risky as they usually contain calories.
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Coffee. Black coffee has about five calories per cup, which is technically no small thing, Keatley points out. Still, he says, most people take black coffee during times of fasting and do just fine. Just skip additions like milk, cream or sugar. “It will have an effect on your fast,” Cording says.
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Tea. Brewed tea generally contains the same calories as a cup of black coffee or less. The same rules apply here as for coffee, Cording says.
Some people drink chicken broth or bone broth, or add MCT oil, ghee, or coconut oil to their coffee while on a fast, but it will all break your fast, cordial notes . The broth is quite surprising, but Cording points out that bone broth in particular contains a lot of protein. “What can happen is that when you consume the broth, your body uses the amino acids for fuel and you are no longer fasting,” she says.
It is also probably best to wait to consume supplements or vitamins until your meal window.
It’s a bit tricky. “Vitamins and minerals don’t contain calories – that’s what companies put in with vitamins that contain calories,” Keatley says. Usually, salt, potassium and “various sugars” are used to bind vitamins and minerals as a delivery system, he says, adding that “reviewing the ingredient list in your multivitamin is the only way to ‘be sure’. In general, most vitamins contain between 7 and 10 calories each, although candy has more because of its sugar content, Keatley says.
There’s also this to consider: If you’re taking a fat-soluble vitamin like vitamin D, you’ll really want to have it with food, because it’s better absorbed by your body along with fat, Cording points out.
Overall, Cording says it’s best to try supplementing while you’re not fasting, just to be on the safe side.
When you’re ready to break your fast, here’s what to eat.
Time to break your fast? Enter it gently and choose wisely. Eating foods high in carbohydrates and sugar for a short period of time won’t make you feel good, Cording says. “If you put a big load of carbohydrates in your bloodstream on an empty stomach, you will feel uncomfortable,” she says. “It could set you up for blood sugar instability throughout the day, causing problems with energy levels and appetite control. It could work against you.
It’s easy to overeat when you break a fast (because, hello, you’re hungry!), But planning what you’ll do when you eat again can help. “If you want to try this diet plan, plan, plan, and tailor it to your life,” says Keatley.
Cording recommends starting with “something smaller” that also contains a fair amount of fat, like nuts and seeds, which she calls “a good place to start.” For example, you can have a handful of almonds while preparing a larger meal to help your stomach to eat again.
Since you only have a short time in your day to eat healthy foods, Keatley says it’s best to focus on the nutritious options. “I would recommend a complete protein that contains healthy fats and is high in vitamins and minerals, like eggs,” he says. “You still need 25 to 35 grams of fiber in your system, so have high fiber products as well as beans, legumes and anything that ends in -berry should be on your plate.” Healthy oils like avocado and olive oil can also give you energy, he says.
Then, Keatley recommends that you “give yourself a few hours break and start over with the same formula but different foods.”
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