What Can I Eat When Fasting?

Fasting is an ancient practice still followed in various forms. During a fast, you can consume bone broth and healthy fats. To break a fast, you can eat whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean protein.

Fasting has been practiced for thousands of years for various reasons, such as conserving food or religious rites. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors often had to endure long periods between meals, which may have contributed to the evolution of fasting in our bodies.

When you eat a meal, your body receives calories and nutrients for energy. However, when you go without eating, your body uses up the available calories and turns to burning fat to meet its energy needs.

Contrary to the prevailing advice of eating three square meals a day, regular fasting can provide health benefits like weight loss and improved stress response.

Types of Fasting

There are numerous types of fasting, including "intermittent fasting." Intermittent fasting involves choosing specific windows of time for eating and fasting. Popular time windows include 16:8, 18:6, 20:4, and 23:1.

Another method of fasting is the 5:2 method, where you eat normally for five days and consume fewer calories (around 500 to 600) on the remaining two days.

More extended fasting periods, such as fasting for 24 hours or longer, don’t necessarily provide greater benefits than intermittent fasting and can even be dangerous. Extended fasts may lead to fat storage instead of burning.

Benefits of Fasting

Short-term fasts, like intermittent fasting, have shown significant health benefits:

Weight loss: Studies reveal an average loss of 7 to 11 pounds over 10 weeks with intermittent fasting. Restricting feeding times also reduces obesity risk.

Improved cellular response to stress: During fasting, cells experience mild stress and adapt to deal with stress more effectively, potentially leading to better response during extreme stress.

Longer lifespan: Animal studies show that modest calorie restriction leads to increased survival times. Fasting may contribute to longevity through improved stress responses.

Increased autophagy: Fasting promotes autophagy, a cellular process where damaged cells and debris are recycled for energy or building new cells and components.

Improved metabolism: Fasting can reduce metabolic markers like insulin, glucose, cholesterol, and blood pressure while enhancing blood glucose levels.

Other potential benefits: Preliminary research suggests fasting may improve nervous system health, brain function, exercise endurance, and working memory.

QUESTION

What Can I Eat or Drink During a Fast?

A fast occurs when no calories are consumed for several hours, and breaking a fast happens when you consume calories.

While fasting, you can drink plain water and zero-calorie beverages like black coffee and tea to stay hydrated.

Although consuming anything with calories breaks a fast, some healthy fasting foods allow you to still benefit from fasting:

Bone broth: Made by simmering animal bones for a long time, bone broth provides a small number of calories and additional vitamins and nutrients.

Healthy fats: Adding small amounts of heavy cream, coconut oil, or avocado to black coffee during a fast won’t disrupt ketosis (burning fat instead of carbohydrates).

Be cautious with zero-calorie beverages that contain artificial sweeteners, as they may induce an insulin response, affecting weight loss goals. However, if weight loss is the main objective, these beverages can still be consumed.

Some vitamins and supplements may break a fast due to additional ingredients. Nonetheless, the low calorie content and potential nutrition benefits make them worth considering.

Listen to your body during fasting and prioritize appropriate nutrition over strict fasting regimens you struggle to maintain.

What Should I Eat to Break a Fast?

When breaking a fast, it’s important to maintain a balanced diet alongside fasting. Even though fasting reduces overall calorie intake, consuming appropriate portions of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and protein, while staying hydrated and exercising, maximizes the benefits of fasting.

Should I Try Fasting?

Short fasting periods like intermittent fasting are generally safe, but your body may take a few weeks to adjust. You may experience hunger or irritability during the adjustment period.

Avoid fasting if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, under 18 years old, have a history of eating disorders, or have diabetes or other blood sugar problems.

Prolonged fasting, beyond 24 hours, can be dangerous, causing nutrient deficiencies, malnutrition, and fat storage instead of burning. Consult with your physician before starting a fasting regimen.

Fasting Comes with Health Benefits

Intermittent fasting and other types of fasting offer numerous health benefits, including weight loss, increased longevity, and improved overall quality of life. Stay hydrated during fasting and enjoy foods like bone broth and healthy fats. Outside of the fasting window, maintain a balanced diet and exercise routine.

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Canadian Medical Association Journal: "Intermittent fasting: the next big weight loss fad," "Intermittent fasting: the science of going without."

CornellHealth: "Tips for Healthy Ramadan Fasting."

Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health: "Collagen," "Diet Review: Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss."

Johns Hopkins Medicine: "Intermittent Fasting: What is it, and how does it work?."

Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: "INTERMITTENT FASTING AND HUMAN METABOLIC HEALTH."

Nature Reviews Neuroscience: "Intermittent metabolic switching, neuroplasticity and brain health."

Nutrients: "An Intermittent Fasting Mimicking Nutrition Bar Extends Physiologic Ketosis in Time Restricted Eating: A Randomized, Controlled, Parallel-Arm Study."

Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism: "Artificial sweeteners produce the counterintuitive effect of inducing metabolic derangements."