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Intermittent Fasting? Here's Exactly What To Eat At The End Of Your Fast
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If you've been experimenting with one of the many iterations of intermittent fasting (IF)—i.e., abstaining from all (or most) food for anywhere from 12 hours per day to several full days in a row—you've undoubtedly wondered, what's the best way to actually break a fast?
Turns out, some experts believe that the foods you include in your first post-fast meal (especially if you've fasted for a full day or more) are particularly important, helping to either amplify or sabotage your results.
Here's what you need to know, directly from the fasting experts.
What is intermittent fasting?
Fasting is a deliberate and temporary abstention from consuming food and, in some cases, beverages. It has been practiced for various reasons, including religious, spiritual, health, and weight management purposes. During a fasting period, individuals refrain from eating for a certain period of time.
You may have also heard of intermittent fasting (IF)—an umbrella term that encompasses a number of eating patterns that involve regularly occurring periods of fasting that are longer than a normal overnight fast. Here's a primer on the nine most popular types of fasting.
What to eat to break your fast (shorter, time-restricted eating fasts)
The most common forms of intermittent fasting are the 18:6, 16:8, and 14:10 time-restricted eating plans, in which you abstain from food for 18, 16, and 14 hours per day, respectively.
While breaking these types of fasts doesn't require quite as much planning as breaking an extended fast, there are still some general recommendations.
First and foremost, stick to whole foods and opt for a mix of macronutrients when you break a fast—you don't want a straight shot of carbohydrates (especially refined carbs) on an empty stomach.
"Definitely avoid carb-loaded meals and sugary drinks as they will cause a blood sugar roller coaster, raising your insulin levels and making you feel even more hungry," says Amy Shah, M.D., who uses intermittent fasting in her practice. "Additionally, having lots of sugar will make fasting for the next day even harder because your hunger hormones [like ghrelin] will be raised."
So what should you eat? "For a standard 16:8 plan, one could break a fast with a low-glycemic meal of choice," says Ali Miller R.D., L.D., CDE, registered dietitian and functional medicine practitioner.
"If you're going to have carbs, ensure that they're balanced with protein and fat. A salad with protein, eggs with avocado and vegetables, a homemade protein shake, or a leftover protein and roasted veggies could all work as meal number one," she adds.
Even though you may be quite hungry when breaking your fast, particularly if you're new to IF, avoid eating a huge meal or you might overload your digestive system and experience symptoms like bloating. Typically, "hefty snack or small meal is best," says Miller.
Some specific foods you can mix and match to incorporate into your first post-fast meal include:
- Fermented foods: Consuming fermented foods like pickled veggies, sauerkraut, kimchi, unsweetened kefir, and yogurt after a fast can help reintroduce beneficial bacteria to the digestive system.
- Leafy greens: Spinach, kale, arugula, and other leafy greens are excellent choices for breaking a fast due to their nutrient-rich profile and gentle impact on the digestive system. These greens are low in calories and high in vitamins, minerals, and fiber, which can help ease the body back into eating while providing essential nutrients.
- Cooked vegetables: Cooking vegetables softens their fiber content, making them less taxing on the digestive tract while still offering essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Optimal choices when breaking a fast include non-starchy vegetables like zucchini, carrots, and bell peppers.
- Vegetable juices: Apart from their concentrated source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, vegetable juices are also easier on the digestive system compared to solid foods, allowing it to gradually reawaken without overwhelming it.
- Raw fruits: Eating raw fruits after a fast provide a gentle introduction of carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals, helping to replenish energy levels while minimizing potential digestive discomfort. They are also high in water content, aiding in hydration and promoting a feeling of fullness.
- Nut butters: Nut-based spreads provide a gradual source of energy that can help stabilize blood sugar levels and prevent rapid spikes after a period of fasting. They're also rich in fiber, which supports digestion and promotes a feeling of fullness, aiding in controlled eating.
- Fish, poultry, eggs, meats: After a period of fasting, the body may benefit from replenishing amino acids and nutrients that support muscle repair, immune function, and overall well-being. These animal-based protein sources offer high-quality proteins, vitamins, and minerals that can help restore energy levels and promote a feeling of fullness, aiding in a gradual reentry into regular eating. It's important to choose lean and unprocessed options to avoid overwhelming the digestive system.
- Bone broth and soups: The easily digestible proteins and soothing properties of bone broth can help alleviate potential discomfort when reintroducing solid foods, making it a popular choice for those transitioning from fasting.
- Healthy fats: Consuming healthy fats like coconut oil, olive oil, avocado, grass-fed butter, and ghee provide a steady source of energy and help stabilize blood sugar levels, aiding in a smoother transition back to regular eating. They also play a crucial role in nutrient absorption. So when reintroducing food after a period of fasting, consuming healthy fats can help prevent overeating and provide a nourishing start to the digestive process.
Summary
How to break an extended fast (a day or more)
While the "rules" of breaking a shorter, time-restricted eating fast are pretty flexible, you want to be a bit more mindful about how you break an extended fast (i.e., a fast of a day or more)—especially if you're new to fasting.
Not only do you want to avoid excessive carbs and sugar, but sticking to easily digestible foods and small portions is also a good idea.
"When you are new to fasting and just suddenly stop eating, your body is confused and will stop producing a high volume of digestive juices," says Jason Fung, M.D., fasting expert and co-author of the upcoming book Life in the Fasting Lane. "When you start to eat again, your body might not have what it needs to properly digest the food items. The result is often GI discomfort and diarrhea."
The solution: Ease back into eating. "Oftentimes, it can be nice to break a fast with a nourishing soup and some cooked veggies because they are easier to digest and absorb," says integrative physician Vincent Pedre, M.D., bestselling author of Happy Gut: The Cleansing Program To Help You Lose Weight, Gain Energy, and Eliminate Pain.
Miller agrees, saying, "It's best to ease out of a fast in order to reduce digestive and blood sugar stress on the body. I'll often have clients sip on bone broth followed an hour or so later by soft, easy-to-digest proteins such as fish."
Both Miller and Pedre agree that dense meats (think steak) may be too intense right off the bat, as they require a lot of digestive enzyme strength.
And if you do eat something like this, give your body a little extra digestive support by taking digestive bitters1 or a shot of apple cider vinegar with your meal. Also, make sure to eat slowly and let your digestive system get to work.
To reiterate, these foods can be great choices when breaking a longer fast:
- Bone broths and nourishing soups
- Cooked vegetables
- Easier-to-digest proteins such as fish and poultry
A note on portion size:
Don't stuff yourself when breaking an extended fast either—even though you may really want to.
"Portion size definitely matters, especially for prolonged fasting because your stomach will be less accustomed to holding as much food," says Pedre. "Temper what your brain wants with what your body can actually handle, and stop when you feel about 75% full. On that first day, it might be best to eat multiple small meals over the course of the day."
Summary
What not to eat when breaking a fast
As mentioned above, you definitely want to avoid excessive carbs, particularly refined carbohydrates and sugary beverages, when breaking any type of fast in order to avoid a blood sugar roller coaster. Other than that, most real whole foods are acceptable.
With extended fasts, what you can tolerate will vary (it will depend on the state of your gut, says Pedre, and may take a little trial and error to figure out what you can tolerate). But according to our experts, you may want to avoid anything that requires a lot of digestive energy.
Raw vegetables, beef, and occasionally eggs and nuts can be difficult for some people immediately post-fast, says Fung. And anything fried or greasy should also be avoided until you get your digestion revving with gentler foods.
Side effects of eating these foods to break your fast can range from discomfort and bloating to diarrhea.
But that said, if you have a "happy gut" that produces adequate amounts of digestive enzymes, it's possible for you to break your fast with something like meat and experience no issues at all, says Pedre. It's all about the individual, so experiment a bit and see what works for you.
In general, these are the foods to avoid or limit after a fast:
- Excessive carbs, particularly refined carbohydrates and sugary beverages
- Raw vegetables
- Beef
- Eggs
- Nuts
- Fried and/or greasy foods
Summary
What to eat to prolong your fast
Now you know how to break your fast, but what if you don't want to end your fast just yet?
When you're first starting IF, or if you're trying to graduate to a longer fasting window, there are certain things that can help get you over the hangry hump without sabotaging your results. (Of course, you should always end a fast early if you're feeling lethargic and can't perform your normal day-to-day activities.)
Noncaloric (or very low-calorie) options that are widely accepted among intermittent fasting experts include seltzer water, coffee, and tea.
Miller likes Earl Grey tea in particular, as it contains bergamot extract, which can help suppress appetite. "Just be sure not to add stevia or noncaloric sweeteners, which may provoke an insulin response," she says.
If you need something a bit more substantial to hold you over, or if you have a low body fat percentage (in which case, strict forms of fasting may not be wise, as they could throw your hormones out of whack), then sipping on a high-quality bone broth, or coffee or tea blended with coconut oil or MCT oil, during your fasting window are both great options.
"You can essentially 'fool' your body into thinking it is still fasting by having a fat like MCT or coconut oil because they don't bump up your blood-glucose-regulating hormone, insulin," says Pedre. "This works great to curb your appetite during prolonged fasting hours."
And while this may not preserve all of fasting's benefits (for example, autophagy may be downregulated a bit), it seems to be beneficial for things like weight loss.
To recap, here are some beverages that may prolong the fasting process:
- Seltzer
- Water
- Coffee
- Tea (Earl grey in particular)
- Bone broth
- Coffee or tea blended with MCT or coconut oil
Summary
Supplements that can break a fast
Certain supplements may also interfere with your routine by breaking your fast. Here's a list of supplements that contain calories, sugar or carbohydrates and may shorten your fasting window.
- Liquid or gummy vitamins can contain roughly 2-8 grams of sugar and 20-40 calories per serving
- Protein powder supplements such as whey or pea can contain roughly 50-100 calories
- Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) can induce an insulin response 2
The takeaway
In general, breaking a fast isn't rocket science, but you do want to follow some general rules to keep blood sugar stable and minimize digestive distress.
For shorter, time-restricted eating fasts, break your fast with a hefty snack or small meal comprised of real, whole foods with a mix of macronutrients (carbs, proteins, healthy fats).
For extended fasts, opt for small portions of foods that are easier to digest such as bone broth, cooked veggies, and fish before eating a heftier meal.
Looking for some more pro tips on how to get the most out of your fast? Here's a guide to maximizing each of the four stages of fasting.
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