The Best Vegetable Broth for Fasting to Curb Cravings, Cramps, and Hunger Pangs

Vegetable broth for fasting may resolve such issues as a lack of salt in your diet, undesired hunger pangs, and the urge to cheat on intermittent fasting. Instead, you may wish to find ways to curb those cravings and fight the urge to cheat.

Fortunately, vegetable broth for fasting is an excellent alternative to bone broth, allowing you to absorb some fluid and electrolytes without breaking your fast. That said, you need the right recipes and information to ensure you have vegetable broth without breaking the rules.

What Kind of Broth Can I Have While Fasting?

Eating during a fast is possible with this broth recipe:

• Vegetable broth for fasting recipe (9)

Also, you can have our vegetable broth soup recipes on low-calorie days or to break a fast. But first, let’s understand how you’re allowed to eat vegetable broth during a fast.

Can I Drink Broth While Fasting?

Bone broth is famous for breaking a fast, but can you enjoy other broths while fasting? Vegetable broth for fasting is the key to getting minimal calories without disrupting certain processes. In addition, vegetable broth may include its own benefits. 

Vegetable Broth for Fasting Benefits

First, let’s see the benefits of vegetable broth for fasting, which reveals whether it can be a source of nutrition during a fast. After that, you’ll discover the best ingredients to enjoy vegetable broth, whether drinking it during a fast or eating window. 

Vegetable Broth is Low-Calorie

Our favorite vegetable broth recipe only has 20 calories, 3 g of carbs, and 1 g of protein per serving (9). It doesn’t have fiber or fat. On the contrary, a bone broth recipe has 72 calories, 0.7 g of carbs, 6 g of fat, 3.6 g of protein, and 0.2 g of fiber (13). Bone broth is good for breaking a fast, but vegetable broth has even fewer calories, making it more suitable for fasting.

Can You Lose Weight By Drinking Vegetable Broth?

Fasting leads to ketosis, which might help you lose weight. The Cleveland Clinic describes ketosis as a state in which your body burns fat for energy once glucose stores run dry (14). Another popular term is the metabolic switch. 

The Cleveland Clinic also states that even low carb diets activate ketosis, not just zero carbs. High-carb or calorie meals may disrupt ketosis. However, some intermittent schedules permit 500-600 calories on fasting days, such as the 5:2 diet (17). 

Keeping your calories at or under the recommended amount during a fast can ensure that you stay in ketosis to potentially lose weight. Calories that count toward your daily intake include everything drinkable and edible, including broths, teas, and lemon water.

A New Orleans study compared time-restricted eating with calorie restriction to daily calorie restriction groups to determine which model helped individuals lose more weight (6). Differences between the groups weren’t significant enough and both experienced weight loss. 

The individuals who only restricted calories lost an average of 6.3 kilograms, while the calorie-restricted fasting group lost 8 kilograms in the same period. In other words, reducing your calorie intake, whether that is through intermittent fasting or any other method, can help you lose weight.

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Will I Lose Weight If I Eat Vegetable Soup Every Day?

Vegetable broth for fasting may contribute to significant weight loss. Soup lovers may tend to have smaller waists and a lower body weight, as compared to those who avoid soup. A University of Iowa study suggests that individuals who have soup may weigh less because they consume fewer calories and enjoy a better variety of nutrients, compared to people who avoid soup (16).

Vegetable Broth May Balance Electrolytes

You may avoid certain side effects with veggie broth while fasting. The T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies suggests that vegetable broth may provide essential minerals to balance electrolytes during a fast (21). The center believes that vegetable broth with nutritious ingredients may be healthier than bone broth. 

Ingredients like seaweed and Shiitake mushrooms are dense with trace minerals to balance your electrolytes. The heavy metals that may be found in animal products are also lower. Not eating can lead to electrolyte levels that are too high or low, causing an imbalance. The Cleveland Clinic says electrolyte imbalances may cause the following (10):

• Confusion
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Irregular heartbeats
• Muscle cramps
• Nausea
• Vomiting

Does Vegetable Broth Stop Autophagy?

No, vegetable broth won’t end autophagy. Many people enjoy fasting for the possible autophagy benefits. Autophagy is a cleansing process, where the body’s cells become deprived of nutrients, allowing a cellular renewal process to help them function more efficiently. Problems with autophagy may be associated with (1):

• Cancer
• Crohn’s Disease
• Diabetes
• Heart Disease
• Kidney Dysfunction
• Liver Disease

A review in Natural Aging also suggests that problems with autophagy may be involved in the development of age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer’s Disease (2). Instead, autophagy promotes homeostasis, removing unwanted or dysfunctional elements and molecules, like nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, and organelles. 

The Cleveland Clinic suggests fasting and calorie restriction may activate autophagy (1). Eating minimal calories on fasting days may still activate autophagy. The goal is to deprive cells of nutrients, forcing them into a repair and renewal state. It sounds counterintuitive, but autophagy depends heavily on when your cells are deprived of nutrients short term. 

Vegetable Broth Nutrition Facts

Even store-bought vegetable broth has key nutritional elements. The USDA shows that one cup of commercial vegetable broth contains calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, iodine, and vitamin A (20). 

Making homemade vegetable broth may increase the nutritious elements and vitamins with fresh produce and a variety of ingredients. That’s our recommended way to enjoy veggie broth. The New York Times advises choosing low or 0-sodium broths (under 6% of daily value) to give you more control over your sodium intake (3). You can always add salt, but you can’t take it out.

Read more: Green Tea Intermittent Fasting: Benefits and Side Effects

Best Vegetable Broth Ingredients

So, how can you make the tastiest low-calorie vegetable broth for fasting? The US News Health recommends the following vegetables to use in broths while fasting, but you can use whatever you like or have on hand (12):

• Arugula
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Chard
• Collard greens
• Green beans
• Kale
• Spinach
• Tomatoes

Keep in mind that you can still enjoy the umami flavors of broth using vegetables and no meat, bones, or store-bought cubes. Medical News Today suggests nutritional yeast could add savory umami flavors, while helping you absorb more vitamins and minerals (18). It’s a favorite for vegans, but anyone who wants to enjoy vegetable broth while fasting can use it to add more flavor, just keep in mind that it will add some calories. 

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Best Vegetable Broth for Fasting Recipes

Our top vegetable broth recipe is two-fold. You can eat vegetable broth for fasting in the traditional sense or use a pureed soup recipe for classic comfort food to break a fast or enjoy on low-calorie days. Both are tasty options you can customize to suit your needs. You can always use the Very Well Fit calculator or another one to determine how many macros custom recipes add (19). 

We suggest using the first recipe during fasts, as the second one contains more carbs and other macros. Either way, these recipes are short-term delicacies to enjoy during fasts. Please avoid relying on them long-term to lose weight, as they contain too few calories and nutrients. 

Vegetable Broth for Fasting Recipe

Our top vegetable broth for fasting recipe finds inspiration from Blue Bird Provisions (9). It has a selection of raw ingredients to help you make a hunger-busting vegetable broth in under two hours. Meanwhile, Shiitake mushrooms may enhance the umami flavors (11). 

• Serves: 8
• Prep: 5 minutes
• Cook: 105 minutes

Ingredients:

• 12 cups of water
• 3 large, coarsely chopped carrots
• 3 coarsely chopped celery stalks
• 1 coarsely chopped and peeled onion
• 1 coarsely chopped leek
• ⅔ lbs. Crimini mushrooms
• 2 lbs. dried and chopped Shiitake mushrooms
• 10 g dried wakame
• Himalayan salt to taste
• ¼ tsp. ground ginger
• ¼ tsp. black peppercorns

Directions: 

1. Mix all of the ingredients apart from wakame in a pot,
2. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat,
3. Reduce your heat to medium-low, simmering the pot for 80 minutes,
4. Skim the broth’s foam every 15 minutes,
5. Remove the pot from the stove, turning the heat off,
6. Let the broth cool for 10 minutes,
7. Add the wakame, letting it steep for 15 minutes,
8. Remove the wakame and other larger solids in the broth with a strainer,
9. Taste the broth, and add more salt if necessary.

Macros per cup: 20 calories, 3 g carbs, 0 g fat, 1 g protein, and 0 g fiber (9)

Read more: Intermittent Fasting and Running: A Winning Combination or a Terrible Mistake?

Vegetable Broth Soup Recipe

Our favorite vegetable broth soup recipe uses nutritional yeast to create that missing flavor. The macros were calculated using Very Well Fit’s recipe nutrition calculator (19). The calories, carbs, and fiber are higher per serving. This recipe works better to break a fast or eat on low-calorie diets. This isn’t the top option to eat while fasting.

• Serves: 12
• Prep: 5 minutes
• Cook: 75 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 large chopped carrots
• 1 cup of chopped radish
• 2 cups of chopped winter squash
• 1 cup of chopped turnips
• 2 cups of chopped kale
• 2 chopped celery stalks
• ½ cup of nori seaweed leaves
• ¼ head of cabbage
• 5 slices of diced ginger root
• 4 tbsp. nutritional yeast
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 

1. Place all the ingredients apart from nori in a pot,
2. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, skimming the top foam every 15 minutes,
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low, simmering the soup for another 60 minutes,
4. Continue skimming the foam off your soup every 15 minutes,
5. Turn your heat off, and remove the pot from the stove,
6. Put the nori sheets in to steep for 10 minutes,
7. Remove the nori sheets, and add more salt and pepper to taste,
8. Use a hand blender to puree the soup.

Macros: 64 calories, 9.8 g carbs, 0.2 g fat, 4.4 g protein, and 4.4 g fiber (19)

For more fasting advice:

• Intermittent Fasting and Running
• Intermittent Fasting Bloating
• Vegetarian Intemittent Fasting

FAQs

• Will I Lose Weight if I Eat Vegetable Soup Everyday?

A study from the University of Iowa suggests that soup lovers generally have a smaller waist and lower body weight than those who avoid eating soup (16). The researchers concluded that it was likely due to a nutritious ingredient combination and lower calories per serving than many other foods.

• How Many Calories Are in a Bowl of Vegetable Broth?

A cup of our favorite vegetable broth only has 20 calories (9). It only has 3 g of carbs and 1 g of protein. It isn’t sustainable as a long-term meal replacement because of the extremely low calories and lack of nutrients. However, it’s a short-term meal suitable for fasting periods.

• How Much Weight Can You Lose on a Vegetable Soup Diet?

WebMD suggests a 500-calorie deficit daily may help you lose 1-2 pounds weekly (5). Eating our favorite short-term veggie broth only adds 20 calories per meal per day (9). We don’t recommend relying on that recipe for long-term weight loss. 

Instead, vegetable soup contains roughly 159 calories per bowl (7). Paired with a sandwich or salad, it can make a nutritious, balanced, low calorie meal. Cut your calories by 500 daily for long-term and sustainable weight loss. Only use our favorite broth recipe as a meal replacement during fasts or low-calorie days on a 5:2 diet.

• How Much Broth Should You Drink a Day to Lose Weight?

Medicine Net suggests 3-6 cups of broth daily if you follow the bone broth diet (4). However, they warn of the lack of nutrients and calories, which you must consider if using vegetable broth, as it has very low calories and lacks protein and fat. 

A broth diet typically encourages you to eat a Paleo-style diet for five days and fast with broth for two days over three weeks. It can help you lose weight if it creates an overall calorie deficit, but it’s also important for your health to eat a healthy, balanced diet including a variety of foods from all food groups (15).

The Bottom Line

Vegetable broth for fasting may have some benefits, and it might help you lose weight. Understand why vegetable broth is helpful during a fast, and use the tasty comfort food to help you survive a tough fasting period. Make our favorite recipe today to enjoy the fasting-friendly beverage that helps you restore some electrolytes.