Best Foods to Break a 3-Day Fast: What to Eat to Break a Fast

Ending a fast is an important part of undertaking it. Depending on the length of your fast, eating too much at once or even certain foods at your first meal may cause digestive discomfort. That’s why we’re discussing the best foods to break a 3-day fast gently so you can maintain the benefits in this article. 

What Is One of the Best Foods to Break a 3-Day Fast Gently?

One of the best foods to break a 3-day fast is bone broth. It’s rich in collagen and electrolytes such as potassium and sodium. It’s important to note that bone broth is in liquid form and is therefore easy to digest. 

Some of the other foods that are the best for breaking a fast include cooked and pureed vegetables, diluted fruit juices, and watermelon, among others. If the food is easily digestible and low in fats, fiber, and added sugars, then that’s the best for breaking a long fast. It’s also important to choose hydrating foods and to take plenty of water for hydration. 

Is a 3-Day Fast Safe?

Yes, a 3-day fast can be safe, but it depends on your health conditions. You need to ensure you’re in a healthy condition to engage in this fast, so it’s important to talk to your healthcare provider before attempting it. In this type of fasting, you typically don’t eat any food, but you need to keep hydrated by drinking water. Some call it a water-only fast. Proponents claim that it comes with benefits such as improved insulin sensitivity, metabolic health, and glycemic control. It is also claimed to help with weight loss and promote cellular repair or autophagy among other benefits, although the actual evidence is mixed and insufficient (3). 

What Are the Main Rules of A 3-Day Fast?

With 3 days or 72 hours of fasting or abstaining from food, there are some rules most people follow to get the maximum benefits out of it, including: 

• Drink plenty of water – during the entire fasting period, you need to consume a lot of water to keep yourself hydrated. 
• Drink non-caloric beverages – you may drink some non-caloric beverages that won’t break your fast, such as unsweetened tea or black coffee. 
• Listen to your body – always listen to your body and adjust accordingly. However, it’s important to understand that a 3-day fast may come with side effects such as headaches, weakness and fatigue, nausea, and dizziness. 
• Avoid caloric foods – strictly avoid any food or beverage that contains calories and only keep hydrated. 
• Reintroducing food – after fasting, you need to be gentle when reintroducing food. As previously mentioned, you should consider foods that are easy to digest and start with small portions. 

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What Happens to the Body After 3 Days of Fasting?

There are a lot of physiological changes that may happen to your body when you fast for 3 days. For most people, the aim is to lose weight by cutting down on the number of calories or creating a calorie deficit. Weight loss is one of the changes you may realize after fasting, although any weight that is lost is likely to be regained once you start eating again. Other things that happen after fasting for three days include: 

• Glycogen depletion – glycogen is the primary source of energy for the body. Until it’s depleted, your body uses glycogen stores for its energy requirements. When you fast, the glycogen that is stored gets depleted and the body starts to break down stored fat for energy and the process of ketosis begins. 
• Autophagy activation – autophagy is believed to increase between 24 and 48 hours of fasting (1). This is the process where the body removes damaged cells and cell components and recycles them. 
• Hormonal changes – when there’s no glucose intake, insulin levels drop. This is part of what signals the body to switch its energy source to stored fats. 
• Increase in growth hormone (GH) – this is a hormone that promotes fat burning and also helps in maintaining muscle mass. 
• Metabolic shift – when you fast, there’s a shift in metabolic rate. Short-term fasting usually leads to increased metabolic rate, which is believed to happen due to norepinephrine and growth hormone. If fasting is prolonged, the metabolic rate will decrease to preserve energy.

Read more: How A Healthy Meal Planning App Can Change The Way You Eat Forever

Who Should Avoid a 3-Day Fast?

Although it’s believed to be beneficial for some individuals, a three-day fast may pose health risks to some. It’s important to understand that fasting is only safe if you’re in good health. However, it may not be suitable for people with different conditions, such as (4): 

• Diabetes – individuals with type 1 diabetes should avoid fasting as it may result in low blood sugar levels in the body, which can be dangerous. Also, people with type 2 diabetes or who are taking medication that affects their blood sugar should avoid fasting to avoid disrupting their blood sugar. 
• Pregnant or Breastfeeding Mothers – women who are pregnant or breastfeeding need calories and more essential nutrients for fetal development and to maintain milk supply. Therefore, they should avoid engaging in fasting or any type of restrictive diet. 
• People on Some Medications – people who are taking insulin or blood-pressure or blood-sugar medications should avoid fasting as it may negatively alter the effects of medications and could lead to dangerous side effects. 
• Children and adolescents – children require a great deal of energy and nutrients, so they need proper nutrition for their healthy growth and development. However, fasting may impact their health and lead to fatigue and nutritional deficiencies. 
  

How to Safely Break a 3-Day Water Fast

You shouldn’t just break a long fast with any food. It’s important to understand that there are certain foods that are suitable for breaking a prolonged water fast. This is because after fasting, the digestive system becomes sensitive and inactive. Therefore, you need to break with foods that won’t overwhelm your digestive system. To safely break a 3-day fast, you should do the following: 

• Start Small – start reintroducing foods in small portions and gradually from the first day to the third day and beyond. Eat very light food on your first day and make sure that your food is easy to digest, which may mean low in sugar, fat, and/or fiber. 
• Avoid Some Foods – you need to avoid some foods that would be hard to digest or irritate the gastrointestinal tract. These could be ultra-processed foods, red meat, spicy foods, fried foods, caffeine, and dairy, among others.  
• Eat Slowly and Chew Thoroughly – when you chew food thoroughly, you’re making it easy for your stomach to digest. You also need to eat slowly to avoid issues such as bloating and nausea. 
• Hydrate Properly – you need to consume plenty of water throughout your refeeding process to support your digestion. 

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What’s the Best Thing to Eat After a 3-Day Fast?

After 3 days of fasting, you need light, easy-to-digest, and nutrient-rich foods that are easy for your digestive system to handle. Therefore, the best thing to eat after fasting could be bone or vegetable broth, steamed vegetables, diluted fruit juices, simple smoothies, scrambled eggs, bananas, and watermelon. It’s important to note that bone broth can be beneficial in this situation as it’s rich in electrolytes and collagen and is easy to digest (2). 

Read more: Fasting Until 4pm: Pros, Cons, And How To

What Are Some Foods to Avoid Breaking a 3-Day Fast?

When breaking a 3-day fast, you need to be selective with your choice of foods. Not all foods are good after fasting as you don’t want to shock your digestive system with difficult-to-digest foods. Therefore, some of the foods you should avoid while breaking a fast include:

• High-Sugar Foods – these foods such as sodas and candy can easily cause spikes in your blood sugar. They may also lead to dizziness or nausea among other conditions. 
• Greasy or Fried Foods – they are also difficult to digest and you may even experience bloating or stomach upset. Examples include fried chicken. 
• Red Meat and Other Tough Proteins – foods such as steak and pork chops may be hard on the digestive system and may stay in the stomach for a long time before being digested, particularly after a prolonged period of fasting. 
• Others – Some of the other foods that aren’t suitable for breaking a fast include spicy foods, dairy products (if you’re sensitive to lactose), caffeine, and alcohol. 

Frequently Asked Questions

• Are eggs good for breaking a 3-day fast?

Yes, eggs are good for breaking a 3-day fast. They’re easy to digest and rich in protein, among other nutrients that are essential for your body. 

• Will 10 calories break a fast?

It depends on your goal and the type of fasting. If you’re on strict no-calorie fasting, then you might avoid foods that contain even small amounts of calories, although 10 calories is almost negligible and probably won’t cause any significant alterations to your metabolic state. It’s your fast, so you make the rules.

• Can I eat bread after a 3-day Fast?

Yes, you can eat bread after fasting, but you may need to introduce everything in small portions to avoid upsetting your digestive system. You can start with options that are easy to digest such as plain bread, but it’s important to listen to your body. 

• Is cheese good to break a fast?

Yes, cheese can be good to break a fast, but you need to be selective with your options. It’s important to understand that softer options such as cottage cheese can be easy on the digestive system, as long as you aren’t sensitive to lactose. If you’re in doubt, try a small portion and see how you feel.

The Bottom Line 

As we’ve discussed, breaking a 3-day fast may require a gentle approach from the first day to the third day and even beyond that. It’s important to know that fasting for 3 days can make your digestive system sensitive and inactive. Therefore, when refeeding or re-introducing food, you need to do so gently. 

So, the best foods you need for breaking your 3-day fast should be the ones that are gentle on your digestive system and easy to digest.