Intermittent fasting is a popular strategy for managing weight and improving health.
However, when you break your fast with endless guilty pleasures, you are less likely to achieve your goals.
Those who desire all the intermittent fasting perks should be mindful of the food they eat to break a fast. Eating the right foods can start your eating window on a good note and help support your weight loss and health goals.
So, what is the list of the best and words foods to break a fast?
If you think this list comes up with full-blown restrictions, then it’s not the case.
This list has nothing to do with non-stop restricting, we are reducing the intake of less nutritious foods and eating healthier ones.
It’s best to avoid certain foods when breaking a fast; some are obvious.
Before listing them, you must understand that knowing about these foods can help you achieve your fitness goals and prevent digestive issues.
After all the intermittent fasting stages, you must break a fast with a balanced, easy-to-digest meal.
Therefore, your main goal is to avoid such 7 main foods.
Ultra-processed foods are highly refined and often contain many oils, sugars, and additives. They are high in calories and low in nutrients.
Examples of ultra-processed foods are:
The high amounts of fats and sugars in these foods may cause digestive discomfort, especially after a longer fast.
Furthermore, people who eat a lot of ultra-processed foods may increase their risk of health conditions, such as obesity, heart disease, and type 2 Diabetes (1).
Foods high in added sugar can overwhelm the digestive system after a fast and may cause digestive symptoms like diarrhea. Plus, eating too much added sugar in general is linked to heart disease and weight gain, which interferes with the whole intermittent fasting goals (2).
Examples of sugary foods are:
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Caffeine can irritate the lining of the digestive system, especially on an empty stomach. It can also cause anxiety and jitters, which is not the best feeling after prolonged hunger (3).
Intermittent fasting can cause low energy, especially for beginners.
Therefore, you need to ensure the foods you eat after fasting give you high-quality energy that lasts. Caffeine can help with focus, but it doesn’t provide actual energy. In this case, drinking coffee after a nutritious meal is better.
Processed meat can be high in calories, unhealthy fats, and salt.
Overeating processed red meat can increase the risk of colorectal cancer.
Plus, red meats may be harder to digest after fasting.
Examples of red meats are:
Fiber overall benefits digestion. Yet, high-fiber foods may be too much for your digestive system after a longer fast, leading to an upset stomach, bloating, or cramping (5).
Examples of high-fiber foods are:
You may find that these foods don’t bother you, especially after shorter fasting periods (like the popular 16 hours). If you can tolerate them, then go ahead and eat them.
Drinking alcohol on an empty stomach after fasting should be avoided.
New research suggests that this habit can increase the risk of stomach or gut cancers (6).
Drinking alcohol can also dehydrate you, and drinking on an empty stomach can make you feel impaired from the alcohol faster.
And let’s not forget that alcohol consumption with food makes you eat more, as it stimulates your appetite (7).
Read more: Best Foods to Break a 3-Day Fast: What to Eat to Break a Fast
The standard rules of intermittent fasting help people ease into it smoothly without impacting their health. Today, you’re going to uncover primary don’ts during fasting.
There are 8 general things to avoid while you’re having your fasting journey:
However, binge-eating can lead to eating too many calories, impacting your weight loss goals.
Instead, do this: Eat slowly, which can help you stay satiated faster without putting too much food in your mouth. Studies demonstrate positive effects of slow eating on food intake reduction (8).
Another good option is the 5:2 fasting diet, where you eat normally on 5 days of the week and you reduce your calorie intake to around 500 calories on the other 2 non-consecutive days.
Studies have demonstrated its efficacy on weight loss (9).
If you train too much, you increase the risk of fatigue or injury.
Save your more intense workouts for your eating windows.
Fasting itself is not a legal permission to eat whatever you desire.
Even though you consumed zero calories for the past few hours, having nutrient-dense meals is best to get a whole package of healthy fats, protein, and fiber.
While someone’s body will easily respond to a certain fast, yours can get “crazy,” causing dizziness, fatigue, or irritation. In this case, you should concentrate on your needs and how your body feels. If the process seems too difficult for you, perhaps you need to ease more into it and shorten your fasting windows. Besides, with proper meals, you’ll feel full for longer.
That is why filling your plate with the top nutrient-dense foods is crucial.
Read more: 12-Hour Fast Vs. 16-Hour Fast: Which Of These Two Dietary Patterns Is Better?
Autophagy is your body’s ability to recycle old cells to make the body work more efficiently. It also recycles damaged cell parts into fully functioning cells and destroys pathogens (viruses and bacteria) in a cell that can damage it.
Many experts believe autophagy increases after 24-48 hours of fasting (12).
Things that stop autophagy are:
Recovering after fasting is vital because your digestive system has been resting.
Food reintroduction and easing into your daily activities are essential to function well after fasting.
For starters, you need to focus on eating the best meals to break a fast, which are balanced and nutritious. After a long fast, you might start with soup or bone broth.
These food choices provide electrolytes and some other nutrients.
Once you can handle soup, have a small, balanced meal of easy-to-digest foods.
Smoothies are another option if you’re not a bone broth fan. You can make veggie smoothies with leafy greens complemented by fruits and protein sources (Greek Yogurt, protein powder).
Avoid large meals, fried/ultra-processed foods, or raw veggies at first if you’ve been fasting for an extended period.
The second thing you need to do is to rehydrate yourself by drinking water.
You can add electrolytes if you want to, but you’re also getting electrolytes from the food you are now eating.
Third of all, be easy on yourself.
Don’t push yourself to work out quickly. You can wait 1-2 days to become more invigorated for your exercises. Begin with yoga, stretching, or walking with your dog or kids in the park.
Foods to avoid when breaking a fast include highly processed, greasy, or sugary foods. People may automatically overeat after fasting because they haven’t eaten for a while. That’s why staying hydrated is an essential key to reducing your feeling of hunger while you’re fasting.
Binge eating and consuming too many calories may impair your weight loss results.
On the contrary, preparing a special meal plan containing all the healthy dishes is much better. You won’t only break a fast properly but also help your body feel better after eating nutrient-rich products.
When it comes to weight loss, progress is made by inches, not miles, so it’s much harder to track and a lot easier to give up. The BetterMe: Health Coaching app is your personal trainer, nutritionist, and support system all in one. Start using our app to stay on track and hold yourself accountable!
So, you’ve handled the list of worst foods that break a fast, and what about the best foods to break intermittent fasting?
Food And Beverages With Low Glycemic Load
Such foods are slowly absorbed in the gut, which keeps you satiated for longer, providing a gentle way to break your fast.
Low-glycemic foods include:
High Protein Food And Drink
High protein foods and beverages also help you stay full longer, helping you not to overeat after fasting.
They are:
There are many healthy intermittent fasting recipes you can pull off on your own at home. They all contain primary nutrients for boosting your energy after fasting.
Being a natural process, autophagy clears out and recycles damaged cells and cell components. There aren’t any reliable physical signs of autophagy that you can detect. However, researchers think autophagy increases after 24-48 hours of fasting. Talk to your healthcare provider first if you’re interested in fasting for this long. Yes, it’s possible to break a fast with meat. But there are a few things to consider. It’s a good idea to avoid eating fried or processed meats, which are high in fat and might cause indigestion right after a long fast. The best option for meat lovers here is skinless poultry, which offers lots of protein and is low in fat. Yes, gum can break a fast if it contains sugar. There are sugar-free gums with only a few to no calories, which likely won’t impact your fast. They are better options while intermittent fasting. Prolonged fasting may benefit the immune system by triggering stem cell regeneration and clearing old, damaged cells (14). However, research on this is limited. To learn more if fasting for 3 days is good for you, check out our in-depth article on the topic.Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know I'm in autophagy?
Can I break a fast with meat?
Does gum break a fast?
Can a 3 day fast reset your immune system?
You’ve uncovered the list of the best and what are some worst foods to break a fast.
People who fast can avoid ultra-processed foods, sugary foods, coffee and caffeine beverages, processed red meat, high-fiber raw veggies and fruits, and alcohol right after a fast.
Meals that are beneficial to break a fast are balanced with lean protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats. To get all the fasting benefits, you must sleep well, do moderate workouts, and stay hydrated.
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