Discover Which Foods & Drinks Count As Actually Breaking Your Fast

Click Here to See the “Doctor’s Secret” That Can Melt Pounds of Fat in Just 12 Weeks…

If you’ve searched for weight loss advice in the last few years, you have definitely heard of intermittent fasting. It’s one of the newest weight loss approaches to gain mainstream attention for the wide-ranging benefits it seems to have.

The idea of fasting is far from new, of course. It has appeared in most cultures throughout history. And each time, it was used in a slightly different way.

So today’s intermittent fasting trend is actually something humans have been doing for as long as we’ve had readily available food sources.

You might think that the long history of fasting means that incorporating a fast into your routine will be easy. And, in some ways, it is.

But there are many things about fasting that leave people confused. One such thing, unfortunately, is what exactly it takes to break your fast.

Before you have to worry about breaking your fast, however, you need to know what fasting does to your body. Then you can figure out the best way to support your body while still reaping the benefits you want.

Once you know that, you can choose the best foods to break your fast.

What Is Intermittent Fasting?

Fasting, generally speaking, is the act of not eating. When it comes to modern intermittent fasting, it specifically means to avoid most calories for 12 to 16 hours a day.

Some people even go 24 hours or more without food a few times a week or month. You can learn more about intermittent fasting in this article about what it is and how to do it… or this article about how many hours you should fast.

What Are The Benefits Of Intermittent Fasting?

Clearly, extreme fasting can be dangerous in certain situations. If you do not provide your body with enough nutrients, it cannot carry out vital functions. And dehydration is a serious concern, as is electrolyte depletion.

But if you are careful and listen to your body, intermittent fasting can have amazing benefits. The main benefit is that fasting puts your body into a state of ketosis.

This is a state in which your body burns fat for energy instead of its usual source: carbohydrates. When you fast, you don’t eat, which means you don’t take in carbohydrates. Without them, your body turns to stored fat.

Fasting also helps lower your insulin levels.

This is your body’s natural response to a lull between meals, and for good reason. Your body can only store sugar as fat with the help of insulin. When your insulin levels go down, your body eventually takes it as a signal to release all the sugar it has stored.

This sugar, in turn, becomes energy. The longer this goes on, the lower your overall blood sugar becomes.

As mentioned above, this might not be good for some people. And even if it is good for you, it is best to ease into a fasting practice.

The third important impact of fasting is that it promotes autophagy. Autophagy means “self-eating.”

And though this might sound scary, it’s actually a very good thing. When your body enters autophagy, it begins to break down damaged or sick cells.

These cells are then recycled and used to create new, healthy cells or to repair other damaged cells. It’s a sort of self-cleansing routine that your body runs when it enters a fasting period.

What Counts As Breaking Your Fast?

Starting a fasting period is fairly straightforward. You just stop eating.

It’s usually best to either reduce your meal size at first or set a specific time. You might also want to only fast for a day at a time, broken up with days of regular meals.

But knowing how to break your fast is a little trickier.

The first thing you have to decide is which part of the fast you want to break. Depending on your definition of a fast, eating or drinking anything other than water breaks your fast.

Some people even include water in this, though that is highly ill-advised. Dehydration is very easy to slip into and can have extremely dangerous consequences. So make sure you’re getting enough water during your fasting periods.

If your definition of fasting is a little more open than this, however, there are ways to eat without breaking your fast. It all depends on which benefits you want to continue seeing.

Autophagy will stop as soon as your body has new material to digest, so anything other than water, black coffee, or plain tea is going to disrupt that particular fasting benefit.

After a normal day of fasting, however, this can be a good thing. When autophagy carries on too long, it can start to break apart healthy cells, too. 

And just as autophagy stops when you eat, your insulin levels will also go up. How much they rise, however, depends in part on what you eat.

Foods high on the glycemic index will cause a large spike in insulin levels. Foods lower on the index, however, will help you avoid a huge spike and the consequences that usually follow. 

Many foods low on the glycemic index also happen to be gentle on your stomach. This means that they’re a great way to break your fast.

Something like a nice, simple lentil soup will keep your insulin response low while offering a delicious meal loaded with nutrients.

Unlike the other benefits of fasting, ketosis is relatively easy to continue even after you return to a normal meal schedule. There are countless menus online that can help you maintain ketosis. 

Usually, these menus revolve around keeping your carbohydrate intake low and focusing your fat consumption on healthy fats. Something like these eggs baked into avocados is a perfect example.

You can also rely on certain liquids to bring caffeine, nutrients, and salts into your system without breaking ketosis. An option like bone broth can help keep your electrolytes stable.

And, depending on how it is prepared, Bulletproof coffee can also offer new fat-based energy sources without pushing you out of ketosis.

There will be times, however, when you want to break your fast entirely. When this happens, your insulin levels will return to a normal level (or possibly elevated, depending on your food choices).

Your body will then stop the process of autophagy and will drop out of ketosis. Your body needs a break from all of these processes every now and then. You just have to be careful when you do it. 

Can You Accidentally Break Your Fast?

Unless you’ve done extensive reading or you’ve fasted before… there’s a pretty good chance you’ll accidentally break your fast when you start out.

That’s probably because most people think actual food is required to stop the processes of autophagy and ketosis. That would mean that all drinks are in the clear and are okay to consume while fasting.

But that is, unfortunately, not true. 

Anything with a high sugar content will drop your body out of ketosis. Sugar is a simple carb, which means that your body will start processing that for energy instead of your stored fat.

There is a lot of hidden sugar in many drinks and foods, and you need to be very aware of these when fasting. Drinks like soda, sports drinks, and even flavored water can all break your ketosis and your fast.

There are also some supplements that can break your fast.

Gummy vitamins and other sugary delivery methods are the most obvious. But protein powders and even BCAA (Branch Chain Amino Acids) can also break your fast. 

Protein powders often contain carbs, both simple and complex, that break both ketosis and autophagy. BCAAs trigger your body’s insulin response. This means they disrupt the autophagy process, though ketosis should continue.

So if you want to keep fasting, be sure to avoid these drinks and supplements that could accidentally break your fast.

How Do I Safely Break My Fast?

When you decide to fully break your fast, the first thing you’ll want to do is start slow. If you’ve been following safety practices during your intermittent fasting periods, you’ll be well hydrated… but your body will be sensitive to the food you take in first thing after a fast.

You will want to avoid junk food and fast food. These will cause a severe insulin spike because they rely heavily on foods high on the glycemic index.

High-fiber foods might also cause problems because they will stimulate your body’s digestive system. Without food in your stomach, this can lead to very unpleasant cramping. 

Instead, opt for something like dates or nutrient-rich smoothies. These are relatively low-fiber foods that still have enough to prevent severe insulin responses. They also offer a lot of nutrients that you might be low on after your fast.

You can also bring back the lentil soup recipe from earlier and add a bit more meat or carrots to it for extra protein and fiber. 

The Takeaway

Intermittent fasting can bring huge benefits. Whether you want to lose weight, lower your insulin levels, or stimulate your body’s self-cleaning response, fasting might be the answer.

Just remember to listen to your body. It will tell you when it has had enough and when it is time to eat. 

And, when you do eat, be gentle on yourself. Over time, you may find that you don’t even crave the junk food that you’re supposed to avoid while fasting or in ketosis.

Until then, take it one day at a time and, as always, keep the focus on what feels healthiest for you.

When Fasting Is No Fun Anymore… Do THIS Instead…

Done at the right times… and for the right lengths of time… fasting can be a powerful way to stay in ketosis, burn fat, and lose weight…

But let’s be honest:

Over the long run, it’s incredibly difficult to maintain.

Even if you’re intermittent fasting… or just fast for one day a month…

Eventually the cravings will likely catch up to you. And when that happens… look out!

That’s because short-term deprivation actually leads to weight gain in most people.

Think about it: if you’ve been “good” and fasted for a day or two…

Won’t you feel like you’ve “earned” that chocolate sundae? (I know I have!)

Or that you “deserve” that piece of cheesecake on the dessert menu?

And believe me, I’ve been there… I go between feeling like I’m starving myself and stuffing myself… and feel soooo guilty. It’s a vicious cycle.

So instead of deprivation… why not try science instead?

A recent “accidental” discovery by a well-known doctor allows you to eat ALL of your favorite foods… pretty much anything you want…

…and still lose weight!

This is all thanks to 4 “fat-burning molecules” he’s found… that process food differently than your gut typically does.

The result is that more food is burned for energy… way less is stored as fat…

And you’re left feeling less bloated… much healthier… and just downright great since you’ll be effortlessly melting off fat… without depriving yourself.

To see a short, free webcast of this TV doctor’s brilliant (if accidental) discovery… just click the link below now:

Doctor’s “Accidental” Weight Loss Secret Lets You Eat Whatever You Want & Burn Fat