can you drink water during fasting | how to drink | other fasting drinks
We’ve all heard about the importance of staying hydrated and multiple ways how that benefit our health. But can you drink water while fasting when you are supposed to have an empty stomach? Particularly, when doing an intermittent fasting diet?
Generally, the answer is yes. However, it depends on the kind of fast you do. When it comes to our main focus – intermittent fasting, drinking water could be considered an essential part of a healthy intermittent fast. So yes, you can and even should drink water when doing intermittent fasting.
When it comes to other fasting types the only exception is dry fasting. If you’re practicing dry fasting you’re not supposed to drink water. It involves staying away from both food and any kind of liquid, including water, for a certain period of time.
What about some other cases?
Normally, when you’re fasting for blood tests it’s allowed to drink water unless your healthcare professional has told you otherwise.
Fasting is also practiced in many religions. In some cases, people also abstain from drinking water, however that depends on religious or spiritual practices.
Our main focus in this article will be on intermittent fasting and water. Still, many of the questions we will be answering can be useful if you’re fasting for other reasons. Here are some of the aspects we will cover about drinking water during your fasting window.
- How much water should you drink when doing intermittent fasting
- What kind of water you can drink during intermittent fasting
- When should you drink water when fasting
- What are some other intermittent fasting safe drinks
Can You Drink Water While Intermittent Fasting
As we already covered at the beginning – yes, you can drink water during intermittent fasting period. Staying hydrated is an important rule of doing intermittent fasting in the right way. Basically, if you’re not drinking water while fasting, it’s dry fasting which entails a whole set of new rules and precautions.
Your intermittent fasting will go a lot smoother if you drink enough water and you will avoid or at least lessen many of the intermittent fasting side effects.
But how much is enough water during intermittent fasting?
There are no set rules. Generally, men require around 3.7 liters (125 ounces) while women require around 2.7 liters (91 ounces) of water in a day. About 20% of this amount is absorbed from food.
But the actual requirement of water for a particular person depends on the age, sex, weight, activity level, current season and the general climate of the place you live in.
Also, you should take into account that when doing intermittent fasting you’re not eating during certain periods of the day so you’re not absorbing any water from food. Thus you should drink more water to provide the valuable juice of life to your body.
Not to confuse with all the calculations and exceptions, a simple rule of thumb to follow would be the 8 x 8 which means that you should consume eight eight-ounce glasses of water every day. If you feel like you need more to feel healthy and energized, add a few more glasses.
How To Drink Water During Intermittent Fasting
Now that we already have some guidelines on how much water to drink you might be wondering – what kind of water can I drink during intermittent fasting?
You can drink water basically in any shape or form. Both plain and sparkling water are the best intermittent fasting-safe drinks. While mineral water can help restore electrolyte and mineral imbalance that occurs while fasting.
If adding a little taste to your water helps keep drinking it, try adding a slice or two of cucumber, lime or lemon. Herbs like mint or basil can give a hint of taste and smell as well. Some people also enjoy having apple cider vinegar water once or twice a day during their fast.
When it comes to timing, again there are no set rules. However, to avoid dehydration and its side effects, we would suggest not leaving the important task of drinking water to the end of your fast. Try drinking water frequently. Sticking to this tip will also have the added bonus of feeling less hungry during your fasting hours. When food is a no-go, water can still fill you up for a while.
What Are Some Other Drinks I Can Have While Doing Intermittent Fasting
Drinking water is important during the intermittent fast, therefore you should make sure not to pass on any opportunity to hydrate your body. However, not everyone is a fan of plain water and even the ones used to drinking a lot of it sometimes crave some more flavor during the fasting hours.
What are some other drinks you can have during intermittent fasting?
Generally, there are 3 intermittent fasting safe drinks:
- Water: still, sparkling, mineral, hot or cold – any way you want
- Coffee: Black and unsweetened
- Tea: Plain and unsweetened
Other drinks to consider, but be sure not to exceed 30-40 calories:
Lemon Water, Coconut water (careful of sugar), black coffee, green tea, diet soda (careful this is not good for you in general!), bone broth (careful of calories), carbonated water, most calorie-free beverages, water with natural minerals, etc. Zero calories are the key if possible.
Always try to limit your artificial sweeteners in your beverages. These can have negative health side effects that can hurt the benefits of your fasting period.
Curious to know more about fasting drinks? We’ve covered all intermittent fasting drink-related questions in a separate article What Can You Drink During Intermittent Fasting?
Conclusion – Can You Drink Water While Fasting?
Absolutely, in fact drinking plenty of water is extremely important! This will help promote proper kidney function, keep you hydrated, while still maintaining the benefits of intermittent fasting. As always, keeping a healthy body weight, and a healthy diet are imperative when fasting. Be sure to monitor your insulin levels, and blood sugar levels if you have issues with this.
The goal of intermittent fasting for many is weight loss. Yes, you can lose significant weight if you fast properly, and take precautions when doing so.
If you have recently had a medical procedures or have any underlying medical conditions, consult your doctor before trying any type of fasting. Taking a blood test is another good marker to check your current overall health.
Always be sure that when you are fasting, to meet your caloric intake baseline, and its always a good idea as with any type of fasting to consult with a doctor or nutritionist before beginning, under medical supervision.
Some of the popular eating window options are 16/8, 14/10 and 20/4. Click on the corresponding type to learn more.
How To Learn More About Intermittent Fasting
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