Starting any lifestyle changes takes time and it could be confusing at the beginning. After all, you want to do it right. When it comes to intermittent fasting, one of the most common question asked is: “What can you drink during intermittent fasting?”.
Staying hydrated is always important but it’s even more so during intermittent fasting when your food intake is normally reduced. Roughly 20% of our daily water intake comes from food, therefore, it is especially important to drink more when you are fasting.One of the side effects of intermittent fasting you might experience is a headache. While it can appear due to several reasons, dehydration is one of the most common ones.
Additionally, a bonus of drinking plenty of liquids while doing intermittent fasting – it can help to overcome the hunger during your fasting period.
But the question is…what exactly can you drink during intermittent fasting in order to not break your fast?
Read below to find out answers to the most frequently asked questions such as: Does apple cider vinegar (ACV) break fast, Does almond milk break fast, What are the most common Intermittent Fasting drinks and more.
THE MOST FREQUENTLY QUESTIONED PRODUCTS
The below list provides you answers to the most frequently questioned products and summarizes the effects they have on intermittent fasting.
, Products are listed in the order from the most preferred to the least preferred during your fasting period.
E.g. Mineral water is the most preferred option for Intermittent Fasting drinks, while Almond milk is the least preferred.
Mineral water
Mineral water and water, in general, is free of calories and allowed during fasting. Mineral water is full of minerals to help restore electrolyte and mineral imbalance that happens while fasting. For this reason, mineral water is the most advisable Intermittent Fasting drink.
COFFEE
Coffee is allowed during fasting hours and in fact, some studies have shown that it may support the fat burning and reduce insulin sensitivity over time. For many people it also acts as an appetite suppressant, hence is a good choice for those fasted hungry mornings.
Too much caffeine, however, can have a negative effect on your body, hence do not overdo the recommended daily dose of 400 mg of caffeine (2-2.5 cups of brewed coffee) for healthy adults.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Does apple cider vinegar break a fast?
Apple cider vinegar is free of calories and allowed during fasting. In fact, it actually helps to lower blood sugar levels and improve digestion when following Intermittent Fasting.
How to use it? Drink 1-2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar diluted in water. Particularly, drinking it before a meal can aid digestion and increase the feeling of fullness.
Stevia
Stevia is a natural sweetener and a good choice if you must have something sweet. Studies have shown that it has no negative side effects as compared to artificial sweeteners and might even lover glucose and insulin levels. It might, however, instigate hunger for some and you might want to be careful.
Coconut oil
Coconut oil and/or other oils contain pure fats. Technically speaking, anything that has calories, even if it is a tiny amount break your fast. However, fat has little to no effect on insulin, blood glucose, or any of the other measurements that indicate a “broken fast.” For this reason, it could be considered as part of fasting, as popularized by Bulletproof fasting.
If you prefer 'clean' fasting though (something we recommend for our 21 Day Intermittent Fasting Challenge), you should try to sustain from consuming any oils and/or butter, and hence sustain from Bulletproof coffee during your fasting hours.
Also, note that fats are extremely high in calories hence you should keep this in mind if you are trying to lose weight.
Butter
Butter is pure fat, the same as coconut oil. It also has little to no affect on insulin and could be allowed while fasting (e.g. by drinking bulletproof coffee). However the same as coconut oil, it is extremely high in calories and hence not recommended for our 21 Day Intermittent Fasting Challenge.
Almond Milk
Does Almond milk break a fast? Technically speaking, YES! However, if you absolutely must have something and are OK with 'open fasting (read more in our 'Cheat Sheet you can download below) - a splash of almond milk can be a good alternative.
Almond milk is low in carbs and calories, hence up to 0.5 cup/100 ml of almond milk could be a good vegan option for 'open fasting'. When choosing almond milk, avoid the ones with added sugar or those fortified with extra protein.
Bone Broth
Bone Broth is normally very low in calories and carbs but does contain protein, which technically breaks the fast, fat burning and autophagy. Some experts do, however, allow bone broth on exceptional cases (up to 20 kcal per fasting period), especially since it helps to replenish the salt lost while not eating.
Artificial sweeteners
There is a lot of conflicting information and different studies done around artificial sweeteners and their effects on the health and insulin response. While some studies show that artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, saccharin or sucralose do not raise insulin, they might disrupt the balance of gut bacteria in some people.
Given the uncertainty and ongoing debates on the effects of artificial sweeteners, we suggest resisting from artificial sweeteners at all. The most common brand names of artificial sweeteners are Splenda (sucralose), Nutrasweet, Equal or Sugar Twin (aspartame), Sweet’N Low (saccharin).
But what about milk, lemon juice, coconut water, diet soda and other Intermittent Fasting drinks? Curious what else can you drink while fasting?
For the full list on what to drink during Intermittent Fasting get our Intermittent Fasting Drink List Cheatsheet for FREE below
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