Uncover 15 shocking things that could unintentionally break your fast! Get the best results possible by learning what to avoid while fasting!
Intermittent fasting has completely changed my life! In January of 2021, I discovered the amazing intermittent fasting lifestyle and successfully lost 46 pounds in 4 months.
However, as wonderful as intermittent fasting is, the actual “fasting” part can get a bit tricky at times.
In this post we’ll take a look at 15 shocking things that could be accidentally breaking your fast and holding you back from reaching your weight loss and health goals!
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Different Types of Fasting
Fasting comes in various forms, each with its own unique approach and associated benefits. Intermittent fasting involves cycling between periods of eating and fasting, promoting accelerated weight loss, improved metabolic health, and cellular repair. Extended fasting, lasting 24 to 48 hours or longer, triggers autophagy, a process where the body cleanses damaged cells. Fasting for religious purposes, like Ramadan (holy month) in Islam, holds spiritual significance and encourages self-discipline.
In this post, we will focus on intermittent fasting and the shocking things that will break your fast!
What is Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that involves cycling between periods of eating and fasting. During the fasting periods, you abstain from consuming calories, while during the eating periods, you consume your meals and calories as usual. The term “intermittent” in the context of “intermittent fasting” refers to the periodic or alternating nature of the fasting approach. Although fasting duration can vary, intermittent fasting generally refers to fasting that takes place within a 24 hour window. Any long fasts, stretching beyond 24 hours, is often referred to as “extended fasts” or “prolonged fasting.”
The idea of intermittent fasting is to give your body a break during hours of fasting from calorie intake and constant digestion. Doing this, has been proven to improve metabolism, help with weight loss, weight management and provide other impressive overall health benefits of intermittent fasting.
What Actually Happens When You Break Your Fast?
When someone breaks their fast, their body releases insulin. Think of insulin like a key that helps open the doors of your body’s cells to let glucose (sugar) inside. This glucose is used for energy. When you’re fasting, insulin levels are usually lower, but when you eat, especially foods containing carbohydrates or sugars, your body needs insulin to process the incoming glucose. So, breaking your fast triggers insulin to help manage the sugar from the food you’ve eaten, allowing your cells to use it for energy or store it for later.
15 Shocking Things That Will Break Your Fast!
Now, let’s dive in and explore 15 surprising things that will instantly spike insulin levels once consumed and ultimately break your fast!
CHEWING GUM
Chewing gum might seem harmless, but it can surprisingly break your fast due to its impact on digestion and metabolism. While gum itself might not have a significant amount of calories, the act of chewing stimulates digestive enzymes and signals to your body that food is incoming. This can lead to the release of insulin, even in the absence of calories from gum. Additionally, some chewing gums contain artificial sweeteners that can raise blood sugar levels, further disrupting the fasting state.
DIET SODA
Surprisingly, even seemingly innocent choices like diet coke can potentially break your fast. Despite being calorie-free, diet sodas contain artificial sweeteners that can trigger an insulin response. This insulin response, although not directly related to caloric intake, can disrupt the fasting state by signaling the body to prepare for incoming calories.
Additionally, the artificial sweeteners can alter the gut microbiome and metabolic processes, potentially affecting the intended benefits of intermittent fasting. While diet sodas may seem like a guilt-free indulgence, it’s important to consider their impact on your fasting goals.
CLICK HERE to learn about the 4 BEST DRINKS TO HAVE DURING INTERMITTENT FASTING!
NYQUIL AND OTHER MEDICATIONS
Does Nyquil break a fast? What about other medications? Nyquil and certain other medications can absolutely disrupt your fasting efforts due to their ingredients and effects on the body. Many medications, including Nyquil, contain calories, sugars, and artificial sweeteners that can stimulate an insulin response and break your fast. Even in very small portions, the body’s reaction to these substances can still impact your fasting state.
15 Shocking Things That Will Totally Break Your Fast!
Additionally, some medications need to be taken with food to ensure proper absorption and minimize potential stomach discomfort. When possible, it’s always a good idea to wait until your eating window to take any prescribed medications.
GUMMY VITAMINS
Most gummy vitamins contain calories from sugars or sweeteners used to make them taste appealing. When you consume these gummies, your body recognizes the presence of sugars and starts to release insulin to manage the incoming glucose. This insulin response can disrupt the fasting state by signaling your body to transition from a fasting mode to an active metabolic state.
To ensure that your fasting efforts remain effective, it’s best to consume them during your eating window when insulin responses are less likely to interfere with your fasting goals.
BONE BROTH
Bone broth, while often considered a healthful beverage, can disrupt the fasted state due to its nutritional content. Despite being low in calories, bone broth contains protein, which can trigger an insulin response when consumed.
Additionally, bone broth might contain small amounts of amino acids and other compounds that could affect the metabolic processes associated with fasting.
However, once you are ready to break your fast safely, bone broth is one of the .best foods to consume as your first meal of the day.
CLICK HERE to learn more about the amazing BENEFITS OF BONE BROTH and snag a nutritious HOMEMADE BONE BROTH RECIPE!
“JUST A SPLASH” OF ALMOND MILK
Adding a splash of almond milk (or other nut milks) to your coffee might seem harmless, but it can potentially break your fast. Even though almond milk is relatively low in calories, it contains small amounts of carbohydrates and proteins.
When you consume even a small quantity of almond milk, your body detects these nutrients. It then responds by releasing insulin to manage the incoming sugars and proteins. This insulin release can interrupt the fasting state by signaling your body to shift from utilizing stored energy to processing the nutrients from the almond milk.
BREATH MINTS
Surprisingly, using breath mints can potentially disrupt your fasting efforts. They often contain artificial sweeteners or sugars that can trigger an insulin response when they come into contact with your taste buds. The best thing is to consume mints of any kind during your eating window only.
COUGH DROPS
Using cough drops during a fast might inadvertently disrupt your fasting goals. Cough drops often contain sugars, syrups, or artificial sweeteners to provide relief and flavor. Even though a single cough drop might have relatively few calories, the sweeteners can trigger an insulin response when they interact with your taste receptors. Again, try to use cough drops during your eating period whenever possible.
ZERO-CALORIE FLAVORED WATER
Zero-calorie flavored water, while seemingly harmless, is not a great choice and can accidentally disrupt your fasting. Flavored water often contains artificial sweeteners or flavoring agents that can trigger an insulin response when they come into contact with your taste buds. Despite their lack of calories, these sweeteners can signal your body to prepare for incoming nutrients, breaking your fasting state.
“JUST A SPLASH” OF CREAMER
Creamers, even in small amounts, typically contain fats and some calories. When you consume these calories, your body responds by releasing insulin to process the incoming nutrients. This insulin release can break your fasting state by signaling your body to shift from a fasting mode to an active metabolic state.
Additionally, fats can delay the absorption of other nutrients, potentially affecting the overall fasting benefits. To ensure the effectiveness of your fasting efforts, it’s recommended to forgo creamers during fasting periods and stick to plain black coffee.
My absolute favorite, can’t live without black coffee, is STARBUCKS Medium Roast Breakfast Blend. Check it out HERE!
TIP: If you are struggling to drink your coffee black, you should try the ALTON BROWN TRICK and sprinkle your coffee with a little bit of salt.
FLAVORED ELECTROLYTES – Does LMNT Break a Fast?
Flavored electrolyte drinks, despite their intended rehydration benefits, can potentially hinder your fasting progress. These beverages often contain added sugars, flavorings, and sometimes even calories, which can trigger an insulin response when consumed. This insulin release, in response to the presence of sugars or sweeteners, can disrupt your fasting state.
While electrolytes are important for maintaining hydration, it’s advisable to choose electrolyte options without added flavors or sweeteners during fasting periods.
CLICK HERE to learn about the BEST ELECTROLYTE (that WON’T BREAK YOUR FAST) for intermittent fasting!
“MIO” AND OTHER WATER ENHANCERS
“Mio” or similar liquid water enhancers can inadvertently break your fasting regimen. These products typically contain artificial sweeteners, flavors, and often even colors. To uphold the integrity of your fasting window, it’s advisable to avoid using water enhancers.
WATER WITH LEMON
Surprisingly, even something as seemingly innocent as a “squeeze of lemon” in water can potentially break your fasting state. While lemon itself seems like it wouldn’t have enough calories to make a difference, the acidity of lemon water can stimulate digestive enzymes and potentially trigger an insulin response when it interacts with taste receptors in the mouth. The best way to ensure the integrity of your fasting window, is to opt for plain water or herbal tea without added flavors.
GINGER AND OTHER FLAVORED TEAS
Indulging in flavored teas, like peppermint and ginger tea, might not be your best options. This is because they could unknowingly disrupt your hard work and fasting efforts. Despite having very few calories, some varieties may contain added flavorings or natural compounds that can stimulate taste receptors. The act of tasting and consuming these compounds can potentially trigger an insulin response.
Herbal teas, like plain, unflavored, green and black teas, are clean options that won’t break your fast. However, it’s important to make sure that the tea is plain, unflavored, and brewed from actual dried leaves.
CLICK HERE to find the delicious, organic, green tea that I drink during my fasting window!
APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
I have saved the most controversial “sneaky fast breaker” for last! The impact of apple cider vinegar (ACV) on the fasting period is a great topic of debate among experts.
ACV itself is very low in calories and carbohydrates, and some proponents argue that small amounts won’t break a fast. However, ACV is acidic and might have some effect on the digestive system, potentially stimulating stomach acid production. This could lead to minimal nutrient absorption and a subtle metabolic response.
While the consensus is not entirely clear, I personally choose to abstain from ACV while fasting. Instead, I choose to reap the many benefits of ACV by using it to officially break my fast each day.
CLICK HERE to snag my APPLE CIDER VINEGAR (Fast-Breaking) WEIGHT LOSS RECIPE that can be used at the end of your fast.
ADDITIONAL FAST-BREAKING CULPRITS
I have given you 15 shocking things that will break your intermittent fast, however there are many more. These include things like coconut oil, mct oil (used by those on the keto diet), fruit juice, collagen powder, protein powder and even some sugar-packed toothpastes.
If you want to take all of the guesswork out of fasting and achieve the absolute best health and weight loss results possible, simply stick to consuming these 4 “clean” drinks ONLY while fasting: WATER, PLAIN HERBAL TEA, PLAIN SPARKLING WATER and BLACK COFFEE!
Thanks for reading! Have a BLESSED and BEAUTIFUL Day!
THAT’S A WRAP!
In the world of intermittent fasting, knowledge truly is power. Now that we’ve uncovered these 15 shocking fasting disruptors, you can navigate your fasting journey with complete confidence.
Happy fasting and here’s to your continued success on this exciting path to health, happiness and truly awesome results!
And… if you’re ready to go ALL IN and finally lose weight and get healthy FOR GOOD, I’m totally here for YOU! In my INTERMITTENT FASTING and WEIGHT LOSS MASTERCLASS: 6 Weeks to Sexy, I will teach you step-by-step, week-by-week, exactly HOW I lost 46 Pounds in 4 Months with Intermittent Fasting! I’ll share with you every single TIP, TRICK, RECIPE & STRATEGY that I used to reach my goal weight and maintain for over two years now! CLICK HERE if you’re ready to do this TOGETHER!
