Many people want to know will coffee break my fast? You may have heard of this new health trend “intermittent fasting” and how it has spread across the globe in a short period. People have started doing their research to understand the benefits of intermittent fasting and how it can help them live a healthy lifestyle. However, there are also a group of people who can’t live without coffee and are looking all over the internet for an answer to “will coffee break my fast?”. Before we answer the question “will coffee break my fast?”, let’s look at what intermittent fasting is and the science behind such a revolutionary diet routine.
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What is intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting, in simple words, is a pattern of fasting and eating which results in weight loss. What’s hard to believe is that there is no specific diet plan if you were to start your intermittent fasting journey in the hopes to lose weight. It doesn’t tell you to cut carbs or add proteins to your diet and this is the reason why intermittent fasting has risen to popularity among the new generation.
So if there is no diet plan or any dietary restrictions, then what are the rules or conditions of intermittent fasting? One needs to know this before they can get an answer to “will coffee break my fast?”. As mentioned earlier, intermittent fasting does not tell you what and what not to eat but it dictates when to eat.
This might be confusing for you but yes, your food intake timings have a huge impact on your body’s ability to shed weight. This is why intermittent fasting is often related to or associated with the term “eating patterns”. So, where did this concept arise from?
Fasting has been an age-old solution in providing relief to many health problems, however, it has also been a survival instinct that the ancient civilizations depended on to sustain.
Unlike today, where supermarkets are filled with food items, back then people were responsible for gathering their food. Surviving depended on hunting skills with many picking up traditional tools and weapons to catch their prey. There would be days where food would not be available resulting in the hunter going hungry. This could be for a day or even more. The concept of fasting started back then where hunters would fast when there would be no food available. This act of fasting has enabled humans to evolve and be able to sustain living without food and water for some time.
Another thing that you would notice is from all the pictures and drawings of the ancient civilization. There was no such thing as an “overweight” person. People had the perfect physique with body cuts which means people back then had less body fat percentage. This was because the majority of these people were fit due to the tough life they had, women to go search for water while men went out hunting.
Not just that, but there are many religions around the world such as Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, and more that require their believers to fast during a particular time of the year. For example, Muslims (followers of Islam) are required to fast every day for a whole month. This happens every year. Muslims believe that fasting has its benefits as it is not only good for physical health but also mental health too. Scientists and nutritionists have done medical tests to understand the benefits of intermittent fasting, which we are going to discuss later on.
Different fasting methods
Before we head to answering the question “will coffee break my fast?” and the benefits of intermittent fasting, let’s look at how one can go about keeping a fast. There are different ways you can go about keeping a fast. You can split it between hours or days depending on what suits you best.
The first is the 16/8 method where you are only allowed to eat in an 8-hour window while keeping a fast in the remaining 16 hours. This is known as the “lean gains protocol”. People that follow this method would need to eat between 1 PM to 9 PM, a total of 8 hours. Since you’re only allowed to eat between this window, you will have to skip breakfast. After 9 PM, your fast is in place until 1 PM the next day.
The second method is splitting the intermittent fasts according to the days. This is known as eat stop eat. In a week, you can have 5 normal days with 2 full days of fasting. Your fast will begin at dinner time and will last until dinner time the next day. This is 24 hours fast.
The third method is known as 5/2 which requires you to consume bare minimum calories (around 500 to 600) for 2 days a week and the rest 5 days should be normal food consumption.
The science behind intermittent fasting is simple, consume fewer calories to allow your body to adapt to such situations. The less you eat, the more weight you lose. Your body burns about 1,800 to 2,200 calories daily and if you were to consume fewer calories in that window frame provided before fasting, your body will start to burn fat to survive.
Of the three methods mentioned, the most popular is the 16/8 as it is the easiest plan to stick to and can be managed by many.
But will coffee break my fast?
Benefits of drinking coffee during fasts
We’ve almost reached the part where you will get an answer to the question “will coffee break my fast?”. Before we answer that question, the question “is it even beneficial to drink coffee during fasts” holds importance from an intermittent fasting point of view.
Research has found that coffee is an appetite suppressant meaning that if you’re feeling a bit of hunger or if you’re starving, having a cup of coffee can give you the feeling of being full. This can help you get through your fast but that’s not all.
Coffee properties like caffeine become more potent when consumed on an empty stomach. This can help boost your brain activities and increase your work performance. Intermittent fasting can make you feel tired if you’re not used to it at first and that is why many people sneak in coffee in their diet plan to help them get through the day.
So now that we’ve gone over the benefits of coffee, should you drink it? Will coffee break my fast if you have it outside your window period? Let’s look at some of the questions people have asked regarding coffee and intermittent fasting.
Will Coffee Break My Fast For Intermittent Fasting?
Frequently asked questions on coffee and fasting
Is it OK to drink coffee while fasting?
Keeping yourself hydrated daily is just as important as sticking to your intermittent fasting plan if you want to lose weight. Many people replace water for hydration with tea or coffee. So, will coffee break my fast?
Well, technically it shouldn’t. When it comes to “will coffee break my fast”, the rule allows those on intermittent fasting to consume anything under 50 calories and still ensure that their body remains in the fasting state. Tea and coffee with a splash of milk should be just fine to consume if you’re in the state of fasting, however, make sure your drink of choice does not exceed the 50 calories rule. Anything above the 50 calories limit will push your body out of the fasting state and negate all the benefits of intermittent fasting.
How can I drink coffee without breaking my fast?
One of the main factors that help achieve weight loss is reducing sugar or eliminating it from one’s diet. That is why not more than 50 calories of drinks are allowed for consumption while fasting. If you’re the kind of person that enjoys coffee with heavy cream (above 50 calories) throughout the day, then you may find it difficult to consume coffee with a splash of milk as it won’t give you satisfaction. In this situation, you can not even add sugar as that will push your body out of the intermittent fasting state.
So to answer the question “will coffee break my fast?”, yes it can if the drink has more than 50 calories. But the rule can be bent a bit. You can add fats to your coffee like coconut oil to give you that feeling of being full. Adding fats to your coffee, although can push the coffee above the 50 calories limit, surprisingly does not break the fast.
What is allowed during intermittent fasting?
Many people keep searching on various forums to find a blog that might give them what they want to hear: Yes, you can eat during intermittent fasting. However, that is not the case. This question is different from one of the most asked questions “Will Coffee Break My Fast”, because here we are dealing with both, food items and drinks.
In general, the idea of fasting is to avoid food and drinks. But recently the rule of 50 calories has allowed people to enjoy drinks like water, tea, and coffee throughout the day to help them stay hydrated. Water, coffee, and tea share a similar trait and that is these drinks are non-caloric beverages. Besides non-caloric beverages, you can consume supplements that have very low or next to zero calories.
Certain intermittent fasts allow people to consume very low-calorie foods in small amounts to help subside the cravings. Low-calorie foods may include low-calorie soups, portions of vegetables, baked eggs, grilled fish, yogurt with fruits, and more. If you want to consume any of these during your intermittent fast, make sure the serving is small.
Can I drink coffee on the 16 8 Diet?
Will coffee break my fast has already been answered but can one drink coffee on the 16/8 diet? Technically, it shouldn’t matter what method of intermittent fasting you are going for, whichever you choose you can consume low-calorie drinks like coffee, tea, and water during your fasts.
The science behind intermittent fasts. Does it work?
Now that we’ve answered your question “will coffee break my fast?”, you should know the science behind intermittent fasts before you embark on your fasting journey.
Intermittent fasting can be compared to a miracle pill but Will coffee break my fast? You get what you want (in this case, weight loss) without having to work hard for it. But is it true or a façade, does this fasting help people lose weight?
Intermittent fasting helps curb calorie intake while the human body burns around 2,000 calories a day. If you’re consuming fewer calories than the calories you burn, then automatically you’ll start to lose weight. Many intermittent fasting programs have a 500 to 600 calories intake daily condition to have significant results.
Besides the lower calorie intake, studies have shown that fasting has a positive impact on the levels of human growth hormone. It significantly increases these types of hormones present in the human body which is beneficial in helping burn fat and build muscle.
Fasting also has a direct impact on insulin levels. As insulin levels drop, the body looks towards deriving energy and in this case, it starts to target body fat. This helps in burning body fat to provide energy to the human body and thus also aids in weight loss.
Losing weight considerably can harm your body. We recommend keeping a notebook or a diary to keep track of your weight loss progress. If you feel that the fast is taking a toll on your health, see what you’re doing wrong. Fasting is known to improve health and therefore can not negatively impact your health unless you’re not eating right in that window period. Create a diet plan that incorporates protein, carbs, vitamins, and fats to help you sustain the fast and ensure that you remain healthy as well.
