The Best Food to Break a Fast

Fasting is a powerful tool for improving health and well-being as it allows your digestive system to reset, supports detoxification, and helps enhance metabolic functions. 

However, how you break your fast can either enhance the benefits of caloric restriction or increase the risk of digestive discomfort, blood sugar fluctuations, and electrolyte imbalances.

Learn about the best food to break a fast to restore energy, replenish nutrients, and minimize the risk of adverse effects.              

What is a prolonged fast?

A prolonged fast generally involves fasting for 48 hours or longer, unlike shorter fasts, such as intermittent fasting (IF) or a one meal a day (OMAD) regimen.

Prolonged fasting can help reset the digestive system, support immunity, and promote a healthy body weight. It also encourages a deeper state of ketosis, which enhances the body’s ability to utilize stored fat to generate energy. 

Extended periods of caloric restriction also stimulate autophagy, a process in which the body breaks down and recycles damaged cells, which promotes cellular repair and enhances overall health.

In addition, prolonged fasting can be an excellent way to jumpstart your body’s natural healing processes and support metabolic flexibility. This may explain why fasting is associated with a lower risk of obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes. 

However, a prolonged fast should be approached with caution, as it places your body under controlled stress to trigger metabolic changes. While this can have many health benefits, it also requires careful management to avoid potential health issues. 

Tips for a successful prolonged fast

You can take several proactive measures to help ensure a successful prolonged fast.

One of the best ways to prepare your body is to practice intermittent fasting. This is especially beneficial for those new to fasting as it helps adapt the body to longer periods without food, making the transition into prolonged fasting smoother. 

In addition, staying hydrated is essential during fasting, as it triggers metabolic changes that increase fluid loss. This occurs primarily because the breakdown of glycogen stores releases water, leading to greater fluid excretion. 

Consequently, many people experience rapid weight loss in the early stages of fasting. This increased fluid loss can also deplete essential minerals, such as sodium, potassium, and magnesium. 

Therefore, maintaining healthy mineral levels before, during, and after a fast is crucial to support overall health and well-being.

“Replenishing Electrolytes during a fasting period is vital to maintaining your energy levels and to keep your heart, muscles, and nerves functioning properly,” explains Dr. Berg. 

It’s recommended to choose a high-quality, sugar-free, zero-calorie electrolyte supplement made with natural sugar alternatives to maintain balanced mineral and electrolyte levels during a prolonged fast. 

Watch the video below to learn which foods you should eat after a prolonged fast.

What is refeeding syndrome?

Many people think fasting only involves abstaining from food. However, what you eat before and after your fast can significantly affect how effectively your body manages the fasting process and recovers afterward.

For example, introducing hard-to-digest or carbohydrate-rich foods too quickly after an extended prolonged fast or periods of severe malnutrition can lead to a condition known as refeeding syndrome. 

During fasting, the body produces fewer digestive fluids and enzymes and lowers insulin levels, which enables the transition from burning glucose to utilizing stored body fat for energy. 

Consuming a large meal after a fast, particularly one containing carbohydrates, triggers excessive insulin release. This sudden hormonal change can cause dangerous shifts in the body’s fluid and electrolyte balances associated with potentially severe complications.

Symptoms of refeeding syndrome include:

• Fatigue and weakness

• Confusion

• Muscle cramps

• Muscle pain

• Irregular heartbeat or palpitations

• High blood pressure

• Shortness of breath

• Fluid retention and swelling

• Nausea 

• Vomiting

• Abdominal discomfort
  
  

In severe cases, refeeding syndrome can be life-threatening as it can cause heart failure, seizures, coma, and even death.

For this reason, it’s crucial to carefully plan all stages of a prolonged fast and consume food low in carbs when breaking your fast to minimize the risk of refeeding syndrome.

How to break a prolonged fast safely 

Eating easily digestible, nutrient-dense foods that won't significantly spike blood sugar and insulin levels is vital to avoid refeeding symptoms after a fast. 

This will also help stimulate the release of digestive enzymes and encourage bile and stomach acid production for efficient digestion.

Salad greens, steamed or cooked vegetables, fermented foods, and easy-to-digest protein sources, such as eggs, broth, or fish, are all great options for your first few meals after a fast.

Avoid foods high in carbohydrates, sugars, fats, and dense proteins such as red meat. Instead, focus on small portions of suitable foods and closely monitor how your body responds.

The best food to break a fast 

After a prolonged fast, it’s essential to slowly reintroduce easily digestible foods to support your body’s recovery and avoid overwhelming your digestive system.

Here are four of the best foods to break a fast.

1. Vegetables

Low-starch vegetables such as cucumbers, zucchini, and leafy greens contain very few calories and are packed with fiber. They also offer essential nutrients and are gentle on the digestive system, thereby helping ease your body back into eating.

Additionally, consuming these easy-to-digest vegetables helps stimulate the release of digestive enzymes needed to promote optimal digestion after a fast. 

The high fiber content of vegetables also helps stabilize blood sugar levels, which can mitigate some of the potentially harmful effects of eating carbohydrate-rich foods after fasting.  

Research published in Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry found that consuming salads before carbohydrate sources can help balance insulin levels and lower post-meal glucose levels.

2. Bone broth

Bone broth is another nutrient-dense, low-calorie option that’s easy to digest and provides essential minerals and electrolytes to help restore mineral balance and support metabolic health.

Bone broth also contains collagen and amino acids, which support tissue repair and reduce inflammation, making it an excellent choice to break a prolonged fast.

3. Fermented foods

Fermented foods such as sauerkraut and kimchi are excellent choices to follow up a fast due to their high probiotic and prebiotic content. These foods also promote the stomach’s acidity and enhance digestion, supporting a smoother transition back to regular eating.

Another way to support stomach acidity is to drink diluted apple cider vinegar—about one teaspoon in a glass of water—right before a meal. This can help balance your stomach’s pH and enhance the breakdown of food.

4. Light proteins 

For protein, opt for lighter options, including eggs, chicken, and fish. These are easier for your body to digest than heavier options such as red meat.

In addition, it’s best to pair light proteins with small amounts of healthy fats and fiber, such as in a small salad dressed with extra virgin olive oil. This combination supports optimal nutrient absorption and provides balanced energy while minimizing digestive discomfort.

What not to eat to break a fast

When breaking a fast, it’s crucial to avoid foods that trigger insulin spikes or place unnecessary strain on your digestive system. 

High carbohydrate foods, such as bread, pasta, and sugary desserts tend to cause significant blood sugar and insulin fluctuations, which can increase the risk of refeeding syndrome and associated symptoms. 

Avoid large meals and heavy proteins such as red meat as these can be difficult to digest and can lead to bloating, indigestion, and general digestive discomfort, especially after a prolonged fast.

While healthy fats such as coconut oil and butter offer health-promoting fatty acids, eating large amounts of fats following a prolonged fast isn’t recommended. 

The absorption of fat requires bile, and since bile production decreases during a fast, digesting fats can be more challenging. This can lead to nausea and delayed gastric emptying as the body struggles to process fats efficiently.

Key takeaways

The best food to break a fast includes low-carb, nutrient-dense options such as non-starchy vegetables, bone broth, soups, and eggs. Not only are these foods gentle on the digestive system, but they also help restore nutrient balance and energy production. 

To avoid digestive discomfort after a prolonged fast, start with small portions of easy-to-digest foods and gradually reintroduce more complex meals. 

Avoid breaking a fast by eating food high in carbs, sugar, and fat, as this can lead to insulin spikes, electrolyte imbalances, bloating, nausea, and other digestive issues.

FAQ

1. What is the best food to break a fast?

The best foods to break a fast include bone broth, soups, cooked or raw vegetables, lighter proteins, such as chicken, fish, and eggs, and fermented foods.

2. How many calories will break a fast?

The number of calories that will break a fast depends on the type of fasting regimen. For a strict water or prolonged fast, any intake of calories will technically end the fast.

In contrast, intermittent fasting can be more flexible based on your health goals. In some cases, small amounts of calories from healthy fats, such as coconut oil or bulletproof coffee, can be acceptable.

3. Do I need to be careful when breaking a fast during intermittent fasting?

Compared to prolonged fasting, the production of digestive enzymes and bile salts isn’t reduced during intermittent fasting periods, which means you are less likely to experience digestive discomfort when breaking your fast. 

However, it isn’t recommended to break a fast with carbohydrate-rich meals, as these trigger blood sugar and insulin fluctuations, which counteract the health benefits of intermittent fasting.

4. Are eggs good to break a fast?

Yes, eggs are an excellent option for breaking a fast. They’re rich in protein, healthy fat, and essential nutrients, such as choline, which supports optimal digestion and metabolic health.

5. How should I break a 72-hour fast?

It’s recommended to start with small portions of easily digestible foods, such as bone broth, low-starch vegetables, a small salad, or a soft-boiled egg. Gradually increase the amount of food and variety as your digestive system adjusts.

Avoid breaking a fast with dense proteins like red meat, high-fat meals, and foods high in carbohydrates and sugar, as these can trigger symptoms of refeeding syndrome and cause digestive discomfort.

6. Should I take branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) when breaking a fast?

While BCAAs can help with muscle recovery, they aren’t essential when breaking a fast. Focusing on replenishing B vitamins and minerals, which are co-elements for muscle synthesis and tissue repair, is more effective. 

Source

1. https://academic.oup.com/bbb/article/87/10/1212/7209146