How to break your fast: Foods to avoid and practical tips

In a nutshell

Breaking your fast correctly is crucial for getting maximum benefits and avoiding discomfort. Some key foods to avoid when breaking a fast include:

• Sugary foods and drinks
• Processed foods
• Greasy and high-fat foods
• Dairy products
• Spicy foods
• Caffeine
• Large portions of meat
• Alcohol

Furthermore, it’s important to consider the specific type of fast you follow in order to understand when and how to break it correctly, without negative side effects, such as digestional discomfort.

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Top Foods to Avoid When Breaking a Fast

If you are wondering how to break your fast without putting too much stress on your body or experiencing discomfort, you need to watch out for the following foods:

Sugary and Processed Foods

Fasting has been shown to help improve insulin control and metabolic responses in the body. However, when you break a fast with processed and sugary foods, it can lead to a rapid spike in blood sugar levels and hinder insulin balance. This risk might be especially important to consider for people with strong responses to insulin and hormone irregularity, such as those with PCOS.

High-Fat Foods

Breaking your fast with foods that are especially greasy and high in fat, can put added stress on your digestive system. This can happen due to the suppressing effect fasting has on enzyme production.

When you consume fatty food after a prolonged fasting period, decreased enzymes can make it harder for your body to digest such food. This can lead to bloating, nausea, and general digestive discomfort.

Dairy Products

If you limit or fully restrict dairy products during a fast, consuming them when breaking it can possibly lead to lactose intolerance symptoms. Foods like cheese, yogurt, and milk can create digestive stress and cause bloating.

Spicy Foods

During fasting periods, you give your digestive tract some time to rest. So when you break a fast eating overly spicy food, it can cause sudden irritation of the stomach lining, which can lead to heartburn and digestive discomfort. Thus, products like spicy sauces, hot peppers, and similar are better to avoid at first.

Caffeine

Studies show that fasting can help regulate stomach acid levels and heartburn. It was found that participants generally have lower mean acid exposure during fasting days. Coffee and caffeinated beverages, however, can cause acid reflux, which can offset the benefits and create digestive discomfort. Besides, consuming caffeine right after breaking a fast can overstimulate your nervous system if you refuse it during your fasting periods.

Meat

Although lean meats are generally harmless for breaking a fast, it’s important to consider the type of meat and its portion. Eating processed, red, or fatty meats after a prolonged fasting period can be quite stressful for your digestion. Additionally, eating large portions of meat can also cause difficulty in digestion, leading to discomfort and bloating.

Alcohol

Generally, any amount or type of alcohol is avoided during fasting windows due to a high content of calories and potential side effects on fasting benefits. After breaking a fast, you can consume alcohol. However, it’s important to remember that prolonged fasting periods can cause more rapid alcohol absorption due to a lack of calorie consumption, which means quicker and more severe intoxication. Also, alcohol can cause dehydration and stomach lining irritation.

How to Break Your Fast by Type

The recommendations on foods to avoid when breaking a fast provided earlier are generally suitable to different situations. Yet, if you want to ensure maximum benefits and comfort, it’s important to consider the specific type of fast in order to define how to break it right.

In this part of our guide, we will provide you with practical recommendations on how to break different types of fasts:

How to Break Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is a prolonged dietary approach that implies switching between eating and fasting windows according to a selected schedule. Depending on your body type and weight goals, you may follow different intermittent fasting schedules, such as 12:12, 14:10, 16:8, or 18:6. Regardless of your choice, you will have a certain window of fasting every day, followed by a window during which you can consume calories. Respectively, you need to know how to break an intermittent fast every day, preserving maximum benefits and eliminating discomfort.

Here are the practical tips you can follow:

• Start your eating window with hydration by drinking herbal tea or lemon water. 
• Have your first meal small and filled with easily digestible foods like a smoothie or bone broth.
• Plan your first meal around a few hours after you break your fast with easily digestible foods and have it well balanced- with a good balance of healthy fats, protein, and fiber.
• Avoid sugars, processed carbs, and large, high-fat meals that are hard to digest.

How to Break a Water Fast

Water fasting is a more restricting approach that implies abstaining from any foods and drinks except water for a prolonged period of time. Due to its extreme nature, such fasts are typically restricted by 24–72 hours and held under medical supervision to prevent health risks.

Here’s how to break water fast with maximum comfort:

• Start by replenishing essential electrolytes that wash out during water fasting by drinking salted water or electrolyte powder.
• Make your first meal packed with nutrient-dense but gentle foods, like diluted fruit juice, steamed vegetables, or bone broth.
• Integrate the needed amount of proteins gradually and in small portions. Eating a large amount of meat or breaking a fast with eggs can lead to bloating and digestion difficulty.
• Avoid having large meals right after fasting and steer clear of processed and sugary foods.

How to Break a 24 Hour Fast

An occasional 24-hour fast might be a good option for resetting your metabolism and promoting weight loss. It can be complete (with only water allowed) or partial (restricts caloric intake but allows some low-calorie beverages, such as lemon water).

In any case, breaking a 24-hour fast requires a gradual approach:

• Replace your first meal with liquids to jump-start digestion. For example, you can drink diluted green juice or bone broth.
• For further meals, opt for easily digestible and healthy foods like lean protein, healthy fats (e.g. olive oil or avocado), and cooked vegetables
• Make it a rule to eat small and light meals in order to avoid putting too much stress on your digestion.
• For the first time, avoid red meat, heavy carbs, and fatty foods.

How to Break a 48 Hour Fast

A 48-hour fast can also be full or partial. In any case, breaking it requires even more attention and gentleness to prevent digestive issues.

Here are some practical tips:

• Start by gradually integrating more liquids, including water and herbal teas. It’s also a good idea to drink salted water or electrolyte drinks to make up for lost electrolytes.
• In your first meals, choose light and easily digestible products like bone broth, cooked veggies, and small servings of fruit.
• Start integrating soft proteins like eggs and tofu gradually and give your body time to get used to them before eating any heavy meats.
• Avoid large meal sizes, sugary foods, dairy products, caffeine, and alcohol.

How to Break a 7 Day Fast

A 7-day fast is an advanced approach that implies rather extreme abstention from food for an entire week. Studies show that during this time, the body undergoes significant, systematic changes across multiple organs. At the same time, it undergoes a massive reset of energy sources, protein circulation, and fat burning.

Needless to say, breaking a fast after going without food for as much as 7 days can be very stressful for the body. Here are practical tips to avoid discomfort:

• First, focus on your electrolyte levels by integrating coconut water, salted water, diluted juices, bone broth, and/or electrolyte drinks into your diet.
• Start eating gradually in small but frequent meals.
• To prevent overloading your digestive system, at first, opt for soft foods like purees, soups, and soft-cooked vegetables that are easy to digest.
• Consider consuming small amounts of fermented foods like kefir or sauerkraut to support gut health.
• Follow a gradual progression plan, increasing your portions and introducing carbs and proteins very gradually, within 2-3 days after breaking a fast.
• Avoid any foods that can cause irritation and digestive discomfort, including raw vegetables, heavy dairy products, red meat, caffeine, and alcohol. Also, avoid large serving sizes at first.

FAQ

Why is it so important what I eat after a fast?

Although different types of fasting can bring a number of benefits, how you break your fast affects your digestion and can lead to certain adverse effects, such as bloating, nausea, and insulin spikes. Thus, it’s important to do it thoughtfully.

How do I break my fast correctly?

The specific instructions depend on the type of fast you follow as shown in our guide. However, the general recommendations include hydrating your body and replenishing lost electrolytes, starting with easily digestible foods, and increasing your portions gradually.

When to break a fast?

The answer depends largely on what kind of fast you follow and what your goals are. In longer fasting, it’s recommended to break it gradually with no specific recommendations on timing. When it comes to breaking intermittent fasting, which typically implies shorter fasting windows, it’s generally advised to pick the best time of the day to fast, that matches your energy needs, lifestyle, and other preferences.

Which foods to avoid when breaking a fast?

It’s generally recommended to avoid foods that cause digestive stress and irritation. Some of the key foods to avoid are processed foods, sugary foods, dairy products, fatty foods, spicy foods, caffeine, and alcohol.

Conclusion

Fasting, be it intermittent or prolonged, can help stimulate weight loss and provide a profound reset for crucial bodily functions. Although following a fast might feel hard, breaking it might be associated with even more challenges.

Regardless of the type of your fast, breaking it correctly makes up a big part of success. A gradual and gentle approach, avoiding certain hard-to-digest foods and beverages, is recommended to maintain the gained benefits and avoid discomfort. Follow the tips provided in this guide to break your fast correctly and with maximum comfort.