Intermittent Fasting: Can You Have Coffee With Coconut Oil
- Pin
Adding coconut oil to coffee is a new trend, especially among keto aficionados. And if you, like millions of people, are trying out intermittent fasting, but love to start your day with coffee, then this article is for you.
But first lets talk a little about intermittent fasting.
Intermittent fasting is hardly a new concept. It has been used since ancient times, especially during periods of food scarcity. It is also a concept practiced by many religions across the world. For instance, once a year, Muslims observe Ramadan, the month of fasting from dawn to dusk. In Hinduism, fasting has also been suggested as a means to purify the mind and body.
If youre looking to change up your intermittent fasting game, make sure to check out our IF resource library, for detailed information on the different types of fasting.
But if youre reading this, you want to know if adding coconut oil to your coffee will break your fast, so lets dig right in.
But Does Lemon Juice Break A Fast
That would depend on how much lemon juice youre consuming. Like we mentioned, the mere presence of lemon floating in your water isnt enough to affect your blood sugar or anything the like.
Lemon juice in large quantities is just another form of calories, especially fructose. Fructose can only be metabolized by the liver, which gets stored as liver glycogen.
- Your liver glycogen status is the determining factor of whether or not youre in a fasted state or not. If your liver is full of glycogen, then it signals the presence of abundant nutrients, which tells the body that theres no need to burn body fat or to activate the cellular cleansing process of autophagy.
- Muscle glycogen status is irrelevant for maintaining a fasted state because its used for fueling muscle contractions not for balancing energy or blood sugar. Fructose from lemons wont refill muscle glycogen, thus its only inhibiting all the benefits of fasting.
A cup of lemon juice has about 60 calories, all coming from fructose, which is definitely enough to break a fasted state. In my opinion, consuming anything more than 10-20 calories in one sitting will break the fasted state but staying below that doesnt have any significant effect.
Whether or not lemon juice breaking a fast depends on the quantities and context of consumption. If its a squint of an actual lemon youve squeezed into a cup of water then its not going to do much harm.
What Can I Put In My Coffee That Won’t Break A Fast
Now that we know that our favorite creamer is off the table while were in the middle of a fast, is there any way to flavor our coffee that wont interfere?
For most people, the best way to do this is with an artificial sweetener. Choose something like Stevia or monk fruit that provides sweetness without calories or sugar. Many prefer these over other artificial sweeteners like aspartame because theyre more natural.
If sweeteners arent your thing, a sprinkle of cinnamon only gives a hint of flavor, but could still do the trick.
You May Like: Black Rifle Coffee Decaf K Cups
Does Coffee Break My Fasting
Since coffee doesnt bring any burden to weight, it works with intermittent fasting. On the contrary, coffee has the following advantages towards body that go along with them supported by intermittent fasting.
Inflammation Reduction
Chronic inflammation is the root cause of many diseases. Based on the research published by PubMed, intermittent fasting and coffee intake are beneficial to reduce inflammation.
Some research indicates higher coffee intake may help reducing the risk of metabolic syndrome that is a type of inflammation featuring high blood pressure, fat excess, high cholesterol and high blood sugar.
Theres also research indicating that coffee intake may decrease the risk of Type 2 Diabetes. In addition, daily up to 3 cups of coffee may lead to a 19% reduced risk of death from heart disease.
Good for Your Brain Health
One of the reasons why intermittent fasting becomes increasingly popular is that intermittent fasting may promote brain health and protect against nervous system disease related with age.
Fortunately, coffee features such advantages as well.
Similar with intermittent fasting, regular coffee intake may reduce the risk of mental decline, Alzheimer disease and Parkinson.
Under the condition of intermittent fasting, your body will generate energy from ketone fat, which is related with brain health improvement. The earlier research indicated that the caffeine in the coffee equivalently promotes the generation of ketone.
The Basics Of Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is more than just not eating. The goal isn’t calorie restriction it’s giving your body a break from food so that it can focus its energy on cleansing, rather than digesting.
Your body contains proteins and other structures that constantly become dysfunctional or die, according to the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research . This isn’t a bad thing it’s a necessary process for optimal health.
Enter a process called autophagy. Autophagy is a form of cellular cleansing where the body marks damaged parts of cells and unused proteins as potentially harmful. Once your body gets this message, the damaged parts are cleared out, according to February 2018 research in Obesity.
However, if autophagy is never initiated, dead or dysfunctional cells can accumulate in the body, which can lead to diseases like lupus, type 1 diabetes and cancer, per the WEHI. Fortunately, fasting can trigger the cleansing process, per the Obesity research.
There are many different fasting patterns to pick from, but all of them involve eating during specific windows of the day and then abstaining from food otherwise, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. For instance, the popular 16:8 diet provides an eight-hour eating period followed by 16 hours of fasting.
Read Also: Will Verismo Pods Work In Nespresso
What Can I Add To My Coffee That Wont Break My Fasting
One thing to keep in mind: if you like flavored coffee, thats also OK.
What can be added to your coffee for fasting, the key is to watch the calorie count and avoid sugars. One cup of just plain black coffee is only about 3 calories. That is why during fasting, a couple of cups of coffee will not take away the health benefits by affecting your metabolic change in a negative way. If you need to add something to the coffee to make it more suitable for your taste, a little bit of artificial sweetener probably wont hurt you. Still, dont go overboard with it. In fact, you would be better off trying a few sprinkles of cinnamon instead. Cinnamon is loaded with antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties.
Other things that can be added to your coffee that wont break your fasting include:
- A sprinkle of cinnamon
Fastyle Coach Team
Lois Grey
Lois Grey has a BSc in Nutrition and Dietetics and worked as a clinical dietitian to help her clients to manage their nutrition and healthy weight.
Iris Padley
Iris joined the Fastyle team to contribute to collecting new and scientific information of IF to better spread knowledge of healthy lifestyle. For several years, Iris has become a faithful practitioner of IF and developed a healthier eating habit.
Bella Garcia
Bella Garcia is a big fan of intermittent fasting and has lost 10kg since IF. As being in the first group of Fastyle users, Garcia has grown to be a better her with Fastyle.
Almond Milk & Other Milk Alternatives
Does almond milk break a fast? And does oat milk break a fast?
Technically speaking, YES! However, if you absolutely must have something and are okay with open fasting coffee with a splash of almond milk can be a good alternative.
Out of the most popular milk alternatives like soy, oat, rice and coconut milk, almond milk has the least calories and zero sugar .
Almond milk is low in carbs and calories, hence up to 0.5 cup/120 ml of almond milk could be a good option for open intermittent fasting. When choosing almond milk, avoid the ones with added sugar or those fortified with extra protein.
Heres a little breakdown for 1 cup of various types of milk :
- Whole milk: 150 kcal, 12 g sugar
- Oat milk: 130 kcal, 19 g sugar
- Rice milk: 90 kcal, 0 g sugar
- Soy milk: 80 kcal, 1 g sugar
- Coconut milk: 45 kcal, 0 g sugar
- Almond milk: 30 kcal, 0 g sugar
- Cashew milk 25 kcal, 0 g sugar
As you can see out of all milk alternatives oat milk is the least preferred choice when fasting. If you must add a bit of milk, then intermittent fasting coffee with almond or cashew milk will be the best choice.
You May Like: Sonic Coffees 2
Mct Oil And Keto Coffee
Im not going to lie to you, there are a lot of technical terms that are hard to understand about MCT Oil. Im going to explain it in a way thats easy to understand.
Medium-chain triglycerides are fats found in coconut oil and other foods. MCTs are metabolized differently than long-chain triglycerides, which are found in most other foods.
MCT Oil is a highly concentrated source of medium-chain triglycerides. It provides sustained energy, supports a healthy digestive system, and suppresses hunger. Its super easy to add into liquids such as coffee because it has no smell or taste.
Can You Drink Black Coffee While Fasting
Yes. You can, and should, drink black coffee while fasting. Drinking black coffee is the only way to ensure you dont break your fast, especially if you are still in your fasting window.
If youre not a fan of black coffee, you can consider flavored coffee or a few drops of liquid stevia to sweeten it.
Also Check: Is 91 Mg Of Caffeine A Lot
Guide To Intermittent Fasting
Last January I jumped on the FASTer Way to Fat Loss program with my friend and coach, Deanna Pizitz . Im so happy to have found a manageable lifestyle program that incorporates intermittent fasting, whole nutrition, carb cycling, and fitness. In just 6 weeks, I was able to learn so much about how the body digests food, stores fat and HOW to turn your body into a fat-burning machine. One of the major components of the FASTer Way Program is implementing an eating schedule called Intermittent Fasting.
In this post, youll learn about intermittent fasting and how to not break your fast in the mornings with drinks and more specifically coffee additives.
What Is Added To Milk During Yogurt Making
To turn milk into yogurt, these bacteria ferment the milk, turning the lactose sugars in the milk into lactic acid. The lactic acid is what causes the milk, as it ferments, to thicken and taste tart. Because the bacteria have partially broken down the milk already, it is thought to make yogurt easier for us to digest.
Don’t Miss: Mars Coffee Machines
Types Of Intermittent Fasting
There are multiple types of intermittent fasting to choose from when you decide to practice this eating pattern:
- The 5:2 diet: For five days of the week, you eat normally without any restrictions, and on two days of the week you limit your caloric intake to 500 or 600 calories per day. This diet recommends 500 calories for women and 600 calories for men.
- The 16/8 fast: To follow this method, you limit your eating to a window of time that is 8 hours long each day, and you spend the other 16 hours of the day fasting.
- Alternate day fasting: This technique requires a day of fasting every other day. On the first day, you eat normally while on the next day you either fast completely for 24 hours or eat less than 500 calories. This pattern continues throughout the week and may be more intense than is advisable for beginners.
- One meal a day: Only one meal is eaten a day with this type of intermittent fast, and it is usually dinner. During the rest of the day, no calories are consumed.
Tips For Successful Intermittent Fasting
Also Check: Black Rifle Coffee K-cups Walmart
Does Cinnamon Break Intermittent Fasting
There are many new ways you can incorporate fasting into your lifestyle and ill cover some of them in this article.
Fasting allows your body to recharge and find a new balance you may become mentally and physically stronger and build your flexibility by pushing longer hours between eating periods.
Intermittent fasting is a great an easy method to improve your all around wellbeing.
But youve no doubt got questions, for example
Does cinnamon Break Intermittent Fasting?
No, having cinnamon during your intermittent fasting does not break your fast. If you choose to add cinnamon to your liquids during the fasting period you will not break your fasting cycle.
If you are adding one teaspoon of cinnamon, the amount is so minimal that you will not break your fast. You should closely monitor your portion sizes of any herbs or spices to keep your body in its state of intermittent fasting.
It can be challenging to go 12 or 16 hours a day without any food.
Because of this difficult time, many people choose to add herbs and spices to their water to diversify the taste.
As long as you are keeping your carbohydrate intake at a very small amount you will not break your fast.
- Gatorade
- Propel
The reason your body immediately is pulled from its fast is due to the immediate process of transferring the calorie into sugar, which enacts the insulin response in your body. When you drink anything with a substantial amount of calories your body immediately develops an insulin response.
What Is Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is when you intentionally fast for certain periods of time between eating. It is considered an eating pattern and research has shown intermittent fasting to deliver positive health benefits. These benefits include weight loss and improved insulin resistance. Studies also point to its ability to .
Intermittent fasting has also been found to improve outcomes in cases of neurological disorders such as Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease, and stroke. Beyond all these benefits, recent studies also suggest intermittent fasting offers an effective non-medicinal treatment option for type 2 diabetes.
People decide to practice intermittent fasting for a variety of reasons. One of the most common goals of intermittent fasting is to reduce overall caloric intake for weight loss purposes, but for many people, the more important goal is metabolic: boosting insulin sensitivity and increasing fat-burning by triggering ketosis. For some people, intermittent fasting is part of a prediabetes diet plan because it has been found to offer beneficial results for people with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes.
You May Like: Diet Snapple Raspberry Tea Caffeine
Can You Have Coffee While Intermittent Fasting
In other words, does coffee break a fast? The answer is, you can have coffee while intermittent fasting and you do not need to worry that it will compromise your fast.
Some people believe that any calories consumed at all will break your fast, so its black coffee or nothing. While this may be true in principle, its important to ask yourself: What am I trying to achieve by fasting? While certain additions to your coffee may alter your desired effect, others may have negligible effects on your fasting results, so knowing your goals is key. These goals can help you determine what you can add to your coffee to achieve your desired results.
How Coffee With Cream And Sugar Affects Fasting
While the safest bet for maintaining your fast is black coffee, some people simply cant stand the taste.
For those who cant live without creamer or sugar, choose high-quality, grass-fed dairy and use as few additives as possible. These will activate your gut, so if youre fasting for gut rest, steer clear.
However, this exception only applies to a splash of cream or sugar in black coffee, not to your favorite latte or cappuccino. Those sugary additives will add calories that can break your fast or kick you out of ketosis, if thats your aim.
Read Also: Flavia Fusion Coffee Machine
What Can You Put In Your Coffee While Fasting
It’s first important to determine what type of fasting that you’re using. With a “clean” fast, anything added to coffee will break a fast. In fact, depending on who you talk to, even coffee can break a fast. However, if your main goal with Intermittent Fasting is to tap into fat burning mechanisms, lower body fat percentage and achieve a weight loss goal, then a dirty fast is perfectly acceptable. This means items that don’t contain protein or carbs is fine in your coffee. If you’re curious about learning more about the differences between a “dirty” and “clean” fast, you can check out my article below.
How Many Days A Week Should You Do 16 8 Intermittent Fasting
This plan is useful for several weight management situations: Dieters who routinely skip breakfast or who are not hungry at breakfast interested in a simple, stand alone plan once or even 5-7 days a week. Dieters who reach plateaus and need to jump start their weight loss can do 16:8 IF several times a week.
Also Check: Panera Bread Unlimited Coffee Restrictions