When it comes to intermittent fasting (also known as IF), a type of diet that is often accompanied by something like eating keto-based food or lots of high protein, you might have a lot of questions. This is especially true if it is your first time exploring your options.
No doubt you will be wondering if a particular type of IF diet will benefit you, or if there are any side effects. Maybe you are wondering which fasting diet to try.
The one question that a lot of people also ask is what beverages are suitable to consume while going through intermittent fasting.
It actually depends on what kind of intermittent fasting diet you are on, and what the beverage is. If you are unsure, the best route to go is to avoid drinks that have high calories in them during the fasting period, and instead, opt for those with fewer calories.
This includes water, or unsweetened black tea or coffee. So, with all this in mind, let’s take a look at suitable drinks to consume while fasting.
Frequently Asked Questions
As you are very much aware, staying hydrated is key to being fit, healthy, and, well, alive. Without consuming any form of liquid, we would become gravely ill.
During the fasting period, it is common to become slightly dehydrated due to forgetting to drink. Often a person can mistake their feelings of thirst for being hungry, and will just ignore their body.
Unsurprisingly, around 20 percent of the liquid we hydrate with on a daily basis is from food, so once we are not eating any (think fruit, veggies, and soups), we need to compensate by drinking a little bit more than usual.
While you are fasting, you must make an effort to drink to avoid feeling not only dehydrated but also tired and drained due to lack of hydration. However, you will want to think clearly when it comes to the type of drink to consume.
The drinks with high sugar content will cause a response from your body by secreting the insulin hormone, which means you will lose out on some of the intermittent fasting benefits. You will also be adding high calories to your body, too.
If you like a splash of milk in your hot drink, then it should not count towards any carbs or calories to break the fast. However, you will want to avoid having ¼ of a cup or more, as this will ruin your fasting and cause you to consume unwanted calories.
That is because milk has naturally occurring sugars and carbohydrates. If in doubt, just leave the milk out and try to embrace drinking both coffee and tea black.
What Drinks to Drink During Intermittent Fasting?
When it comes to choosing the right drink during intermittent fasting, all you need to be aware of is the calorie content. This is because if you do drink a beverage high in calories, then you will undo all that hard work you have put in.
This also includes artificial sweeteners too, as just like sugar, they will make your insulin levels go up. So, let’s take a look at what drinks are suitable to consume during an IF period:
Bottled Water
When it comes to hydrating, water is always your best bet. Not only is it a super healthy and natural way to stay hydrated, but it contains absolutely no calories.
One of the best ways to drink water is by choosing mineral bottled water. Obviously, in today’s climate, you may want to avoid stocking up on plastic bottles, but bottled mineral water includes some extras that you will find beneficial.
These are minerals such as calcium and magnesium. Over the long term, this may have some added positive effects on your health, however, plastic, in general, is a long-time debate when it comes to our health.
If you are going to choose bottled, always go with mineral water.
Tap Water
It is said that drinking plenty of water can help you to lose some weight. This is because it has the ability to boost a person’s metabolism and increases the chances of burning fat.
Drinking water is easy too, as it comes out of the tap. Make sure to have a bottle to hand so you can drink it throughout the day to avoid becoming dehydrated.
If you do not like the taste of water, then it is fine to infuse the beverage with a sprig of mint to flavor, or even some cucumber – just do not eat the latter.
Black Coffee
While drinking coffee on an empty stomach is not for everyone, it is said that if it is drunk at the same time as following a keto diet, then coffee can make the regimen even more effective.
Even so, make sure not to add any form of sweetener (that includes artificial) or creamer. Black is the best way to go, and choose decaf if you find full caffeinated too much.
Black Tea
Just like with coffee, you will want to drink tea with no added sweetener or creamer. Fortunately, whilst coffee is a little slim in taste varieties, with tea there are so many that are fine to drink.
For example, you can drink the likes of straight-up black tea, oolong, herbal teas, and lapsang souchong – just to name a few.
Green tea is another drink that may be beneficial while intermittent fasting. Not only does it have antioxidant benefits, but there are studies that show that it can make you feel fuller, and help with losing weight.
Conclusion
When it comes to intermittent fasting, it is important to stay hydrated. Fortunately, there are plenty of beverages to consume, from water and black coffee, all the way to a huge variety of teas.
