Hey folks! I have a question/discussion I wanted to bring up real quick.
So, some products are typically considered not to break a fast: black coffee, La Croix, some zero calorie sweetners, etc. Here’s my question. What happens if you go ABSOLUTELY BANANAS on any of these? Like, take La Croix as an example. It’s typically considered that it won’t break a fast. However, what about two? What about three? What about twelve during the course of a twenty hour fasting window?
Here’s why I am asking about this. I am a creature of extremes. I am always overindulging on SOMETHING. One of the main goals with IF for me is to try not to overindulge on the wrong things. That said, when I find out that something “doesn’t break a fast” I will often treat that thing like water and drink can after can or cup after cup.
I would love to see if you folks know of any studies on this or any kind of evidence that would say either way. I would be very interested to find out which kinds of things have TRULY no metabolic value vs the ones that just have so little as to be negligible in reasonable quantities.
EDIT: I love all the engagement and feedback but please don’t just put your personal thoughts into the comments. I am looking for scientific sources: papers, scientific journals, links to the studies themselves. I appreciate everyone but I would really like to avoid the thing that happens on the internet where it just becomes a very “he said, she said” kind of thing.
Depends on your goals. If you’re fasting for weight loss then a few LaCroix may not matter, even if it’s around ten calories.
If you’re fasting for autophagy or similar reasons, then it might matter to you, and a strict fast is better. And if you’re fasting for religious reasons, then it’s up to you to decide if it’s worth it.
But if you really want to stick to a fast, then it’s plain old water during your fasting window.
This is spoken by someone who does drink coffee and sweeteners during a fast, but lots of the typical “non-fast-breaking” items are debatable. They are really there to reduce the difficulty of a fast, not to actually help your fasting benefits.
Really, the only thing fast-friendly thing we can all agree on is water. That is the safest thing to consume by itself on a fast. Anything else you have is a trade-off: potentially reduce fasting benefits to help improve your experience of a fast. This trade off will amplify the more that you have.
My advice: go overindulge on some water, if you can!
Feast.Fast.Repeat. Is a book by gin Stephens. In it she quotes multiple studies and IFers to tell you that food flavored things will break your fast. Not because of the calories but because you’ll release insulin. When you release insulin you are not burning fat, or liver glycogen. And if you’re not burning fat and you haven’t eaten then what’s going to happen to your metabolism? It’s going to stop. But before it does that you will get extremely hungry.