I’m looking to answer the question as to how the body responds to food after a fast. If its a small amount of food, does the body reenter a fasted state quickly? Is there any quantitative research on this?
Very valid question. I believe the answer is NONE. It is a community made concept. And I have only seen people who fast for 10+ days report an actual need for ‘breaking carefully’ (as in feeling sick if they don’t).
Small meals are basically the worst enemy for IF. Fewer meals, and zero snacking in between, is the main driver that causes the amazing results possible with IF. A.k.a. ‘time restricted eating’.
Personally I fast 48hrs 3x pr week, and I have tried 3 day fasts too, and any type of meal works ABSOLUTELY FINE. (As long as I stick to my tolerated foods.)
If anyone get sick in relation to meals, perhaps look into food tolerances instead. (My own list of intolerances include most vegetables, and also very lean protein sources.)