Breaking a Fast: How To Properly Break a Long-Term Fast
Intermittent fasting (IF) and the ketogenic diet go hand-in-hand. Many keto-dieters practice short-term intermittent fasting (between 12-24 hours) regularly, but sprinkling in a long-term (>24 hours) fast every now-and-then can provide numerous other benefits. Outside of physiological benefits to the gut microbiome, blood glucose/ketone levels, hormone regulation, and body composition, long-term fasting can provide psychological benefits due to the level of discipline it requires. [1]
Benefits of Short-Term Fasting [2] [3]
- Increased Insulin Sensitivity
- Decreased Postprandial Insulin
- Improve B-cell Functioning
- Decreased Blood Pressure
- Decreased Oxidative Stress
- Decreased Appetite
- Increased Ketone Levels
- Increased Fat Loss
- Inhibition of Tyrosine Kinase [4]
Benefits of Long-Term Fasting [5] [6]
- All of the Benefits of Short-Term Fasting
- Improvements in Glucose Uptake
- Improvements in Insulin Sensitivity
- Increases in Ketone Transporters [7]
While the length of time and what you consume during your fast is important, what you eat to break your fast is arguably just as crucial. Going several days without food will increase insulin sensitivity and reduce digestive enzymes within the stomach. [2] [5] [8] [9] With these two factors in mind, it is important to plan your fast-breaking meal accordingly. Here are a few tips to follow to make sure you are breaking your fast in an optimal fashion:
1. Avoid Carbohydrates
Since your insulin levels have significantly decreased and insulin sensitivity has significantly increased, it’s important to make sure your first meal after a fast is low in carbohydrates/glucose. Consuming sugary, carbohydrate-rich foods will cause a dramatic spike in blood glucose and insulin levels. Instead, try to avoid carbohydrates (especially processed ones) for the first few hours after you end your fast. Stick to mostly proteins and healthy fats to ease your way back into normal eating patterns.
2. Don’t Eat a Large Meal
Even if you are an avid OMAD-er (One Meal A Day), stick to smaller meals (at least for the first few hours) after breaking a long-term fast. Fasting over 24 hours can drastically reduce digestive enzymes that your stomach will need to break down any food you eat. Eating too much too quickly after a long fast can lead to all sorts of gastrointestinal distress including:
- Stomach Pain
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Gas
- Bloating
3. Continue To Supplement
Make sure you are continuing to drink plenty of water and supplement with electrolytes for the first few hours after breaking your fast. Since you are consuming smaller meals right after your fast, you are likely still not getting in enough of your key vitamins and minerals; so, it’s important to continue supplementation until your meals transition back to normal.
4. Stick To Whole Foods
This is a pretty good rule of thumb for the ketogenic diet as a whole but, it is especially important after a long term fast. Processed foods (especially certain fibers and sugar alcohols) can have a larger and worse impact after fasting. This being said, even some whole foods should ideally be avoided for the first several hours after a fast; nuts, seeds, and raw vegetables may be difficult to digest. Instead, sticky to cooked, non-starchy vegetables, healthy fats/oils, and broths/soups.
Quick Tips
What you break your long-term fast with is one of the most important factors to consider when conducting a >24 hour fast. When breaking a fast:
Avoid:
- Starchy vegetables
- Processed carbohydrates
- Nuts & seeds (includes nut butters)
- Alcohol
Choose:
- Bone broth
- Keto-friendly soups
- Avocados
- Leafy greens cooked in healthy fats
- Easy to digest proteins sources with healthy fats
Are you participating in a long-term fast or fasting challenge? Comment and let us know your results and what foods work best for you when breaking a 24-hour+ fast.
Interested in learning more about intermittent fasting? Check out our Ultimate Guide to Fasting e-book that provides all the information you could possibly want to know about I.F
References
Longo, V. D., & Mattson, M. P. (2014). Fasting: molecular mechanisms and clinical applications. Cell metabolism, 19(2), 181–192.
Sutton, E. F., Beyl, R., Early, K. S., Cefalu, W. T., Ravussin, E., & Peterson, C. M. (2018). Early Time-Restricted Feeding Improves Insulin Sensitivity, Blood Pressure, and Oxidative Stress Even without Weight Loss in Men with Prediabetes. Cell metabolism, 27(6), 1212–1221.e3.
Furmli, S., Elmasry, R., Ramos, M., & Fung, J. (2018). Therapeutic use of intermittent fasting for people with type 2 diabetes as an alternative to insulin. BMJ case reports, 2018, bcr2017221854.
Casale J, Huecker MR. Fasting. [Updated 2019 Feb 1]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2020 Jan-.
Stockman, M. C., Thomas, D., Burke, J., & Apovian, C. M. (2018). Intermittent Fasting: Is the Wait Worth the Weight?. Current obesity reports, 7(2), 172–185.
Harvie, M., & Howell, A. (2017). Potential Benefits and Harms of Intermittent Energy Restriction and Intermittent Fasting Amongst Obese, Overweight and Normal Weight Subjects-A Narrative Review of Human and Animal Evidence.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 7(1), 4.
Matsuyama S, Ohkura S, Iwata K, et al. Food deprivation induces monocarboxylate transporter 2 expression in the brainstem of female rat.
Lee PC, Brooks S, Lebenthal E. Effect of fasting and refeeding on pancreatic enzymes and secretagogue responsiveness in rats. Am J Physiol. 1982;242(3):G215–G221. doi:10.1152/ajpgi.1982.242.3.G215
Corring T. The adaptation of digestive enzymes to the diet: its physiological significance. Reprod Nutr Dev. 1980;20(4B):1217–1235.
Just finished 96 hours on water fast … will stay in ketosis for another month to gain more metabolic flexibility- small avocado and my own free range eggs .
Water and sea salt continues!
Excellent sounds like a good plan hope all went well. I am 80 hours into 96 hour and plan to break with bone broth then couple hard boiled eggs. Then 4 hrs later grilled chicken breast and spinach lite sautéed in butter and water. Sea salt on all.
very cool … im new to all of this about 8 weeks now . today is my first 24 hour fast .. love it .also doing keto .
Just completed a 9-day water only fast. Was going for 10 days. but, started feeling nauseated. Thought I better get the bone broth and fermented sauerkraut ready.
I will wait until tomorrow to get something a bit ‘more’ substantial — nothing hard.
My purpose was really to get Hba1c number down (now 6.3) was 7.0).
I believe fasting would really aid things due to not having insulin responses during a fast; and when coupled with low carb consumption, the tools should bring good results.
Many thanks for the article
Just finished a 5 day. Water fast, gonna start out with bone broth
Just finished a 96 hour fast and feel amazing! I started with a cup of broth and then made some egg drop soup. So far so good. It has been about an hour since eating. I plan to have a small amount of Rotisserie chicken in a couple hours.
96 hours into my first 120 hour fast. Longest I have gone before is 60 hours. Feeling pretty good. Cam here for advice on how to break best as I’ve been following a low to zero carb diet. Gonna see how I get on with eggs and spinach I think.