Can I Drink Coffee While Fasting? Know The Facts!

Are you familiar with the concept of fasting? It is when people go on without eating or drinking anything except for water, in some cases not even that, for long hours. While some skin one or two meals a day, some others opt for a twenty-four hour-long fast or sometimes, on a few days end. Either way, the key concept is to not ingest anything with calories, which practically just leaves water. 

How about coffee, though? You must have seen people saying they are fasting but drinking coffee. So doesn’t that break their fast? It depends on a few other factors. You will see what, in the later sections. But let me ask you something first: if coffee were allowed while fasting, would you drink a cup or would you just stick with water?    

Coffee Consumption While Fasting: What You Need To Know

` So, does coffee break a fast? Well, the answer to that question depends on what kind of coffee you are drinking. If you have milk, sugar, or cream in your coffee, yes, it will break the fast. On the other hand, if you are drinking black coffee without any of these extra ingredients. It won’t.

Wonder how this works? The explanation is simple. Pure black coffee has fewer calories. It’s around two calories per cup of black coffee and unless you are very specific about your fast, consuming two calories won’t break it. However, it’s an entirely different story with coffee with added ingredients.

Sugar, milk, and cream are all high in calories, and adding them to the coffee will definitely break the fast. Ultimately, it all comes down to your choice of ingredients and if you are mindful of the things you consume, you can totally drink a cup of coffee while you are fasting and not break it. 

What should you consider while drinking coffee at a fast?

Although coffee wouldn’t break a fast on its own, as stated already, adding a few extra ingredients could reverse the effect of the fasting process. 

• Sugar: One teaspoon of sugar contains 16 calories. If you add two teaspoons, that would make your coffee a 32-calorie drink.
• Fat-free milk: Although it sounds harmless with the ‘fat-free’ tag, two teaspoons of fat-free milk is 10 calories. 
• Cream: Now, if you decide to go fancy and add cream to your coffee, that’s an extra 120 calories right there.
• Whipped cream: While two tablespoons of normal whipped cream has a calorie count of 76, heavy whipping cream contains 101 calories in the same quantity.  
• Half-and-half: Half-and-half, on the other hand, is 20 calories per tablespoon.
• Syrups: If you add syrups instead of sugar, the calorie count will be in the range of 10 to 20. 

Adding these ingredients to your coffee will cause an immediate sugar spike which in turn will stimulate an insulin response and break the fast. 

Also, be mindful of the quantity of caffeine you are consuming. While 400mg a day is generally considered safe, it would be wise to keep your caffeine consumption below this limit, and more than 400mg is definitely not recommended. Also, you cannot replace water with coffee since proper hydration is necessary while fasting. Drink plenty of water and drink coffee only when you crave it.

Does coffee enhance the benefits of fasting?

To a certain extent, yes, coffee can enhance the benefits of fasting. Caffeine works in different ways to aid weight loss, as long as the drink doesn’t have any high-calorie additives.  

• Boosts metabolism and energy: if you drink coffee while fasting, caffeine will help boost the slowed-down metabolism. As the metabolic rate is restored to normal, it will automatically increase your energy levels, which is extremely beneficial since hours-long fasting can leave you fatigued.
• Regulates appetite: Drinking coffee in between fasting hours can help you get through it without feeling starved. It can curb unhealthy cravings and reduce appetite in general, which will reduce calorie intake, contributing to the weight loss process. 
• Improves focus: Caffeine is a stimulant. Regular intake of caffeine during fasting hours will help you stay focused on work and similar activities for long hours. 

Drawbacks of coffee on a fast

Although it is generally considered safe to drink coffee while you fast, there are a few downsides to it. These are avoidable to an extent as long as you are aware of the purpose of fasting and what coffee can do to it. 

• Coffee is a diuretic, a property that will result in excessive loss of water and lead to dehydration while fasting.
• Consuming high quantities of caffeine could lead to a temporary lack of sleep, and in extreme cases, insomnia.
• Adding high-calorie ingredients like milk, cream, sugar, and syrups could hurt the fasting process and its objectives. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, you can choose to, or choose not to drink coffee while you are fasting, but under certain conditions. Coffee, on its own, is a zero-calorie drink. But when you add things to make it sweet and flavorful, it becomes unsuitable to be a part of a healthy diet, and of course, to drink while fasting. 

Such high-calorie additives include whole milk, half-and-half, fat-free milk, cream, whipped cream, syrups, and definitely, sugar. Drinking coffee with such additives might reverse the effects of fasting, including weight loss. They could cause a sudden sugar spike and thus break the fasting process.   

Then again, drinking black coffee all day isn’t healthy either. Stick to the limit of 400mg per day to avoid issues such as lack of sleep and dehydration. The key is to not overconsume but only what is necessary and safe. 

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