Intermittent Fasting & Coffee - What to Know?

The interest in Intermittent Fasting has picked over last few years. As more and more people are trying intermittent fasting, they are observing large number of benefits to their health and overall fitness. This is leading to lot of 'word of mouth' publicity intermittent fasting.

When people start with intermittent fasting, they have lot of questions and confusions. In simple words, intermittent fasting is a way to restrict our eating patterns, usually on a daily or weekly schedule. In this article we look into whether Coffee fits in different intermittent fasting patterns or not.

Intermittent Fasting and Black Coffee

If you are into intermittent fasting and can survive without coffee, then that's the best option overall. Both Coffee and tea leads to body metabolizing them and hence not the best choice if it can be avoided.

Many people want to keep their decision making simple and choose the rule of 'if there is any calorie, you are breaking your fast'.

Also fasting and its different variants have been popular in naturopathy since ages. In naturopathy, fasting is advised for its ability to remove accumulated toxins in our body which in turn automatically cures large number of health problems. In such a detox, typically coffee is not recommended.

If you are doing intermittent fasting only for weight loss and not that much bothered about improvement in overall fitness level, then Coffee can be ok in moderate amount. You just try to keep your calorie consumption to the minimal level in such a case.

Intermittent Fasting Coffee with Sugar or Milk or cream

Sugar in Coffee leads to addition of even more calories. Sugar is pure carbohydrate and hence not at all recommended during intermittent fasting. So ideally sugar or milk or cream in coffee during fasting is absolutely no (+ coffee is also not recommended)

But as said above, if you are only concerned about weight loss due to intermittent fasting, then you can look at coffee calorie consumption and take it in moderated amount. Adding sugar or milk or cream will increase the calorie. If you avoid it, it is the best even for weight loss perspective.

Intermittent Fasting Coffee with Coconut Oil

Some people have started asking about coffee with coconut oil and whether it breaks intermittent fasting. I initially did not understand the reason for such a question, but later understood that many people see coconut oil somehow connected with low insulin level and hence this combination.

But sadly answer is no. Coffee with coconut oil is still calorie. It is a still a food item that require work from our livers to break down. and Hence it does break your fasting.