The food you eat when you go to break your fast can greatly impact your weight loss results. In fact, this is the most common mistake I see with Intermittent Fasting - people focus entirely on how long they're fasting and forget to also address their meals.
So today, I'm sharing the 10 best foods to eat with Intermittent Fasting if your goal is weight loss.
Coffee and Tea
Regardless of the type of fast you choose to follow, unsweetened coffee and tea will not break your fast. Plus, the added caffeine can help to act as a natural appetite suppressant if you find you need a little something in the early stages of Intermittent Fasting.
Not a fan of black coffee? There are actually quite a few things you can add to your coffee while fasting without ruining your results. Check out the blog post linked below for the details.
Eggs
Studies comparing eggs to other break-fast food items like cereal or oatmeal found that eggs are much better at reducing hunger and energy intake later in the day.(1) This is likely due to eggs naturally high protein and fat level that turns on satiety hormones (like peptide YY and CCK) in the body. This boosted satiety helps to prevent hunger and snacking, ultimately making it easier to shift back and forth between burning fat as fuel.
Cooked Non-Starchy Veggies
Non-starchy veggies are pretty much any veggie that isn't a potato, sweet potato or squash. Non-starchy veggies are great options to include during the eating window because they are significantly less insulin spiking than starchy veggies. When insulin is high, fat burning (the process called lipolysis) is turned off. So by sticking to primarily non-starchy veggies, it can make achieving a weight loss goal a lot easier. Bonus ~ if you opt for mostly cooked veggies, this can help to double down on the gut health perks of Intermittent Fasting.
Electrolytes
It's fairly common to lose significant amounts of water and electrolytes while fasting. This is why replacing lost electrolytes (and water) is crucial in order to prevent issues of electrolyte imbalance such as headaches, low energy, muscle cramps and constipation. Not sure how much you should be using? Check out my blog post HERE for the deets.
I personally love using LMNT, which is a zero sugar electrolyte that was developed for Intermittent Fasting. However, I'll also use Redmonds Real Salt in a pinch. You can find LMNT electrolytes HERE.*
*Affiliate link
Ginger Tea
Ginger tea will not break a fast and can actually help to double down on the natural gut cleaning perks of Intermittent Fasting. Ginger is a strong stimulator of the Migrating Motor Complex (MMC) which helps to flush out left behind food and bacteria that can cause bloating.
Try having ginger tea after your last meal of the day as a great way to kickstart your Intermittent Fast.
Chia Seeds or Basil Seeds
In my Complete Intermittent Fasting Bundle, we focus meals around protein, fat and fiber to help stabilize blood sugar levels, boost satiety and prevent snacking. Chia seeds and basil seeds are both incredibly high in fiber and very easy to add into many meals. In the Complete Intermittent Fasting Bundle, we often use it in smoothies or chia pudding to sneak in an extra 7-14 grams of fiber!
Check out the Complete Intermittent Fasting Bundle with over 100 recipes designed for Intermittent Fasting HERE.
Greek Yogurt or Skyr
Both Greek yogurt and skyr are naturally very high in protein that's needed during the Intermittent Fasting eating window to support a body recomposition and weight loss goal. I love using Greek yogurt and skyr because they make break-fast incredibly fast and easy ~ no cooking required! I'll often add a cup of Greek yogurt to my break-fast smoothies, chia pudding or brekky bowl to boost the protein content of my meal.
Psssst... curious how long YOUR Intermittent Fast should be? Take my FREE Intermittent Fasting Schedule Quiz by clicking the button below!
Sparkling Water
I've found that many people aren't truly hungry after dinner when they reach for an after dinner snack. Rather, snacking after dinner has become a habit. Replacing the snack habit with a fresh glass of sparkling water (or sparkling lemon water, if you want to get fancy!) can be a useful tool in the early stages of Intermittent Fasting.
Ground Beef
Ground beef is very high in protein, naturally high in selenium, which is used for liver detoxification, as well as b vitamins needed for energy creation. I prefer using ground beef over chicken because it's more nutrient dense and is much easier to cook. Plus, you can get so creative with ground beef! Meatballs, lettuce wraps, tacos, zucchini lasagna, cauliflower rice burrito bowls... there are so many ways to whip up ground beef in a pinch when you're trying to fit your meals into your Intermittent Fasting eating window.
Low Sugar Fruits
Low sugar fruits, like raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and apricots, contain significantly less sugar (and usually more fiber) than other higher sugar fruits like mango and grapes. Because these fruits contain less sugar, they also have a much lower glycemic load and therefore won't spike the storing hormone insulin as much as high sugar fruits. Depending on your carb sensitivity, you might be able to include small amounts of higher sugar fruits, like 1/2 banana and 1/2 cup pineapple. You can checkout my free Carb Sensitivity Quiz HERE.
Unlock the Intermittent Fasting tips, meal plans and recipes that have helped thousands of men and women around the world with the Complete Intermittent Fasting Bundle!
100+ recipes, 8 weeks of meal planning, science-backed Intermittent Fasting tips and so much more!
Head over HERE to get started!
❤️ Autumn
Autumn Elle Nutrition