New to Intermittent Fasting? Welcome!
Intermittent Fasting is a fantastic tool to help achieve a weight loss and wellness goal. I've used it with thousands of men and women around the world following the Complete Intermittent Fasting Bundle with fantastic success.
However, there are a lot of people who start Intermittent Fasting but don't lose weight. Or perhaps they even gain weight. Typically this is due to using Intermittent Fasting without changing what is eaten during the eating window.
Intermittent Fasting is a fantastic tool, but it can't "undo" a diet rich in refined carbohydrates and sugars. In order to see weight loss results with Intermittent Fasting, it's important to not only focus on the fast, but also the "feast".
So today, I'm sharing the most important foods to consider when using Intermittent Fasting to achieve a weight loss goal. These are the foods that my Complete Intermittent Fasting Bundle recipes are centered around in order to help the body more easily burn fat as fuel.
Scroll down for my Intermittent Fasting food list!
Protein
The most important food when it comes to achieving a body recomposition goal is protein.(1) Protein helps the body maintain muscle mass while burning fat. Without enough protein, the body might end up using muscle mass as fuel, resulting in muscle loss. Muscle loss has been found to result in increased insulin resistance, making it harder to maintain the weight loss that you've achieved.(2)
Not to mention, high quality sources of protein help to boost satiety (the sensation of feeling full and satisfied from your meal), stabilize blood sugar levels, prevent sugar cravings and balance energy levels.
Unfortunately while Intermittent Fasting, most people don't get nearly enough protein to support a weight loss and wellness goal. Nearly 46% of older adults don't even meet the bare minimum protein requirements in a day.(3) The Complete Intermittent Fasting Bundle helps you to calculate your individual protein needs and use it in delicious recipes so that you can get enough protein to support your body.
I love using convenient sources of protein, like greek yogurt and my zero sugar whey protein powder, in smoothies for a fast and easy break-fast.
Great sources of protein include:
Beef (all cuts)
Lamb
Pork
Salmon
Tuna
Chicken (skin on)
Turkey
Shrimp
Greek yogurt
Eggs
Tempeh
Psssst... Curious how long your Intermittent Fast should be? Checkout my FREE 3 minute Intermittent Fasting Schedule Quiz HERE!
Fat
Just like protein, fat helps to boost satiety and prevent cravings by raising our satiety hormone cholecystokinin (CCK). But just as important are all of the very necessary vitamins that are only available in fats. These are called "fat soluble vitamins" and include vitamins A, D, E and K.
One incredibly important fat soluble vitamin that's very difficult to get in the diet is called vitamin K2. Vitamin K2 helps to transfer calcium out of the arteries and into the bones, making it crucial for heart and bone health.(4) One of the richest sources of vitamin K2 is full-fat dairy products, such as butter, greek yogurt and kefir. However, once the fat is lowered (like in low or zero fat dairy products), the vitamin K2 is also lowered or completely removed. So opting for full-fat dairy products and other high quality fat sources can help to balance out your wellness journey by providing essential nutrients.
Pssst... for those of you who are concerned about full-fat dairy and weight gain... multiple recent studies and meta-analysis have found that full-fat dairy products are protective against obesity! (5,6) Time for that fancy cheese board! ;)
Fats are often naturally found in high quality proteins (such as dairy products and lamb), but you can also find fat in isolation (coconut) or paired with fiber (avocado/chia seeds).
Great sources of fat include:
Full fat dairy products
Coconut
Almonds
Peanuts
Butter/Ghee
Olive Oil
Olives
Fat naturally in meat products (like beef, salmon, dairy and lamb)
Fiber
Fiber helps to boost satiety in the short term, whereas protein and fat help to boost satiety over the course of multiple hours. By combining protein, fat and fiber, it can help to cover your satiety bases. Not to mention, fiber-rich foods are often rich in antioxidants and micronutrients.
Great sources of fiber include:
Artichoke Hearts
Cacao Nibs
Chia Seeds
Basil Seeds
Avocado
Raspberries
Lentils
Combining all three of these items (protein, fat and fiber) can help to provide the basis of high quality, nutrient dense meals that also help support weight loss and wellness goals.
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100+ recipes, 8 weeks of meal planning, science-backed Intermittent Fasting tips and so much more!
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❤️ Autumn
Autumn Elle Nutrition