One of the best things you can do to take care of your body and maintain your health is to start fasting. For coffee lovers, one of the most common questions they have is whether or not they can continue drinking this brewed beverage while fasting.
Is It okay to drink coffee while fasting? Yes, it’s okay to drink coffee while fasting. This came as a huge relief to me and probably to anyone else who is planning to start fasting. Coffee is one beverage that is okay to keep as part of fasting, especially if you love drinking black coffee. This is one of the few recommended beverages you can consume while fasting.
Of course, it’s not as simple as that. Fasting involves limiting your food intake for a certain amount of time. No matter what reason you choose to fast, drinking some type of beverage is okay. But what else do you need to know before you start fasting? Read on to find out…
In itself, fasting is a very simple concept. But before people start following this eating pattern, they have a lot of questions about it. When it comes to coffee, you don’t have to worry because it is one of the beverages you are allowed to drink while fasting—that is as long as the coffee you drink is pure, black, and doesn’t contain any cream or sugar. This is the perfect type of coffee to drink while you’re fasting.
Most people who love coffee won’t want to give up their morning pick-me-up, and this is very understandable. After all, many people don’t even eat breakfast every day—as long as they can have their morning cup of coffee, they can get through their day. If you’re one of these people, then you may feel as relieved as I was to know that coffee is, indeed, okay.
When it comes to fasting and other types of diets or eating patterns, coffee is quite controversial. Some say that you shouldn’t drink this beverage at all if you want to maintain your health while others claim that coffee has a lot of health benefits. The good news is that the latter comes with evidence to back it up. Here are some of the benefits of coffee that make it such a great beverage, even while you’re fasting:
- It helps reduce your risk of developing liver disease.
- It helps reduce your risk of developing congestive heart failure.
- It helps reduce your risk of developing type II diabetes.
- It helps reduce your risk of developing Parkinson’s disease
- It helps reduce your risk of developing a stroke.
- It helps reduce your risk of developing prostate cancer.
- It helps reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
With all these health benefits and more, there is no reason why you should eliminate this particular drink from your diet when you’ve decided to start fasting!
1. Is there such a thing as drinking too much coffee while fasting?
Just like any other kind of food and beverages, there IS such a thing as drinking too much coffee, especially while fasting. Excess amounts of caffeine in your system might lead to higher insulin and blood glucose levels. Caffeine may help enhance your performance, but any health benefits provided by coffee does not come from the caffeine content. This is why some people choose to go for decaf coffee instead of the regular variety since drinking the beverage doesn’t come with risks. If you want to continue drinking coffee while fasting, here are some guidelines to keep in mind:
- It’s not recommended to drink coffee as your first beverage in the morning.
- It’s best to drink coffee between 9:30 am to 11:30 am or 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm as these are the times when the body’s natural cortisol production starts going down.
- Avoid drinking huge quantities of coffee after 4:00 pm as you might not be able to sleep at night.
- You may want to drink a cup of coffee before you work out to give you a boost of adrenaline and energy.
- Cycle between decaf and caffeinated coffee to avoid the potential negative side effects of the latter.
2. What are the most common positive and negative effects of drinking coffee while fasting?
The most common positive effect of drinking coffee while fasting—especially coffee which contains caffeine—is that you will feel more energized and alert. Even if you’re not eating anything, this beverage may give you that much-needed perk. But this can be a double-edged sword as well. Since you won’t be eating when you’re fasting, you might start experiencing diarrhea frequently. This is especially true if you drink too much coffee and not enough water.
3. Will you get sick because of fasting?
There are many reasons why people choose to start fasting. More often than not, these reasons are religious in nature. Most people fast as part of their religious beliefs and practices. That is unless you’ve decided to start Intermittent Fasting—a trendy eating plan that has become quite popular these days. No matter what your reason is for fasting, this is another important and common question you may ask before you start.
If you’re concerned about getting sick because of fasting, you may want to take things slowly. Fasting isn’t something to take lightly. It involves a good amount of research and careful planning for you to be able to pull it off successfully. If you’re worried about your health, the best thing to do is to speak with your doctor first before you start fasting. That way, your doctor can talk to you about all of the benefits and risks of this eating pattern. Also, your doctor can tell you whether or not this eating pattern is right for you.
Since fasting involves restricting your caloric intake each day, it can potentially make you sick, especially if you don’t do it properly. For instance, eliminating all foods AND beverages right away will definitely make you feel weak and ill. This is why you should at least drink water and other appropriate liquids while fasting. Or, if it’s your first time fasting and you made the choice to fast for the whole day right away, you might not like the results.
If getting sick because of fasting concerns you, the best thing you can do is start slow. Start by reducing your portions at each meal and building up to skipping one meal a day, two meals a day, and so on until your body gets used to not eating for long periods of time. Your body needs to go through this process of adjustment so you don’t get shocked by doing too much, too fast. You can think of fasting as a kind of discipline wherein you train your body to get used to it before making it a part of your life.
It’s also important to note that when you start fasting, you may experience the same symptoms as when you have skipped meals because you were too busy or you just forgot. Such symptoms may include weakness, nausea, headaches, and more. Naturally, the body craves foods and beverages that it is used to having regularly. So when you start depriving your body by not consuming anything, you may experience adverse side effects. This is where the importance of starting slow comes in.
Fitness and medical science programs know how valuable fasting is when done properly. For one, it’s an excellent way of detoxing the body in order to get rid of toxins and other impurities. Fasting serves as a type of body cleansing where the different systems of the body are given a break. As long as you do it properly and you listen to your body, fasting won’t make you sick.
However, there is one important precaution to remember when it comes to fasting. If you suffer from any kind of medical condition which requires you to consume food with your medications, then it’s not recommended for you to start fasting. This might cause your condition to worsen so it’s best to stay on the safe side. After you’ve taken all your medications and your doctor gives you the green light, then you can begin fasting.
4. What are the different types of fasts?
Fasting is a general term that refers to the restriction of food during a certain period of time. However, there are different types of fasts that you may follow depending on your health goals, your reason for fasting, your experience with fasting, and even the recommendations of your doctor. Learning about the different types of fasts allows you to better determine which one to follow as you consider these factors. Here are the different types of fasts you may choose from:
- Complete Fast
For this type of fast, you may only drink liquids while you are fasting. You aren’t allowed to eat any kind of solid foods, but you may consume water along with light juices to keep you hydrated. It’s recommended to try this type of fast only after you have trained your body with the easier types of fasts.
- Selective Fast
For this type of fast, you have to eliminate certain elements or food groups from your regular diet. Some types of diets include a selective fast that requires you to eliminate an entire food group such as carbs. For a more concrete example of a diet that includes this type of fast, there is the “Daniel Fast.” While following this diet, you would have to eliminate bread, meat, or sweets. The only recommended food items to consume are vegetables and fruits, and you should only consume juice and water for fluids.
- Partial Fast
For this type of fast, you have to abstain from eating any kind of food in the morning as well as in the afternoon. This type of fast is also known as the “Jewish Fast,” and you can correlate it to certain times of the day. For instance, you may choose to fast from sunrise to sunset or from 6:00 in the morning to 3:00 in the afternoon.
- Intermittent Fast
This type of fast has grown in popularity over the past few years. For this type of fast, you cycle between “fasting periods” and “feasting periods.” There are different methods for following Intermittent Fasting or IF. This is one of the trendiest “diets” these days, though this is considered more of an eating pattern than a diet. Either way, following IF is more of a long-term thing, and it’s commonly chosen by those who want to improve their overall health.
- Soul Fast
This type of fast is suitable for people who don’t have a lot of experience in terms of abstaining from food, those who suffer from health conditions which prevent them from fasting from food, or those who would like to refocus the aspects of their lives that they feel are out of balance. When doing a soul fast, you don’t have to restrict your consumption of foods or beverages. Instead, you abstain from doing certain things. For instance, you may “fast” from watching TV or using social media for a certain period of time. After the duration of your fast, you can gradually bring back this element into your life in a more organized way.
5. What should you consider before you start fasting?
The first thing you should ask yourself before fasting is why you’re considering it. Do you plan to fast for guidance, healing, spiritual renewal, for the resolution of your problems, or to receive special grace so you can handle a challenging situation? Or do you plan to start fasting for health reasons?
Knowing your purpose for fasting enables you to more effectively choose the type of fast and plan your steps more strategically. Fasting can provide you with several benefits, but you should first know your reason for doing it. After you decide your purpose for fasting, the next thing you must do is answer these questions:
- How long do you plan to fast? Do you plan to skip one meal each day, one day each week, or follow a fasting schedule? Also, do you plan to fast for a set period of time or do you plan to do fasting long-term? As mentioned before, if you’re new to fasting, you should start slow.
- What type of fast do you plan to undertake? We’ve already gone through the different types of fasts. Pick one that suits your own needs and your purpose for fasting.
- Do you plan to abstain from other activities as well? This is more applicable to those who plan to fast for religious reasons. In such cases, you may also choose to perform a soul fast to cleanse your soul as well as your body.
6. Is fasting safe for children?
Fasting is a broad concept that people interpret differently. Generally, though, it involves abstaining from consuming anything for a certain period of time, but it can also mean abstaining from doing certain activities. Although some people choose to fast, it can also be done for different reasons such as physiological (like when you’re sleeping), volitional (like when you’re fasting as a political protest), or non-volitional (like when there aren’t any available drinks or food).
One thing to realize about the human body is that it requires an energy source to maintain its health. Therefore, when you fast, the glucose that is readily available in your body (specifically in your digestive system) gets depleted. When this happens, a process called gluconeogenesis occurs where the body starts using other glucose stores—mainly the stores in the liver. The longer you continue fasting, the more your body will start using protein for gluconeogenesis, which it obtains from your muscles. If you keep fasting, your body starts feeding off its fat stores that get converted to ketones which your body uses as its main energy source. Simply put, fasting for long periods of time starts to make alterations in how your body works.
There are cases where combining fasting with other activities might increase your risk of experiencing negative side effects. For instance, when you fast and workout at the same time, your risk of dehydration is increased. Or if you fast while taking diuretic medications, this might put you at risk for electrolyte imbalances and fluid loss. This shows that although fasting does have some health benefits, you must make sure to do it properly. But even when done properly, is fasting safe for children?
The fact is, children are at an increased risk of experiencing fasting problems due to their small size, small surface area, and increased metabolic needs. Another reason why fasting isn’t recommended for children is that they don’t have the ability to communicate what they need or the effects they feel because of fasting. Children also aren’t able to help themselves in terms of getting enough fluids or food to prevent dehydration. Studies have shown that in children, fasting may cause a decrease in their cognitive functions.
However, there are certain cultural and religious groups that may require children to fast, especially those children who are nearing puberty. The purpose of this fasting is to teach the children about physical changes and allow them to participate in the spiritual and social practices of their culture. Of course, these children don’t fast for as long as adults. For instance, they may only be required to fast for a certain number of hours each day. Still, parents should consult with their child’s doctor first before allowing them to fast, no matter how long they plan to let their children participate in fasting.
7. Are there people who shouldn’t practice fasting?
Yes, there are certain groups of people who shouldn’t be fasting because of their vulnerability. These include pregnant women, nursing women, the elderly, and individuals suffering from chronic or temporary medical conditions. High-risk and very high-risk patients shouldn’t be fasting either, especially against the advice of their doctors.
If any of these people choose to fast anyway, they should receive the proper education on how to avoid potential complications while fasting or the effects that follow after fasting. They should also consult with their doctor to receive their own management plan to reduce or avoid any risk of further complications. Some examples of what this plan must include are:
- Blood glucose tests for monitoring before, during, and after the fast.
- An exercise and nutrition plan.
- Customized steps to accommodate the individual’s circumstances.
- Additional support including emergency contacts and immediate access to one’s primary healthcare physician at all times.
Related Questions
Can you have any kind of coffee beverage while fasting?
The best type of coffee to drink while fasting is black coffee without anything added to it. When you add milk, cream, or sugar to your coffee, you will also be adding calories, sugar, and fat to it. This stops your fast. If you can’t take plain black coffee, you may want to opt for no-calorie sweeteners which are also allowed while you fast.
Can you drink coffee while intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting or IF is a very trendy diet pattern that involves you cycling between fasting periods and eating periods. IF has grown in popularity these days because of all the health benefits it provides. Just like regular fasting, drinking black coffee is okay on IF. Similarly, adding no-calorie sweeteners to your black coffee to make it taste better is acceptable too.
What other liquids can you drink while fasting?
Even though you’ve chosen to start fasting, it’s important for you to remain hydrated to avoid experiencing severe adverse side effects. If you don’t drink water, this might result in the development of undesirable symptoms and health conditions. This is why water is the most recommended beverage to drink while fasting. Apart from water and black coffee, other liquids you may drink to stay hydrated are plain tea and apple cider vinegar.