Does Bone Broth Break a Fast?
Bone broth is a soup that can provide the body with nutrients and also fill you up, so does this means that this broth can break fast?. Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that involves taking turns between the periods you fast and the periods when you should eat. This type of fasting is not synonymous with or should be linked to spiritual fasting as intermittent fasting is for health purposes only.
Intermittent fasting is about cutting back on calories you consume for short time periods. The belief behind this fasting is that the body becomes satisfied with smaller portions while also reducing craving for unhealthy snack foods. That is, as long as you maintain a healthy diet while trying it all out (Cleveland Clinic).
The reason for the fast can determine if the style with long or short periods of fasting will be chosen. There are many styles like 16:8 method, 5:2 method, 24-hour fast, but the most popular is the 16:8 method. This method requires that fasting is done for 16 hours and eating takes place for 8 hours. Here are some health benefits of intermittent fasting:
- The risk of having cancer is reduced
- It improves cardiovascular health
- For diabetic patient, insulin resistance is reduced.
- It helps with weight loss
- It helps with brain health
- It helps to reduce inflammation.
What is Bone Broth
Bone broth is a food that is made of simmered animal bone, connective tissues and water, these ingredients are cooked for an extended period of time. Bone broth has vitamins, collagen, amino acids and other nutrients that can help improve the bones, joints and guts.
The question is whether eating or drinking bone broth will break your fast, well the answer is yes. During intermittent fasting, you are allowed to take very low calorie drinks that has less than five calories per serving like tea, black coffee, water, apple cider, vinegar. Bone broth contains between 30 to 50 calories per cup.
However, bone broth can break your fast but it helps your body to be in fat burning state which is exactly what intermittent fasting does. Bone broth has lots of benefits if it breaks your fast. Some of the potential benefits of bone broth and fasting are:
1. Bone broth is keto/low-carb friendly: Taking bone broth can help your body enter the ketosis state. Ketosis is a state where your body mostly use ketones derived from fats for fuel instead of using glycogen. Since bone broth contains less than 1 gram of carbohydrates per cup and no refined sugar, it is best to be added to any low-carb diet. Bone broth will not also take your body out of its ketosis state because it has lots of healthy fats and protein.
If you started your intermittent fasting journey to lose fats, you should know that your body will not get energy from from external sources, it will convert the fats stored into ketones which will be used for energy. Drinking bone broth will not disrupt the ketosis state since it will only give your body healthy fats and proteins.
2. Bone broth is nutrient-dense and can boost immune system: A cup of bone broth has around 5 grams of protein, lots of collagen and little amounts of potassium, calcium and iron. It also has anti-inflammatory properties, all these nutrients and benefits can help to boost your immune system.
The anti-inflammatory properties can help to repair your guts and cells (National Library of Medicine, 2010 and 2012), this is why most people drink soups when they are sick. If bone broth is taken during intermittent fasting periods, it can help to clean out the body’s cells and helps you have a cleaner and healthier cells.
3. Broth can support healthy insulin levels during fasting: Bone broth can help in lowering sugar levels because it contains the nine essential amino acids that the body needs including the amino acid glycine that is good for insulin levels. Studies published by the National Library of Medicine in 2018 and 2002 have shown that people with type 2 diabetes, high blood sugar levels and high obesity have low glycine.
This means that drinking bone broth can supply the body with this amino acid which can boost healthy insulin. Another study by the National Library of Medicine in 2021 shows that intermittent fasting can help decrease the body’s insulin resistance and weight.
4. Bone broth may promote sleep: Fasting makes it hard for some people to sleep as the body may be stressed after going through fasting periods. Drinking bone broth can help with sleeping because it contains glycine which is an amino acid that can actually help you sleep.
DOES BONE BROTH BREAK A FAST BY DR BERG
Dr. Eric Berg is a chiropractor, a health educator and an expert in intermittent fasting and healthy keto. He analyzed bone broth and its benefits. Bone broth will not only give you glycine but also a different profile of amino acids. So, when you eat bone broth, you are getting support for your guts and joints health. Glycine can potentially help your sleep, blood sugar levels and neurotransmitters.
Bone broth ingredients are bones, water, apple cider (This helps to extract the minerals, nutrients and collagen from the bones). Herbs, spices and vegetables can be added too. Bone broth is a good thing to be consumed in between your time of eating and the time you are fasting because your body is getting a lot of electrolytes with less calories. The electrolytes and the nutrients can help overcome the ketogenic flu.
DOES BONE BROTH BREAK A FAST BY DR FUNG
Dr. Jason Fung is a Canadian nephrologist, he is also known as a world-leading expert on intermittent fasting and low carbs especially for treating people with diabetes, type 2 diabetes to be specific. According to him, intermittent fasting is good and it helps in losing weight, however it may take some time for the body to get used to the new eating schedules.
Bone broth can break fast but it is good for fasting too as it has lots of protein which will help in turning off autophagy (a process that involves degraded cells recycling themselves. Bone broth can break a fast but it is the perfect food to eat during the 2 low calorie days. It can also be eaten during the 16 to 18 hour fast period.
BONE BROTH FASTING
Bone broth fasting is a type of intermittent fasting but you are allowed to drink bone broth periodically during the day as a meal replacement. This fasting ensures that you maintain your fasting and gets its benefits while taking in little calories, this is perfect for people who are new to intermittent fasting.
This fast will fuel your body with protein and healthy fats while you are burning fat. With the amount of protein you get from the broth, you will feel less hungry throughout your fast periods. You can also decrease your inflammation level and improve your glucose and immune system.
Advanced Ways of Approaching Bone Broth Fasting
I. Skipping meals: To start your intermittent fast journey, you have to start skipping meals. You can take a cup of bone broth instead of having a meal, then you resume eating regularly at the following meal.
ii. The 16/8 method: You drink bone broth for 16 hours everyday. For the eight-hour feeding period, you can take lots of fermented foods and probiotics. The bone broth has gives you collagen while the fermented foods supports your gut health.
iii. 24-hour bone broth fast This fast is practiced not more than once per week. You take only bone broth for 24 hours, that is a full day.
iv. Fasting twice per week: For this method, you have two 24-hour fasting windows implemented within a one-week time. This fast is for advanced stage, you will only consume gelatin, vegetables (fermented), and bone broth.
CAN YOU LOSE WEIGHT ON A BONE BROTH FAST
Just like intermittent fasting, bone broth fast can help you to lose weight. Remember bone broth has little calories, so taking up this fast will make your body have calorie deficit. However, you must be consistent with it.
When you stop stop the fast and resume eating like you used to, your calorie intake will increase, this means the method is not sustainable. Also, following this method for a long time is not sustainable too, so you may have to incorporate more regular foods to the schedule.
CONCLUSION
If you were one of those asking does bone broth break a fast, you now have a clear explanatory answer. Drinking bone broth will break your fast because it has calories in it even though it is in little amounts. Although, it can break fast, it is also packed with so many nutrients. It will give you the same benefits as intermittent fasting.
Broth can help clean your gut, boost your immune system, decrease insulin resistance and give you collagen and glycine. In fact, many intermittent fasting experts have agreed to the amazing benefits of this drink while on fast. You can try the bone broth fast or you add it to your intermittent fasting schedule.