With just 4.8 calories per medium brewed coffee, it makes sense that a cup of coffee won’t do much damage to your metabolism or blood sugar.Ĭoffee may actually help you speed up weight loss, according to recent research. The popular 16:8 Leangains protocol (fasting 16 hours and eating during the 8-hour window) actually goes so far as to say that coffee with “a splash of milk” is acceptable in the fasted state (ooh, spoil yourselves, why don’t you). So, yes, drinking black coffee during most types of intermittent fasting is totally OK. While fasting, coffee is coffee with nothing in it. Neither does a latte with 8 ounces of milk. The part you won’t like: A double mocha cappuccino with whipped cream and sprinkles does not qualify. Any aficionados will know that there’s a myriad more on offer than a simple cup of dark roast.

Short answer: Yes! Good news, right? Don’t go running to your local foam parlor just yet - it’s not that simple.įirst, let’s define coffee. More importantly, if you want to try a new health cycle, adding a healthy intermittent fasting regiment doesn’t have to mean eliminating what you crave.Coffee during intermittent fasting: Yay or nay? So if you don’t like coffee or don’t currently drink it, here’s a reason to start. If you have to add something to your coffee, only add a teaspoon of cream or coconut oil. Rest assured, for those of you who salivate over straight black coffee like me, there is some wiggle room.

“For instance, lattés, cappuccinos, and other high-calorie or sweetened coffee drinks should be off-limits during your fasting windows,” Healthline states. Just consume as few calories as possible during the fast. Moderate amounts of black coffee in your intermittent fasting cycle makes a difference (I always have three cups!)īut don’t add buckets of cream, piles of sugar, and other tempting additives if you want to see the benefits. a process linked to improved brain function,” the Healthline article states. “Early research indicates that the caffeine in coffee may likewise promote ketone production. Need more inspiration to add coffee to your fast? Fasting – in combination with coffee - can also reduce mental decline. In fact, coffee may even boost the benefits of fasting, such as enhancing “brain function, reduced inflammation, blood sugar, and heart disease risk.” That’s even more of a reason to drink that cup of joe (or two or three) while in the fasting mode.

Black coffee won’t “compromise your fast in any significant way” and actually contains some beneficial protein and other minerals. What I found pleasantly surprised me - and will inspire others who want to try fasting but have a severe coffee addiction like me. However, I wasn’t willing to give up my favorite guilty pleasure - COFFEE! In fact, I knew if I had to, the grumpiness (and withdrawal headaches) I would have to endure without my favorite beverage wouldn’t be worth looking like a swimsuit model - or a swimsuit model’s grandma. ( Photo by Nicolas J Leclercq on Unsplash)īut according to Healthline, “Research suggests that intermittent fasting may promote weight loss and reduce risk factors for certain chronic conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease.”ĭue to my own vanity and unwillingness to look my age, I wanted to see what fasting could do for weight loss leading into my summer vacation at the ocean. To say I felt skeptical was an understatement. Logic said I would have to give up every food and beverage in my life I craved in order to succeed. This one, however, requires an organized combination of eating and fasting in a 24-hour period. For the past several months, my 20-something daughter introduced my 49-year-old self to intermittent fasting, yet another diet regiment out there.

Does coffee break fast