What to drink while intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting is when you follow an eating pattern that involves either refraining from consuming calories in any form for a period of hours daily (otherwise known as Time-Restricted Eating), or significantly reducing your calorie intake across alternating days (like on The New 5:2 diet).

The benefits of intermittent fasting are extensive, including reducing your risk of type 2 diabetes, improving your sleep, helping maintain muscle mass during weight loss and reducing risk of brain diseases.^{1 2 3 4}

Though much of the emphasis is about what and when to eat, our Programme members also frequently ask about what to drink while intermittent fasting, so let’s delve in.

What to drink while intermittent fasting

The simple rule is that if a drink contains calories, macronutrients (i.e. carbohydrates, fat or protein) or triggers a digestive response, then it breaks a fast. This means that if you’re thinking about what to drink while intermittent fasting, you should choose beverages that contain little to no calories or macronutrients.

Here are a few ideas to get you started on what to drink while intermittent fasting:

• Water: Drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated is vitally important while fasting to ensure you stay energised and don’t mistake thirst signals for hunger signals. Still or sparkling water can be made a little more exciting with mint or a slice of lemon, lime or cucumber to enhance flavour.
• Black coffee: There’s nothing wrong with enjoying coffee during a fast, in fact it can increase your energy levels and may even help to decrease body fat during weight loss.⁵ Just ensure you’re not adding sugar, syrups or too much milk.
• Teas: Black tea, green tea and herbal teas are ideal to drink while intermittent fasting. Again, skip the milk and sugar to avoid breaking your fast.

This said, always prioritise progress over perfection. While technically a dash of milk will break your fast, if having it keeps you on track for the rest of the day then feel free to add it. Ultimately, this way of eating needs to work around you and your lifestyle to be sustainable.

For more ideas, see what our Health Coaches drink while intermittent fasting here.

What to drink during your eating windows

Although there is less restriction of what to drink while intermittent fasting during your eating windows, it’s still important to be mindful. When following The Fast 800, we encourage aligning both your eating and drinking habits to a Mediterranean-style diet for optimal health.

What we recommend drinking during eating windows:

• Water, tea and coffee: Water, tea and coffee are all great to enjoy during an eating window. Feel free to add your favourite fruits to the water, or milk to your hot drink.
• Kombucha: Kombucha is a fermented tea that is rich in probiotics and polyphenols that are highly beneficial to your gut-health and microbiome. However, watch out for commercial brands with added sugar, and perhaps instead try making your own like trying this Kombucha recipe at home.
• Red wine: Enjoy red wine occasionally as part of a Mediterranean lifestyle, and preferably with a meal. It’s known to have a few health benefits due to its antioxidant properties, but like all indulgences make sure you enjoy it mindfully in moderation.⁶

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What to avoid drinking:

• Diet drinks and artificial sweeteners: While they contain zero calories, artificial sweeteners can alter your gut microbiota and trigger sweet cravings, making it harder to stick to whole foods.
• Milk-based coffees: If you’re following an 800-calorie plan, it’s important to avoid drinks like lattes and cappuccinos to avoid drinking too many of your calories. If following a higher-calorie maintenance plan (like The 5:2 or Way of Life), there’s slightly more flexibility to enjoy them occasionally.
• Fruit juices: We always say the best way to enjoy fruit is to eat it, particularly when thinking about what to drink while intermittent fasting. Juices contain sugar and very little fibre, leading to quick blood glucose spikes without the gut health benefits fibre-rich fruits can provide.
• Alcohol: Aside from red wine as the exception here, we advise avoiding all alcohol like beer and cocktails. They are high in calories and can impact your eating habits and willpower both that day and the following. Instead, explore our favourite alcohol alternatives like this Red Wine Spritzer and learn key tips for drinking in moderation.

Ultimately, intermittent fasting needs to work for you so it’s all about doing the best you can with what to drink while intermittent fasting. The beauty of these varied eating patterns is that it can be as flexible as you need it to be while you build long-term habits that support a healthy life.

Whether you need to expand your eating window, add that dash of milk in your coffee, or try a 5:2 diet on days that work for you, they’re all steps in the right direction. For support and guidance in your health journey, sign up to your 7-day free trial of The Fast 800 Programme.