When it comes to a joyful, happy and healthy intermittent fasting journey, what you eat during your eating window, as well as what you don’t eat during your fast, are key.
Favoring nourishing foods provides your body with the nutrients it needs to thrive and helps you look and feel great, from the inside out.
The best food comes directly from Mother Nature – so when shopping, try to get more fresh foods and less of the packaged stuff – and when you do, just make sure it contains a short list of ingredients you recognize.
That said, we do believe in balance and IF encourages it. It’s not about restricting, but rather enjoying life and focusing on whole foods most of the time, while also savoring foods that make your soul happy.
During your fasting window, keep in mind that eating or drinking anything with calories will break your fast and halt autophagy (cell cleaning).
However, if your goal is strictly fat loss, consuming a few calories (less than 50) won’t matter. But if it's autophagy you’re after, then you want to avoid all calories during fast times.
Black coffee and unsweetened herbal teas (fruit flavors, chamomile, mint, ginger, lemon…) are close to calorie-free and are all perfectly fine to consume in moderation during your fasting phase.
However, drinking coffee or tea with additives such as cream, milk or sugar can take you out of your fasted state, because the calories ingested may set your digestion into motion again.
In general, it’s important to drink enough water during both your eating and fasting window – that’s aiming for around 15.5 cups (124 ounces) for men and 11.5 cups (92 ounces) for women, per day.
This may sound like a lot but it also includes water that comes from other beverages like herbal tea, and foods such as fruits and vegetables. Did you know that about 20% of our daily fluid intake usually comes from food and the rest from drinks?
A toast to your health!