Fasting is an excellent way to detox and speeds up weight loss. Sometimes we like to have beverages, coffee specifically, while we fast. The assumption is that coffee won’t interfere with our fast because of its very low caloric content.
Coffee’s effects on your fast depend on how you consume it. Black coffee will not break your fast as it contains very few calories. However, add sugar, syrup, and other ingredients to the mix, and you’ll ruin your fast.
Coffee affects fasting, and the effects can even counter the benefits of fasting, depending on how you prepare your Joe and what you add to it. So now, let’s learn more about how coffee and fasting can go hand in hand.
What is Fasting?
The purpose of fasting is to eliminate all forms of calorie consumption. This is done to force the body to burn fat reserves in order to fuel itself. That being said, some think that ingesting anything, even something as minimal as coffee, may defeat the purpose.
That’s actually not how fasting works. Instead, fasting is abstinence from all or certain foods. When fasting, you can reap the weight loss benefits when your caloric intake is significantly lower than your basal metabolic rate. In simple terms, when you consume fewer calories than your body needs to sustain itself.
Can You Drink Coffee While Fasting?
Due to their potential side effects, some beverages should be avoided on an empty stomach. Coffee is one of those drinks, as drinking coffee while fasting amplifies the possible side effects.
When you consume caffeine while fasting, you’re more likely to experience a faster heart rate, anxiousness, and dizziness. In addition, caffeine will increase the acid level in your stomach, which can cause acid reflux, nausea, and vomiting.
How Does Coffee Affect Your Fast?
In essence, coffee will not “break” your fast. On the contrary, it may be just what you need to get through the day feeling energized. It’s an especially good idea if you’re fasting for the first time and your body isn’t accustomed to being productive with minimal calories.
What coffee will not do, however, is intensify the weight loss effects. A common misconception is that since coffee generally speeds up metabolism, drinking coffee while fasting will yield faster results.
Coffee may give you an energy kick but will not promote faster weight loss because your body’s already at its maximum weight-shedding speed.
How to Fast and Drink Coffee
That’s not to say you should steer clear of coffee when fasting. It simply means you should tread lightly. There are various tricks to reduce the harmful effects. Adding milk or butter are surefire ways to minimize acid production, and having a glass of water before and after your coffee creates some safety buffer.
In the same spirit of treading lightly, be sure not to overdo it on quantity. For example, people tend to double down on their coffee consumption to compensate for the lack of food when fasting. This will only be detrimental to your health, both short-term and long-term.
The final verdict is that you can drink coffee while fasting, but not only do you need to proceed with care, but you also need to pay attention to how your body reacts. It’s best to stop caffeine consumption as soon as you notice any unpleasant effects.
How Many Calories Are in a Cup of Coffee?
Aside from being a great morning beverage, coffee is well-known for its nearly non-existent caloric content. In fact, some people claim that coffee is a negative calorie item.
Negative calorie items are foods that contain so few calories that the energy needed to digest them is greater than what the food provides. However, there isn’t significant evidence to support this claim.
Plain
One cup of plain black coffee packs between 2 to 3 calories. The type of brew and roasting method may have some effect on the resulting coffee’s caloric content. Because coffee’s such a low-calorie beverage, it’s the ideal drink for anyone looking to keep their daily caloric intake down while fasting.
With Add-Ins
It’s worth mentioning that the “low-calorie label” only sticks when the coffee’s consumed plain. Turning that cup into a latte by adding things like sugar, syrup, creamer, and milk changes the game.
You can easily get from 2 to 5 calories a cup to 50 calories a cup. Needless to say, how 4 to 5 of those 50-calorie cups of Joe could ruin your fast.
How Does Coffee Affect Your Metabolism?
Coffee’s metabolism-boosting properties can be attributed to a handful of biologically active stimulants it possesses:
Chlorogenic Acid
Chlorogenic acid is a complex and widely beneficial element found in large deposits in coffee beans. Some of its most notable potential benefits are:
- Regulate blood pressure
- Anti-inflammatory
- Antioxidant
- Improve cognitive function
- Help with weight management
Chlorogenic acid lends a hand in weight management by reducing blood sugar levels. For this reason, it’s also known to reduce the risks of diabetes.
Theophylline
Coffee contains a small amount of theophylline, and according to scientists, it’s a fat-burning compound. The science behind it is rather complex, but the short of it is that the minuscule levels of theophylline in coffee are enough to kickstart your metabolism.
Theobromine
Theobromine is a stimulant found in coffee as well as cocoa. It’s a compound most commonly known for its weight loss triggering properties.
Theobromine stimulates thermogenesis, a natural process whereby your body produces heat. This heat production also burns off calories and increases your metabolic rate.
Caffeine
Caffeine doesn’t just stimulate the nervous system; your metabolism can also benefit from its stimulating effects. In short, caffeine accelerates overall energy consumption, including energy consumption at rest.
This ultimately means that drinking a decent amount of coffee results in a higher Basal Metabolic Rate. So, all in all, coffee possesses the necessary elements to accelerate your metabolism, even when fasting.
However, the way you choose to consume your coffee has the potential to offset these effects. For instance, coffee won’t be of much help in helping you lose weight if you’re constantly adding all sorts of artificial sweeteners to your cup of Joe.
What is the Best Type of Coffee to Drink on a Fast?
When you’re fasting, you’ve got to cherry-pick what you put in your body. That applies to coffee too. Not all coffees are made equally. Ideally, you want to pick a coffee type that is nutritious but less damaging to your health. We recommend a light roast, and here’s why
More Caffeine
The purpose of fasting is to lose weight faster than usual. That is, assuming you’re not fasting for religious reasons. Also, a lighter roast will give you more caffeine than dark roasts.
It appears unlikely, but lightly roasted coffee beans pack more caffeine, which all boils down to the roasting process. The longer coffee beans are roasted, the more caffeine is burnt off.
As explained above, caffeine is a metabolism stimulant. Likely, your body’s metabolism will naturally slow as you prolong your fast, but caffeine can minimize this bby boosting your metabolism.
Less Acidic
Although highly beneficial, coffee has its drawbacks, and its acid content is one of them. Drinking coffee increases your stomach acid levels by triggering the secretion of gastrin, which secrets gastric acid or stomach acid. So not only does an acid build-up cause acid reflux, but it can potentially damage the stomach lining.
Once you’ve got the roast down, going for a brewing method that allows for generous amounts of caffeine but less acid will also help you out short term and long term.
Cold brew will do the job in this case. It’s easy to prepare, too; all you need are fresh coffee grounds (on Amazon), some water, and preferably a large empty glass jar.
What Can You Add to Coffee While Fasting?
Certain coffee add-ins can ruin your fast and be detrimental to your health. It’s therefore essential to be very selective about what you choose to add to your Joe while fasting.
To start, any high-sugar add-ins like syrup, vanilla, and honey are off-limits. Instead, opt for low sugar alternatives, like cocoa powder and cinnamon.
Lemon Coffee
The concept of lemon coffee is surprisingly widespread. It’s a concoction that’s said to supercharge weight loss. However, there isn’t significant research to substantiate this claim.
On the contrary, many coffee drinkers who have participated in this trend have experienced major health discomforts. So, mixing lemon juice with coffee is never a good idea.
Can You Add Cream to Your Coffee?
Cream is an excellent option for anyone looking to keep their sugar consumption down while fasting. It will give your coffee a bit of flavor, and since cream has a higher pH, it will also cancel out the coffee’s acid.
Conclusion
Coffee isn’t just a great idea because of its nearly non-existent caloric content but because it can potentially accelerate weight loss. However, to get the most from it, high sugar ingredients should be avoided.