Intermittent fasting and coffee

(Stephanie Walsh) #1

If all I have is one tbsp of heavy cream in my morning coffee while intermittent fasting and no other calories am I destroying my fast? I hate black coffee.

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #2

What are your goals for fasting? 1 tablespoon of HWC is about 50 calories. 45 from fat. There is a small amount of carbs in HWC.

Some people propose that 50 calories will break your fast. If you are going for autophagy then you should have water and salt. If you are going for fat loss some people seem to be successful with some HWC in coffee.

If you are new to fasting you can use your coffee+HWC as a bridge to better fasting and eventually stop using HWC.

(bulkbiker) #3

Exactly what I have done for the past 3 years…
You are aiming to intermittent fast so have whatever gets you through the day.
You are not destroying anything you are helping cure yourself.

(Full Metal KETO AF) #4

You could try tea without the cream and save the coffee with HWC for when you break your daily fasting period. I don’t usually drink tea but I usually enjoy it when I do. Lots of great variety to choose from, regular and herbal. I normally am not a huge fan of black coffee either but you can get used to it over time especially if it doesn’t upset your stomach.

(Stephanie Walsh) #5

I actually love tea. I can drink it without additives. But I love my caffeine which tea seems to lack. I really enjoy fasting so I will work going creamless.

(Carl Keller) #6

Dr. Jason Fung tells his patients that a small amount of cream or milk in their coffee is permitted.

This!

(John) #7

Tea has caffeine, just not as much as coffee.

I am lucky in that I really like good, strong black coffee, regular and decaf, and have for years. Though every so often I like a little flavor in mine as a treat or for variety.

There is an option you might give a try. Califia Farms “Better Half” coffee creamer made from almond milk and coconut cream. You can check it out here:

I get it at my local Sprout’s market for about the same price as half-and-half or whipping cream of the same size. 15 calories per tbsp, which the label says is all from fat.

I’ve gone through one container of the unsweetened variety, and still have about half a container of the hazelnut flavored version which has a little monkfruit added. Still claims to be zero carbs.

I am betting that one Tbsp of that at 15 cals won’t be enough to impede your fast. No protein, no carbs to spike insulin.