When you want to support your body’s nutritional needs first thing in the morning while practicing intermittent fasting, smoothies are one terrific way to do it!
In today’s post, I’ll share when to drink a smoothie while fasting, how to break your fast with a smoothie so it keeps you full, and some of my favorite nutrient-dense ingredients and recipes for you to use!
Are Smoothies Allowed During Intermittent Fasting?
During your fasting window –when you don’t eat- you can drink 0-calorie drinks. During your eating window, regardless of how many hours that is, you can enjoy a smoothie.
As a matter of fact, smoothies are a terrific way to give your body more nutrition in one meal with minimal effort and it’s easy to take with you, even if you practice the short 12:12 intermittent fasting schedule.
How to Break Your Fast with a Smoothie
When you practice intermittent fasting, you’re not skipping breakfast. You’re simply delaying when you eat your first meal.
I love breaking my fast with a nutritious smoothie because I’m able to pack a lot of nutrition and requires minimal prep. If you work outside the home, you can blend it at home in the morning, pour it inside an insulated container, and enjoy it when it’s time to break your fast.
Best Ingredient for a Fast-Breaking Smoothie
While a smoothie only needs a liquid base, fruit, veggies, or both, and any add-ins for nutrition; I like to make my fast-breaking smoothies with this simple formula:
- Liquid: water or milk, dairy or non-dairy are my go-to.
- Fruit: one or two servings, ½ cup or 1 cup. The more colorful the better. Blueberries, strawberries, and pineapple are my personal favorites.
- Vegetable: whether I add a handful of greens or frozen cauliflower, that’s one less serving I need for the day.
- Protein: adding a serving of protein to your smoothie, between 10 and 25g depending on your body’s needs, is always a great idea for your fast-breaking meal. This can be yogurt, protein from milk if you’re using dairy or a scoop of protein.
- Nutritional add-ons: these are simple ingredients that can add lots of nutrition to your smoothie. I like adding a teaspoon of chia seeds, flax meal, or hemp seeds for example.
Best Liquid Base for Intermittent Fasting Smoothies
The best liquid base for making a delicious intermittent fasting smoothie is one that meets your nutritional needs and makes your smoothie taste great. For this reason, most healthy smoothies use unsweetened non-dairy milk because it’s low in calories and it’s thicker than water.
If you’re trying to avoid unnecessary added sugars, avoid using juices in your smoothies since these can add anywhere between 40 to 70g of added sugars.
Best Fasting Smoothies
The best fasting smoothies include a solid base of macro nutrients like protein, healthy fats, and carbohydrates. They also include micronutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and more that are powerful and feed your body with at it needs.
A lot of people prefer breaking their fast with a healthy green smoothie so they start the day with a serving of vegetables. However, ultimately, the best smoothie while practicing intermittent fasting is one that meets your nutritional needs.
A meal replacement smoothie will be higher in calories, in the 400-600 range than a snack type of smoothie, in the 200-400 range. It’s all dependent on how many calories your body needs for proper nutrition.
More Intermittent Fasting Breakfast Ideas
When you want to break your fast with nutritious meals, whether it’s around noon or later, other breakfast ideas that are portable and are easy to prepare like this Breakfast Salad, an epic bowl of Savory Oatmeal, or even Spinach Egg Muffins.
Leave a Reply