Steady
Breaking a fast
How to break a fast: the best foods, and what to avoid.
After a 16 hour fast, the best food to break it with is a normal meal. That is the whole secret. The long lists of special foods online are mostly written for fasts of three days or more, and most people are not doing those.
How long you fasted changes the answer
Most advice about breaking a fast skips one question. How long was the fast? Your gut does not forget how to digest food in 16 hours. It does slow down over several days. So the right first meal after an overnight fast and the right first meal after a week are very different things.
| Length of fast | First meal | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| 12 to 20 hours (most intermittent fasting) | A normal meal. Nothing special needed. | Eating too much, too fast, because you are hungry. |
| 24 to 48 hours | A smaller, softer meal. Eat normally an hour or two later. | An upset stomach, cramps or feeling heavy. |
| 72 hours or more | Small, soft meals, built back up over a day. | Refeeding problems. Plan this with a doctor. |
If you do 16:8, 18:6 or anything like them, you are in the first row. The rest of this page is still useful, but you can relax. You cannot really get the first meal wrong.
The best foods to break a fast
A good first meal does three jobs. It fills you up. It does not upset your stomach. And it does not leave you starving again an hour later. Protein and fiber do the first and third jobs well. Soft, cooked food does the second.
A good first plate, and what to leave for later
For a fast of a day or more. After a normal 16 hour fast, both lists are fine.
Good first foods
- Eggs, any way you like them
- Plain yogurt or kefir
- Soup or broth with some protein in it
- Fish or chicken
- Rice, potatoes or oats
- Cooked vegetables
- A banana or cooked fruit
Leave for the second meal
- A huge plate eaten in ten minutes
- Sweets, pastries or juice on their own
- Deep fried or very greasy food
- Alcohol
- A big raw salad
- Large portions of beans or lentils
Protein first is a good habit. Eggs, yogurt, fish, chicken and tofu fill you up and keep you full for longer. Starting with protein makes it easier to stop at a normal amount.
Carbohydrates are fine. Rice, potatoes, bread and oats do not "ruin" a fast that is already over. They are easier on the stomach when paired with some protein, rather than eaten alone.
Water helps. A glass of water before the meal gives your stomach a moment and slows you down a little. It also covers the water you may have missed during the fast.
The foods to avoid when breaking a fast
After a short fast, no food is off limits. But some first meals make people feel bad often enough that they are worth knowing about.
A lot of sugar on its own. A donut or a glass of juice on an empty stomach can leave you shaky and hungry again soon after. Eat sweet things after some protein, not instead of it.
Very greasy or fried food. Fat slows your stomach down. After a day or more without food, a large greasy meal is the most common cause of that heavy, sick feeling.
Alcohol. On an empty stomach it hits much harder than usual. If you drink, have it with the meal or after it.
A big raw salad or a big bowl of beans. These are healthy foods. But after a long fast, a lot of fiber at once can cause gas and cramps. Cook the vegetables, or save the big salad for the second meal.
The real mistake is speed, not food
Hunger at the end of a fast is loud. It makes people eat fast, and eating fast is what causes most of the trouble people blame on food. Your body takes around 20 minutes to register that you are full. Eat quickly and you can take in a lot more than you need before that signal arrives.
How fast the first meal goes down
Same meal, two speeds. The full signal takes about 20 minutes to arrive either way.
Sit down, drink a glass of water, eat a normal plate slowly, and stop when you are comfortably full.
That one sentence covers almost every fast most people will ever do.
After a long fast, go slower
Fasts of three days or more are a different thing. After several days without food, the body's salt and mineral levels can shift fast when eating starts again. In people who are underweight, ill or have eaten very little for a long time, this can cause a serious condition called refeeding syndrome. It is rare in healthy people. It is also the reason doctors supervise long fasts.
Steady does not do long fasts. Its windows run from 12 to 20 hours, which is the range where the first meal needs no special plan.
Questions people ask
What is the best food to break a fast?
After a normal 16 hour fast, the best food is an ordinary meal with some protein, some vegetables or fruit, and some carbohydrate. Eggs, yogurt, soup, fish, chicken, beans, rice and cooked vegetables all work. There is no special food that unlocks the fast. The goal is a meal that fills you up without making you feel sick.
What foods should you avoid when breaking a fast?
Nothing is banned after a short fast. The foods most likely to make you feel bad are a very large meal eaten fast, a lot of sugar on its own, very greasy or fried food, and alcohol on an empty stomach. After a fast of a day or more, also go easy on raw vegetables, beans and other high fiber foods for the first meal.
What is the best way to break a fast?
Sit down, drink a glass of water, and eat a normal sized meal slowly. Stop when you are comfortably full. The longer the fast, the smaller the first meal should be. The fast was never the hard part to get wrong; eating the whole kitchen in ten minutes is.
What should I eat after a 24 hour fast?
Start with a smaller meal than usual: soup, eggs, yogurt, fish or a small plate of rice and cooked vegetables. Wait an hour or two, then eat normally. Most people are fine after 24 hours. The main risk is an upset stomach from eating too much too fast.
What should I eat after a 72 hour fast?
Go slowly. Start with a small, soft meal like broth, eggs or yogurt, and build back to normal meals over a day. Fasts of several days carry a real medical risk called refeeding syndrome, especially for people who are underweight or unwell. If you are planning a fast that long, talk to a doctor before you start, not after.
Does it matter what you eat first after intermittent fasting?
Not much, for a normal 14 to 18 hour fast. What you eat across the whole day matters far more than the first bite. Pick the first meal for comfort: something that fills you up and does not leave you hungry again an hour later.
Less app. Better fasts.
Steady is a very simple fasting app for iPhone. There is nothing to track: no food, water or weight logs, no streaks, no account. Just a timer for 12 to 20 hour windows, and a tool that helps you through the hour you would usually quit. Nothing leaves your phone.
Free while it is in beta. Tell us what breaks, and we will let you know when Steady reaches the App Store.