Does Coconut Oil Break A Fast?

When practicing fasting or meal planning with Intermittent Fasting, what you eat begins to matter more than what you do not.

Intermittent fasting is a simple meal-scheduling practice that allows you to plan your eating and fasting pattern at equal intervals.

While fasting is an integral aspect of intermittent fasting, avoiding foods rich in carbs, heavy proteins, and trans or saturated fats is the best way to ensure you achieve all your health-related goals.

Associating ordinary leafy salads and low-calorie foods with intermittent fasting is a common misconception.

Intermittent fasting encompasses a wide variety of clean foods that are more than just leafy veggies but are also low-calorie and rich in nutrients that provide a nutritionally balanced diet.

Finding the right foods for diet plans can be a daunting task, especially when you are practicing a restrictive dietary plan like Intermittent Fasting.

Diet plans and clean foods are an integral part of intermittent fasting that allows you to lose weight to achieve optimum results effectively.

If you are someone who loves to add a touch of coconut oil to their delicious meals and morning coffee, think twice, as this smooth concoction for procuring the perfect cup of coffee might break your fast.

Table of Contents

What is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent Fasting is a nutritional or dietary pattern that provides guidelines to distribute your eating and fasting practices.

In simpler terms, Intermittent Fasting is an eating practice that works by alternating the fasting and eating practices that separate eating and fasting into separate consistent schedules.

According to some nutritionists, IF or Intermittent Fasting is an efficient way of reducing access to body fat as the individual is promoted to consume only one meal per day in the span of a few weeks.

There are several intermittent fasting schedules one can follow. Among the most eating patterns of intermittent fasting is the 16:08 which includes fasting for 16 hours and eating on schedule for 8 hours.

Another common eating plan is 20:04 including 20 hours of fasting and 4 hours of regular eating, and lastly, 14:06 which includes fasting for 14 hours and eating for 6 hours.

What can you eat during Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent Fasting, just like any other dietary practice is a restricted diet plan that involves low-calorie foods and promotes you to consume calorie deficit meals to lose weight.

While most consider intermittent fasting meal plans to involve mere leafy veggies and greens, these food plans are often richer in nutrients than one may think.

Since Intermittent fasting promotes you to be on a calorie-deficit diet throughout the day, it is integral to incorporate foods that provide you with a nutritionally balanced diet.

When practicing low-calorie diets and restrictive eating schedules is to consume foods that provide the most nutritional value even when you consume fewer meals.

Here is a list of foods you can enjoy during Intermittent Fasting that are perfect for maintaining a nutritionally balanced diet:

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Lean Proteins:

Eggs
Heart Healthy Fish
Chicken Tights
Pork Chops
Plain Yogurt
Ribeye Steak
Tofu
Paneer
Plain Kefir
Nuts and Seeds
Whey Protein Powder (without added sugars)
Pea Protein Powder (without added sugars)

Fresh Veggies:

Broccoli
Asparagus
Spinach
Chard
Kale
Cauliflower
Brussel Sprouts
Celery
Cabbage
Seaweed

Healthy Fats:

Avocado Oil
Olive Oil
MCT Oil
Ghee
Coconut Oil
Avocados
Chia Seeds
Nuts and nut butter
Olives
Flax Seeds

Sea Food:

Salmon
Mackerel
Rainbow Trout
Sardines
Mussels
Crab
Lobsters
Shrimp
Oysters
Anchovies

Fruits:

Strawberries
Kiwi
Apples
Raspberries
Blackberries
Grapefruits
Lemon
Avocados
Lime
Tomatoes

Unsweetened Beverages:

Hydration even when fasting is a must, especially when you are cutting back on a significant amount of calorie intake.

While most people consider liquid consumption during intermittent fasting to be prohibited, drinking water is one of the best ways to keep yourself healthy and hydrated.

Unsweetened caffeinated beverages such as black tea and black coffee can also be consumed as effective energizers.

Other beverages such as lemon water, buttermilk, milk, and coconut water can also be enjoyed without adding extra sugars.

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Whole Grains:

Organic Black Rice
Organic oatmeal
Organic Millet
Organic Brown Rice
Organic Wild Rice
Organic Quinoa

Legumes:

Lentils
Black Beans
Lima Beans
Kidney Beans
Chickpeas
Green Beans

Why do people use Coconut oil in Coffee?

Coconut oil in coffee is a great way of sweetening the coffee without any added sugars or creamers.

In fact, most people love to sip on their daily joes with a touch of coconut oil for its weight loss properties.

If you are confused and perplexed as to how coconut oil in coffee can help you achieve the body of your dreams, look no further. Here is how coconut oil in bulletproof coffee can help facilitate weight loss:

Makes you feel fuller for longer periods
Improves metabolism
Enhanced Digestion
Helps you remain in the ketosis stage, suitable for most ketogenic diets.

Most people love to add a dollop of coconut oil to their coffee to prolong the ketosis stage during their diet or fasting practices.

Ketosis is a stage of fasting where the body begins to burn excess fats instead of glucose to produce energy.

For most beginners who opt for the ketogenic diet, adding coconut oil to their morning brew gives them a jolt of energy even when they are in a calorie deficit.

Coconut oil contains fats referred to as triglycerides or medium-chain triglycerides that provide the body with the required energy without breaking the ketosis.

What exactly breaks your fast during Intermittent Fasting?

So, when it comes to intermittent fasting, your fast will break immediately after your body begins to produce insulin.

Insulin is a form of peptide hormone produced by beta cells present in the pancreatic islets

that are encoded in humans by the INS gene.

This hormone is considered the main anabolic hormone in the human body that allows glucose to enter the body to further convert it into energy.

Insulin is produced by the body to break down carbohydrates and proteins to regulate energy.

Hence any amount of calories no matter how large or small the calorie content will eventually end up breaking your fast during intermittent fasting.

So, can coconut oil break a fast?

The simple answer to this question is, that whether or not coconut oil can break a fast, depends on both the type of coconut oil and the fasting method.

As mentioned earlier, coconut oil is a form of medium-chain triglycerides that are often categorized as “pure fats”.

Pure fats do not have any direct effect on both your insulin levels or blood sugars, in fact, when consumed in conjunction with black coffee, “fasting mimicking” coconut oil often helps burn excess fat.

Some people swear that drinking coconut oil with their morning joes allows them to fast for longer periods than usual.

For example, if you fast for twelve hours and consume regular black coffee, adding a touch of coconut oil can help prolong your fasting period to about sixteen hours.

Furthermore, coconut oil has been found to cause no disruption to bodies, and the autophagy process, makes it a perfect partner for your coffee that doesn’t affect your intermittent fast negatively.

How much coconut oil should you add to your coffee?

A small amount of “fasting mimicking” coconut oil (close to a teaspoon) in a cup of regular black coffee is perfect for procuring the morning joe for intermittent fasting.