Does anyone know the absolute answer to whether or not you have to eat NOTHING for a period of time for it to be considered IF/reap the benefits of IF or if you can have pure fat (ie: black coffee w/ 1T butter or herbal tea with 1T coconut oil…or both)?
One can have coffee with butter and coconut oil, tea, broth and not eat “traditional” food and be fasting. The whole point of fasting - for me - is to keep my bg stable and not spiking it and requiring shot(s) to get it back down, and then risk a hypo. Intermittent fasting is not for everyone but I feel better doing it. It’s right for me.
2 Likes
I assume it may depend on the goals for IF. I was told “no calories” is the requirement - so, I can have my black coffee (which I like, anyway), but nothing that contains calories at all.
I’ve seen both said: no calories, but I’ve seen it’s okay, so long as it’s just fat. i’ve been doing IF not even knowingly because i drink black coffee until lunch, but I had thought of incorporating fats to ensure I’m getting enough calories, but IDK if that ruins the benefits of iF
When I intermittent fast, I drink coffee both black and with heavy cream. I’ll also treat lows with glucose tabs.
1 Like
Dr. Jason Fung has a great website with intermittent fasting information. 
1 Like
Yes, it is confusing that different sites say different things.
I understand that the idea of IF is to fool the body into thinking it is still in starvation mode (as it has been all night), so it will get its energy from ketones, and burn body fat. To my way of thinking, coffee with cream - or any fat - should not affect the ‘starvation effect’.
My BG seems stable with black coffee, but if I add full fat cream (which according to the label has 0 carbs), I start rising and have to take about 1 unit of rapid. That’s why I switched to black (which took some time to get used to…). I’ve been adding butter on the suggestion of one TU member, and it’s delicious! I use a little milk frothing tool to mix it really well…tastes like creamy coffee! Anyhow, this for some reason doesn’t rise my blood sugars at all. Go figure??? So, I’ve found a new way to enjoy my a.m. mug of coffee, and keep the blood sugars steady and get some calories in too! :)grin:
When i started using cream in my coffee, i looked at the labels on various products. Even though it is ‘just cream’, many companies seem to use stabilizers or what-have-you that add a little carbs. I use the one that has the tiniest amount of carbs…
1 Like
Butter and coconut oil, in coffee, blend it in with a small whisk. Doesn’t have to be fancy but oh so yummy!
I use Kerrygold butter and coconut oil for my bulletproof coffee and then hit it with my stick blender.
1 Like