What Can You Drink During an Intermittent Fasting Break?

Strictly speaking, anything that contains calories breaks a fast. But in practice, it’s not the mere fact that matters, but the amount: the body responds to food with an insulin spike, and a pinch of cream causes a negligible spike, while a glass of juice causes a full one, like eating a meal.

A figure of “up to 50 calories and the fast remains intact” is circulating online. Healthline investigated this “threshold” and found no study that confirmed it—it’s a convenient rule, not a scientific fact. It’s more reasonable to think of it this way: a drink without sugar or a noticeable amount of protein doesn’t break a fast, while a drink with sugar or milk does.

If the goal of fasting is to let insulin levels drop and switch the body to burning fat, a cup of coffee with a spoonful of cream doesn’t interfere. That’s precisely why, in Anastasia’s intermittent fasting method, coffee with cream is the norm, not the exception.

Coffee during a break can even help: caffeine slightly dulls appetite and supports alertness while the body switches to fats. A Healthline review gives a safety guideline of up to 400 mg of caffeine per day, roughly four cups. More can mean sleep problems, anxiety, and an irritated stomach, all of which are felt more strongly during a break.

In Anastasia’s method, the guideline is gentler: 1-2 cups a day, preferably with cream rather than black. The fat in the cream softens caffeine’s effect on the stomach and eliminates jittery alertness on an empty stomach. Milk is a different story: it contains lactose, that is, sugar, as well as protein, so coffee with milk is already a small meal.

Coffee in the evening delays falling asleep even for those who do not feel its effects. If you have night hunger and poor sleep, the first thing to check is your last cup after 15:00.

Soda with artificial sweeteners does not technically break the pause: it contains no calories. But the sweet taste reinforces cravings for sweets, and the whole point of the regimen is, in large part, to overcome them. In Anastasia’s method, sugar substitutes—erythritol and stevia—are allowed in food, but it is still better to eliminate sweet drinks out of habit, at least for the first few weeks.

Juices and smoothies are the most deceptive category. A glass of orange juice contains 20-25 g of sugar, just as much as soda, and none of the fiber that was in the orange. A “green smoothie” with a banana and an apple is the same. It is food, and not the most suitable kind.

Alcohol during the pause is a no. It is high in calories, affects you more strongly on an empty stomach, and reduces control over eating when the window opens.

Morning: a glass of water immediately after getting up, with a pinch of salt added. This relieves much of the morning sluggishness that people mistake for hunger. Then coffee with cream — it will carry you through another couple of hours.

A wave of hunger an hour or two before your eating window: a glass of water or a cup of tea, and keep your hands busy for 20 minutes. Hunger that comes on schedule goes away on its own; this is explained in detail in the article about hunger during the fasting period. If it does not go away, open your eating window earlier; this is not a failure.

And one last thing: there is no need to drink liters of water “so you do not feel like eating.” Water fills the stomach for half an hour, while the sodium washed out afterward will come back to haunt you as weakness. It is better to drink less water, but with salt, and have a substantial first meal.

Why salt during the fasting period is more important than it seems, how much you need, and how to tell that you are low on sodium, potassium, or magnesium — in the article salt, water, and electrolytes during the fasting period.