Artificial Sweeteners That Wont Break A Fast
Stevia
Monk Fruit
Sugar Alcohols
Zero Fasting does a fabulous job of outlining the summary of the effects of each of the sweeteners on fasting for metabolic health, gut health or longevity in a blog post.
I summarized their findings, along with other popular sweeteners, in a simple at-a-glance guide.
Will Sucralose / Splenda Break A Fast
First, consider why youre fasting.
Some common reasons to fast include:
- Reduced body fat
Heres how I look at it:
If something stops you from reaching your fasting goals, then it breaks your fast.
Lets look at these common fasting goals in more detail, and how each one would be affected by sucralose.
Caffeine On An Empty Stomach
If you drink coffee on an empty stomach, it can exacerbate issues if you have inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, or gastroesophageal reflux disease. If youre dealing with any of these issues, you may want to be careful with your intake, or try a cold brew, which is generally less acidic.
Also Check: What To Do During Intermittent Fasting
Keiths Ketone Results: Stevia
Keith:
So for stevia, my ketones started at 0.6 mmol/L, which I was really happy about!
Im rarely in ketosis first thing in the morning
At 30 minutes I was at 0.3 mmol/L, then I went to 0.4 mmol/L at 60 minutes, and then I went back to 0.3 mmol/L at 120 minutes.
So, it just slammed the door shut on me.
What Are The Best Time Slot When It Comes To Intermittent Fasting
One of the most common question is how to choose time slots. Well, you can choose any time slot, depending on your lifestyle and work pattern. For example, if you sleep by 8, then, ideally, your last meal should be by six. So you may choose 10 am to 6 pm as your time slot. You can do 1 to 9 pm or 2 to 10 pm, depending on what time do you go to sleep.
If you do night shift and if your shift is from midnight till 8 am, then, thats the time when youre awake. So these 8 hours could be your eating window and the rest 16 hours would be the fasting window. So, it doesnt really make a difference whether youre eating during the day or night, as long as you maintain 16 hours of fasting window and eight hours of eating winter.
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What To Have Instead
If you have been using Splenda for a while and the idea of completely removing a sweetener from your morning coffee or tea seems unthinkable at the moment, you still have options. Ideally, for your weight loss goals, completely removing sweetener of any sort is the goal for best results. But you can also use pure stevia and monk fruit sweetener in the meantime to help wean off from sugar and at least transition away from Splenda.
Does Your Sex Impact How You Should Do Intermittent Fasting
Lets talk about men and women special needs in intermittent fasting. Not every woman can fast for 16 hours, so a female still has an option to choose between 14 to 16 hours of fasting and still get benefited. But dont choose less than 14 hours, because if its a few minutes less than 14 hours, then you may not reach the fasting state.
Men, on the other hand, should only follow 16 hours of fasting window, not less than that. This is because of the difference in the physical structure. On some sites, you may find that 12 hours of fasting window for men are ok. But I dont think it is the case, I think you wont see any benefits from such a fasting window.
Also Check: How Many Calories Should You Eat During Intermittent Fasting
Why Are We Testing Sweeteners In Coffee
Keith:
A month or so ago we tested adding fats to our coffee as well as a few different things.
That seemed to be good with everybody and it answered a lot of questions, except for one question we kept receiving.
we got from, it seemed like every other person, was:
Are sweeteners in my coffee going to affect my ketones, my glucose, and my intermittent fasting.
Becky:
Right. So, we are in round three of our testing, and we followed the same scientific method that we did when testing the fats.
Is Sucralose The Best Sweetener To Use While Fasting
Probably not.
It appears to have a variety of harmful effects, and may make it harder for you to fast.
I also wouldnt recommend aspartame , because it appears to be similarly harmful to health.
My top pick with what I know right now would probably be stevia.
Monk fruit is another natural sweetener that seems fairly healthy as well, but I need to do more research before I decide for sure.
More to come on this, as well as some of the other sugar substitutes , after a little more investigation.
Also Check: How Many Calories Should You Eat When Doing Intermittent Fasting
How Much Is Too Much
Using stevia in moderation is unlikely to break your fast or reduce any of the potential benefits youre trying to obtain from fasting.
However, its possible to have too much of a good thing.
The Food and Drug Administration set the acceptable daily limit of stevia extract ingestion at 1.8 mg per pound of body weight. For someone who weighs 150 pounds , that equates to about 272 mg per day .
Serving sizes may vary depending on the brand, but a typical serving of pure liquid stevia extract is about 57 drops, which contains approximately 2050 mg of stevia.
For safety purposes, a 150-pound person should limit their intake to no more than five 50-mg servings of liquid stevia per day. This equates to about 2560 drops depending on the strength of your product.
Since the potency can vary between brands, check the product label or contact the manufacturer directly to find out how much stevia the drops provide per serving.
Summary
Stevia doesnt contain any calories and is unlikely to cause significant metabolic changes. Thus, a moderate intake of stevia is likely alright during a fast.
Does Coffee With Cream And Stevia Break A Fast
Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world. It is enjoyed by people of all ages, cultures, and religions. Although coffee is generally considered healthy, there are some people who do not recommend drinking coffee during fasting.
Coffee is made from ground coffee beans that are mixed with water. Coffee is usually brewed with water, milk, sugar, and cream. Some people also add stevia to their coffee. Stevia is a natural sweetener that is derived from plants. Stevia is not affected by intermittent fasting.
However, add-ins like milk, sugar, cream, and other ingredients that contain calories can break your fast. If you are fasting and drink coffee, be sure to monitor your calorie intake.
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Are There Any Potential Side Effects
Since there are several benefits associated with monk fruit, you might be wondering if there are side effects to taking it while fasting. The good news is, no research on monk fruit consumption during a fast has highlighted any potential ones. Therefore, being a natural sweetener with no side effects, it is certified GRAS by the FDA .
However, as with any type of sweetener, consuming monk fruit during a fast could lead to further sugar cravings in your body. Most times, these cravings could lead to the consumption of snacks and meals that are not healthy for your wellness goals and defeats the purpose of fasting. So keep your guard up!
To put it simply, the more you include sugar of any type in your diet, the more your body is sure to crave it. However, you should ensure monk fruit or its sweetener isnt present in everything you consume. Minimizing the amount helps keep the sugar cravings at bay while ensuring you feel your best throughout your fast.
Another thing to note about monk fruit is the aftertaste. While some people find the aftertaste bitter, others find it pleasant and a better choice than artificial sweeteners like aspartame and saccharin. As with many other things, it really comes down to your own taste!
Beckys Glucose Results: Sweetnlow
Your blood glucose started at 70 mg/dL, went up to 81 mg/dL at 30 minutes, went down to 74 mg/dL at 60 minutes, and then at 120 minutes it was 73 mg/dL.
From start to finish, you had only a little bit of a rise in your ketones, and blood glucose stayed about the same.
Becky:
Right, but with black coffee, my ketones went up 0.9 mmol/L. Here I went up to 0.5 mmol/L. It is not a huge amount.
Keith:
If that was me, these numbers would be huge, but these are my numbers:
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Do Artificial Sweeteners Break Fast
This is a common question, but to fully understand the answer, its vital to grasp the basics of intermittent fasting and know a little about the available sweeteners.
Intermittent fasting is a structured eating plan whereby you refrain from consuming calories for an extended period. The fasting times vary according to your circumstances, but for example, if you are on a 16:8 plan, you would fast for 16 hours and consume food for 8 hours. During the 8 hours you eat, a regular balanced diet with some sugar and carbohydrate content can be enjoyed. However, during the 16-hour fasting window, you consume only zero-calorie drinks and water.
Most will agree that it is best to avoid artificial sweeteners where possible. However, some artificial sweeteners have more calories than others, and a few have minimal or zero caloric content, making it possible to consume these in diet drinks during your fast. Whether you decide to use them or not, you can use the Fasting Kompanion to track your fasting progress. It will also help you time your fasting cycles and stay motivated!
What Are Artificial Sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners are zero-calorie replacements for other caloric sweeteners, like sugar. Theyre helpful for people trying to lose weight or reduce their sugar intake because they taste similar to sugar, but without the carbs & calories that comes from sugar.
Most of the common artificial sweeteners are:
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Keiths Glucose Results: Equal
My glucose started at 101 mg/dL, went up to 114 mg/dL at 30 minutes, went back to 98 mg/dL at 60 minutes, and back up to 108 mg/dL at 120 minutes.
Again we see that result kind of bobbing around a little bit.
I think my Equal results were similar to the results of regular sugar.
I was in ketosis when we did the sugar test, I dropped out of ketosis and then bounced back in at the two-hour mark.
Coffee Creamer Dos And Donts
Black coffee during intermittent fasting is best. If thats not an option, a tiny splash of cream is OK, and it wont change how much fat youre burning. It might, however, slow the rate of autophagy.
Fat is a better option than cream, and will have a small effect on your blood glucose or insulin sensitivity. Bulletproof coffee and intermittent fasting are thus the perfect pair. Grass-fed butter and coconut oil add flavor and creaminess without causing metabolic changes that would disrupt your fast.
When ordering in a coffee shop, beware that the cream used is often a mix of milk and cream and not full fat. Protein and carbohydrates in milk can cause you to break your fast.
Read Also: Do You Lose Weight Fast With Intermittent Fasting
Can You Have Black Coffee With Splenda While Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting linked with less severe cases of COVID-19, study finds Those who have regularly fasted intermittently for decades have a lower chance of being hospitalized or dying from COVID-19.
“The brain is a hybrid vehicle and is in optimal function when it switches between sugar and fat as its fuel, the easiest way.
Intermittent fasting has previously shown to have a host of health benefits, including lowering the risk of diabetes and heart disease. Now, researchers have found that people who regularly fast are.
Intermittent fasting linked with less severe cases of COVID-19, study finds Those who have regularly fasted intermittently for decades have a lower chance of being hospitalized or dying from COVID-19.
Black coffee is ok, but Splenda triggers an insulin response and should be avoided during your fast.
Yes, you can drink plain, black coffee while intermittent fasting but no cream or sugar. · Most calorie-free drinks are safe to consume during.
Intermittent Fasting Splenda In Coffee Jan 20, 2018. Sucralose aka Splenda activates certain taste receptors that in some studies may stimulate insulin. However, one study found that infusing. Keto-Friendly Sweeteners These sweeteners can be used for baking, cooking and sweetening drinks like tea and coffee. Its commercially marketed as Splenda and is about 600 times sweeter than sugar. In
. YES! (well.
May 17, 2021.
Does apple cider vinegar break a fast?.
Testing Sweeteners In Coffee And Intermittent Fasting: #3 Equal
On to day three! Hypothesis number three is:
HYPOTHESIS #3: EQUAL
Equal in our coffees will not spike our blood glucose or drop us out of ketosis.
Becky:
So here again, Equal actually has dextrose with Maltodextrin in the ingredient list.
Im not sure why they worded it that way.
Then aspartame is third on the ingredient list.
So dextrose is a hidden name for sugar.
Maltodextrin on the glycemic index is
Keith:
really high.
the sources for where maltodextrin lands on the glycemic index are anywhere from 85 to 105. One of the sources even said 106 to 236.
Becky:
Right. whereas table sugar has a glycemic index of 65.
The glycemic index is a measure of how it is affecting your blood glucose.
Keith:
Keep in mind, straight glucose is 100. That is the mark.
Becky:
So, this is worse than just glucose, and then they also put aspartame in it.
Is Aspartame Safe To Consume?
Aspartame has some sketchy backstory as well.
It is actually an excitotoxin. This means it would cause the nerve cells of your brain to get excited to the point it can cause the death of nerve cells.
We see aspartame in diet sodas, kool-aid, and other stuff like that.
So we did not have high hopes, but we put a packet and a half in each of our coffees as that is the equivalent for a tablespoon of sugar, and here are our results.
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Intermittent Fasting Diet And Stevia
It is not uncommon to find people who have become addicted to sugar and other sweetening agents. Adding sugar to tea or coffee in the morning, for instance, has become a habit that is almost unbreakable from some people. While that may not seem to be so bad, if you consider its health effects on you, you may want to reconsider your action. For this a reason, those who cannot do without having sweet drinks are concerned when considering intermittent fasting. What they would like to know is if there is an alternative or any natural sweetener that would not affect their fasting goals.
When you are on a dietary plan, there are specific restrictions on the kinds of food you can select, but in regards to intermittent fasting, you dont have any restrictions on what to eat. The only parameter is to follow a timely approach to when you eat. When looking at your goal for fasting, there can be some limitations on what you may eat. For instance, if your goal is to lose weight, you should know that anything that contains high amounts of sugar and fat, should be limited, due to the calorie contents.
Artificial Sweeteners And A Fast
Even though it is sometimes recommended to limit the consumption of most types of sweeteners, there is support for the use of artificial sweeteners as they do not break a fast. One of the most often asked questions relating to artificial sweeteners is whether stevia breaks a fast or not. Considering the use of stevia as an artificial sweetener, some reports show that when used during intermittent fasting, it does not break the cycle, and so its a viable option no matter what your fasting goals are.
Some scientific studies have shown that the consumption of calorie-free sweeteners has the effect of increasing appetite and also developing the urge for sweet food . What is assumed to be the cause of this is that since insulin secretion increases while expecting the appearance of sugar in the blood, when this doesnt happen, there is a drop in the level of blood sugar and an increase in hunger .
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Sweeteners In Coffee At Home Test Summary
- Stevia did not raise our blood sugar, but it knocked Keith out of ketosis.
- SweetNLow raised our blood sugar, but it did not knock us out of ketosis.
- Equal had a similar response to sugar It raised keiths blood sugar levels and knocked us both our of ketosis.
- Splenda did not cause a spike in blood sugar, but it had a lowering effect on our ketones.
