Tips to break the fast in the healthiest way

The intermittent fasting method, although it has become fashionable lately as a healthy way to lose weight and gain health, is a method that is hundreds of years old. Plutarch himself already recommended it as a formula that could replace medicine thanks to the healthy benefits of fasting. Surely you have read a lot about this system to burn fat and strengthen the body, but little has been written about the best way to break it so as not to make huge mistakes.. We tell you, with the help of the experts, what are the best ways to get out of the intermittent fasting diet successfully.

The Fat Burning Formula of Longevity

Intermittent fasting has numerous benefits, one of them is that it favors the burning of fats when the body enters a state of ketogenesis, what does this mean? Well, when we do not consume food for several hours (from 12 hours without eating) the body begins to use fat stored in the body as fuel without destroying the muscle.

But not only will it help you achieve an enviable figure, it also has very beneficial effects on health, such as its anti-aging effect. In 2017, Harvard University already presented a study that concluded that fasting improved the life expectancy of people who practiced it thanks to the alteration that occurs in the mitochondrial activity of cells. Leticia Carrera, technical director of the Felicidad Carrera center and nutrition expert explains that "with fasting we generate, among others, more SIRTA protein, just as the famous antioxidant Resveratrol does in wine." With this in mind fasting would be a key part in the mathematical formula of longevity, it would help us to stay healthier, with effective weight control and youth, more than enough reasons to put it into practice, right?

Long and short intermittent fasting

There are several fasting modalities ranging from fasts considered short as 12/12 in which you could eat 12 hours while in the other 12 no. The 16/8 which is the most successful due to its easy adherence since skipping breakfast or dinner can be done without much effort or already 24 hour or 36 hour fasts, even more than are considered long.

If you are wondering if intermittent fasting could slow down your metabolism, Marcos Vázquez, author of the blog Fitness Revolucionario, explains that there is no need to worry about it: “the belief that skipping meals slows down your metabolism is wrong and, in fact, fasting produces the opposite effect in the short term, increases energy expenditure" Without a doubt, all are advantages, now the question is how to break that fast in a healthy way.

How to break the fast?

If you are practicing intermittent fasting, it is advisable to get out of it little by little and the stricter the fast, the more care you should have to break it. According to Borja Bandera, a doctor specializing in endocrinology and nutrition, to get out of a short fast “the ideal is to break the fast with real food, which is not very processed and satisfying (protein, fat and fiber). For example, a meat or fish dish, or scrambled eggs accompanied by a large salad would be a great option. Breaking the fast with little recommended foods like ultra-processed ones means that the potential benefit of the fast is lost. ”

In long fasts of 24 or 36 hours some physiological changes take place that should be taken into account when breaking the fast “many people when leaving a long fast do not tolerate foods such as seeds, nuts, cruciferous or leafy vegetables well Uncooked green, eggs, dairy, red meat or alcohol, so it is recommended that hydration is maintained, the hydrosaline state is essential to avoid problems when resuming food. To get out of a long fast, it is recommended to limit protein intake to white meat or fish, in a small amount and without much fat.. The best cooked vegetables to avoid digestive problems. As for fats, EVOO, avocado or coconut oil are very well tolerated. The most important thing is to watch the quantities and eat slowly, ”explains Bandera.

Whether it is to get out of a long or short fast, nutrition expert Leticia Carrera points out that “to break the fast it is important to resort to healthy menus, low in saturated fat and simple sugars, limiting the compounds or resorting to whole grains, cooking everything to the iron, baked, steamed, at low temperature or in vacuum and avoiding processed foods ", that is, piano piano or despacito, take your time to get out of the fast and do it with a conscious and healthy intake avoiding binge eating or foods that are not recommended that make all your effort go overboard, in addition to causing digestive problems. "If we are doing an intermittent fasting diet with the aim of losing weight, it is important that the days or hours of intake we follow a low calorie diet, because otherwise the effort may not be worth it," Carrera explains. So now you know, if your intention is to lose weight, do not neglect your diet in the time zone (or on days in case of long fasts) in which you can eat food.

Some of the ideas of healthy dishes proposed by Leticia Carrera to break the fast are broccoli with dried tomato vinaigrette and baked salmon with soy sauce and honey or zucchini lasagna and croaker and avocado tartar. Also a tuna omelette with sautéed spinach and mushrooms, a light broth accompanying a baked sea bass or a pumpkin cream with clams a la marinera would also be very healthy dishes to break the fast properly.

In addition to these ideas of healthy dishes, Dr. Borja Bandera gives us another trick to take care of our health when breaking the fast, "apple cider vinegar would be a good idea to break a fast since helps digestion, thanks mainly to acetic acid. It is satiating and improves insulin sensitivity" It does not hurt then always have on hand a bottle of apple cider vinegar, and if it is bio much better.

If you are going to practice intermittent fasting it takes some commitment and not using it as an excuse to increase calorie intake, indulge yourself or binge-eat. It is a method that helps to lose weight and gain well-being but only if you break it in a healthy way and now you already have all the keys to do it.