Breaking a fast correctly is essential to maintaining its health benefits and avoiding issues like blood sugar spikes or digestive distress. Here's a quick guide to transitioning back to eating safely and effectively:

• Start small: Begin with light, easy-to-digest foods like bone broth, steamed vegetables, or fermented foods (yoghurt, kefir).
• Avoid sugary or heavy foods: Skip carb-heavy meals, sugary drinks, and fried foods to prevent energy crashes and discomfort.
• Balance your meals: Include a mix of protein (e.g., soft-boiled eggs), healthy fats (e.g., avocado), and low-glycaemic carbs (e.g., quinoa, cooked vegetables).
• Hydrate: Stay hydrated with options like water or electrolyte-rich broths.
• Gradual refeeding: Space out small meals over several hours to ease your digestive system back into function.

Using tools like Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs) can help you monitor how your body reacts to different foods and fine-tune your post-fast eating plan. Start slow, listen to your body, and focus on nutrient-dense foods for a smooth transition.

Transitioning from fasting to eating

Here’s how to smoothly transition from fasting to eating, ensuring stable blood sugar levels, optimal digestion, and sustained energy throughout the day.

How your body adjusts after fasting

When you break a fast, your digestive system needs time to restart, as enzyme production slows down during fasting. Your body also shifts back to using glucose from food as its primary energy source instead of relying on ketones and fat.

This process triggers hormonal changes, especially in insulin sensitivity, which affects how nutrients are processed. Choosing foods that are low on the glycaemic index can help stabilise your energy and maintain the health benefits of fasting.

Mistakes to avoid when breaking a fast

To ease your body back into eating, start with small, nutrient-dense meals. Jumping straight into large or sugary meals can lead to discomfort and undo some of fasting's benefits. Here are some common mistakes and how to avoid them:

Start your refeeding process with easily digestible options like bone broth, which is rich in minerals and gentle on the stomach. Afterward, you can add cooked vegetables and fermented foods to help restore your gut microbiome.

Everyone's body reacts differently, so take note of how you feel and adjust your approach as needed. By focusing on gradual, mindful refeeding and avoiding these common mistakes, you’ll help your body transition smoothly while supporting your overall metabolic health.

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Recommended foods for ending a fast

Choose nutrient-dense foods to break your fast, focusing on options that stabilise blood sugar, support digestion, and provide lasting energy.

Easy-to-digest foods

When breaking a fast, start with gentle foods that are kind to your stomach. Bone broth is a great option; it's packed with minerals and easy to digest. Steamed vegetables, like zucchini and carrots, are another good choice. They provide important nutrients without overloading your digestive system. Unsweetened yoghurt or kefir can also help by replenishing gut bacteria while offering essential nutrients.

Once your body adjusts to these lighter foods, you can begin introducing more nutrient-packed options to rebuild energy and support recovery.

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Nutrient-rich goods

After easing in with light meals, it’s time to add more substantial, nutrient-dense foods. Avocados are an excellent choice as they provide healthy fats that help stabilise blood sugar and offer sustained energy. Wild-caught salmon is another great option, delivering omega-3 fatty acids and high-quality protein to aid in recovery.

Pasture-raised eggs are rich in easily digestible protein and essential nutrients. Prepare them gently—soft-boiled or poached eggs are ideal to avoid overwhelming your digestive system.

Foods to avoid

Breaking your fast successfully also means steering clear of foods that might upset your stomach or cause blood sugar spikes. A continuous glucose monitor (CGM) can help identify specific foods that may lead to unexpected blood sugar fluctuations, allowing you to fine-tune your choices.

Start with small portions of these recommended foods and gradually increase as your body readjusts. Using tools like a CGM can help you better understand how different foods impact your blood sugar, helping you refine your post-fast eating strategy.

Creating the perfect post-face meal

Now that you know which foods to focus on, let’s talk about combining them into balanced meals to make refeeding easier on your body.

Balancing macronutrients

A good post-fast meal includes a mix of protein (20-30%), healthy fats (30-40%), and low-glycaemic carbs (30-40%). Aim for easily digestible options like poached fish for protein, avocado for fats, and steamed vegetables for carbs. This combination helps keep your blood sugar steady, avoiding energy dips while aiding your body’s recovery after fasting.

Examples of post-fast meals

What you eat after fasting depends on how long you’ve gone without food. For a 16-hour fast, try avocado toast topped with soft-boiled eggs and a side of steamed vegetables. After a 24-hour fast, start with something light like bone broth and fermented vegetables, then gradually add protein and healthy fats over the next few hours.

Timing meals for blood sugar control

Spacing out your meals can help prevent blood sugar spikes and keep your energy stable. Start with small portions and wait at least 20 minutes before deciding if you need more food.

Moving around after eating can also improve how your body processes glucose. A short walk after your meal is a simple way to support better blood sugar control.

If you want to fine-tune your approach, tools like continuous glucose monitors can give you personalised insights into how your body responds to different foods and meal timings.

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Using technology to tailor your approach

Choosing the right foods and timing is key after fasting, but tools like continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) can provide an extra edge. These devices give real-time feedback on how your body reacts to different foods, helping you keep blood sugar steady and maintain the benefits of fasting.

How Continuous Glucose Monitoring helps

CGMs reveal how specific foods and activities influence your blood sugar, making it easier to fine-tune your nutrition after fasting.

Spotlight on Vively and Similar Programs

Platforms like Vively pair CGMs with personalised nutrition coaching. Their app provides real-time analysis to help you adjust your fasting and eating habits based on your unique metabolic responses.

"Understanding how different foods affect my body has been empowering." — Vively  CGM User

Making the most of your data

Here’s how to use CGM data effectively:

• Monitor post-fast reactions: Track how your glucose changes after eating specific foods.
• Spot Patterns: Notice how meal timing and composition impact blood sugar stability.
• Adapt Your Choices: Refine your meals based on what your data shows.

Many people find that using CGM insights helps improve metabolic health and manage weight more effectively. Combining this data with other health factors like sleep and exercise can help you build a well-rounded and personalised fasting plan for better long-term results.

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Conclusion: optimising your fast-ending routine

Ending a fast requires careful planning to ensure your body transitions smoothly back to eating. Dr. Jason Fung explains that reintroducing food too quickly can overwhelm your system, as fasting slows down the production of digestive juices.

Here are three essential components to focus on when breaking a fast:

Starting with broths or fermented foods can make digestion easier, as previously mentioned. For those looking to fine-tune their approach, tools like CGMs (Continuous Glucose Monitors) offer additional insights to help you achieve better results.

‍Vively is a metabolic health app that can help women undergoing the menopause transition improve their quality of life. The Vively app integrates with continuous glucose monitors (CGM) to help women understand how their lifestyle is impacting their blood sugar levels. This, combined with in-app education and support, can help women improve their symptoms. Chat to your doctor about whether Vively may suit you.