Dr. Mario Ost is a renowned nutrition scientist, researcher and lecturer, deeply invested in enhancing our basic understanding on mitochondrial fitness, muscle health, and endocrine organ crosstalk in sports, aging and metabolic diseases. He's a founder of a young athlete health academy and serves as a scientific advisor at Fastic, focusing on personalized nutrition concepts, fasting-mimicking food-components (autophagy-inducers) and benefits of exercise for metabolic homeostasis and healthy aging. As a devoted father and pioneer, Dr. Ost is shaping a future where elite athletes achieve peak performance and obese patients regain their metabolic and muscle health through an evidence-based approach on personalized training and nutrient timing.
You can drink lemon water during intermittent fasting, as lemons have very low calories and negligible amounts of sugar. In fact, drinking lemon water can offer plenty of benefits, including hydration and antioxidants. Just don’t add more than a pinch of sugar to your lemon water, as that will risk breaking your fast.
If you have more questions like this about what you can eat or drink during intermittent fasting, the Fastic app can be your guide. Its AI-powered guide chatbot can answer all your questions in-app, so you can make healthy choices in the moment.
A wedge of lemon only has about 1.3 calories, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). It contains less than half a gram of total carbohydrates, of which 0.149g is sugar.
A 100ml of lemon-infused water has 2 calories and 0.21g of sugar. These calories and sugar are too low to break a fast. So, it’s completely safe to drink lemon water during a fast.
Remember that these numbers are just for water with lemon, with no additives. If you introduce a sweetener or another ingredient, the calories may change.
Lemon water is among those calorie-free drinks that are not only permissible to drink during intermittent fasting but also encouraged. Why? Because of the benefits lemons offer.
Water is great on its own, as it helps keep you hydrated and makes your fast a bit more bearable. But when you introduce lemon into it, you take things up a notch.
Here are the benefits of drinking lemon-infused water:
Get vitamin C– lemons are chockful of vitamin C, an antioxidant with numerous benefits, including fighting free radicals that can damage cells.
Good for digestion– we’ve all heard repeatedly that lemons aid digestion, as they can help with bloating, and that’s absolutely true, as confirmed by science.
Detoxification– lemons have a detoxifying effect on the body and can help it get rid of toxins.
Weight loss– lemon juice has been found to help with weight loss. It may promote satiety and boost your metabolism, which, in turn, enables you to consume fewer calories.
Alkalizing effect– Despite their acidic nature, lemons have an alkalizing effect on the body, helping to balance pH levels and create a more alkaline environment.
While lemon water offers many benefits, there aren’t any exclusive to intermittent fasting, except hydration. Drinking water with lemons can quench your thirst and keep you hydrated. And the importance of hydration during intermittent fasting can’t be stressed enough.
You’ll reap the same benefits whether you drink it while fasting or during your feeding window. Drinking lemon water during a fast can make water taste better. Some people get bored of the taste of water, especially during a fast. So squeezing in a wedge of lemon in water can elevate it and thrill your taste buds.
If you struggle to stay hydrated during your fast, you can use the Fastic app to set reminders. You must drink ample water, so set hourly reminders using the app designed to make intermittent fasting easier.
If you want to add more flavor to lemon water, you can add some herbs or spices to it that are low-calorie. Ensure that you’re not adding anything containing sugar, such as fruit juice or berries.
You can add the following to your lemon water and drink it without breaking your fast:
A small slice of ginger
A few mint leaves
A dash of cinnamon
A dash of turmeric
Adding these herbs or spices will enhance the flavor and also give you the benefits of these additional natural ingredients.
You can add lemon juice to your zero-calorie tea and not break your fast. Not all teas are zero-calories; only those that are simply brewed from the leaves and have no sugar added.
Lemon can give the tea a powerful flavor boost, not to mention all the benefits we’ve just discussed.
Disclaimer: It’s advised to speak with a health professional before beginning intermittent fasting or a diet program. There may be side effects for people with certain medical conditions.
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