Should I Use Vitamins & Supplements While Intermittent Fasting?
Should I Use Vitamins & Supplements While Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent fasting promotes all sorts of health benefits from weight loss to increasing mental performance to life extension and honestly just feeling better during your day to day activities. While these are all very true benefits the very act of fasting can deprive your body of essential nutrition and nutrients. Good news is that we can supplement these deficiencies with vitamins and sport specific supplements. However, the timing and the type of supplements is key to getting the most out of your intermittent fasting program.
I guess that answers the first question, should I be taking supplements and vitamins while intermittent fasting… YES! Won’t taking vitamins break my fast? Nope! Let me explain, to break a fast you need to have a bump up or increase in insulin and this comes from food or simply put from calories.
So, now that we know what it takes for us to pop out of our fasted state, we can start to look at vitamins and supplements through that filter.
Gummy Multi-Vitamins
If you are using a gummy multi-vitamin that is sweet to the taste, chances are it has some sugar that will increase your insulin and break your fast. Maybe you are taking some sort of pre-workout powder before hitting the gym and that will be sweetened with something which will more than likely break your fast. Hopefully you are starting to see the trend here, the vitamins and supplements aren’t the culprit, it’s the sugar or the transport method that can jam up an intermittent fasting plan. Something like a protein drink would also break a fast since protein is caloric and will cause an increase of insulin in the body.
Coffee
Oh no, wait… what about coffee?? Will Caffeine Break my Intermittent Fast? I’m pretty sure I can feel the collective mind of the internet holding their breath waiting for this answer. Let’s face it, if you are a coffee drinker and can’t drink coffee while intermittent fasting you might have to change diet plans right here right now. Ok, don’t worry – coffee and caffeine won’t break a fast. However, it’s what you add to your coffee that will kick you right out of your fasted state; so, keep it strong and black. No, sugar or cream just straight up coffee – you know, like it was intended to be by the universe!
Ok, ok so what can I take? Glad you asked…
What Vitamins and Supplements Should you Take While Intermittent Fasting?
If you are looking for the perfect supplement to your intermittent fasting lifestyle, check out inmit fasting.
Here we’ll get into the meat and potatoes of what you should be using while intermittent fasting. This isn’t an exhaustive list to say the least however it’ll give you a great framework to get started and have a solid knowledge of what to look for in a vitamin and supplement plan.
Magnesium:
Omega-3s:
Chromium and vanadium:
Iodine:
- Vitamin D:
- Good old fashion sunshine can be hard to come by these days, being stuck inside or working in an office all day. If you aren’t able to get out and see the sun some, a good vitamin D supplement can help to pick up your mood and boost your energy levels.
Fat-soluble vitamins:
Curcumin and krill oil:
Zinc and copper:
Protein Powders:
- If you are having a hard time hitting the 30g of protein you need to be taking each 4-hours you are awake a protein powder can be just what the doctor ordered. Look for a low-sugar, low-fat protein powder that you find tasty and you’ll be in good shape! This isn’t a hard and fast rule however a lot of times women will see more health benefits from using a soy-based protein. While men will typically use a whey protein however, the type isn’t nearly as important as the fact that you are reaching your protein intake goals each day.
If you are looking for the perfect supplement to your intermittent fasting lifestyle, check out inmit fasting.
Should you decide that vitamins and supplements are for you and can benefit your intermittent fasting program then be sure to take them during the right time. Most vitamins need to have food as a way to help them absorb into the body so just be sure to take them during your eating window. That way you’ll be getting every drop of nutrients you paid for. Don’t forget that vitamins and supplements are no replacement for quality food, sunshine, fresh air and plenty of exercise. However, in today’s busy world supplements are sure nice to have to fill in the gaps!