6 Nutritionist Approved Meal Ideas for Breaking Your Intermittent Fast You’ll Wish You’d Known About Sooner

Intermittent fasting is a tried-and-tested method for weight loss and weight management, and I gladly recommend it to my clients if it aligns with their lifestyle. However, one question always emerges—is it sustainable in the long run?

A systematic review published in the Canadian Family Physician Journal concluded that longer-term research is needed to understand the sustainable role IF can play in weight loss. (1) So, until we have more scientific data about the sustainability of IF, it’s best to take breaks from fasting every now and then.

That said, breaking a fast is easier said than done. Various, otherwise healthy, meals could be too heavy on the stomach and cause pain and discomfort. To avoid that, I’ve come up with six easy-to-prepare and easy-on-the-stomach meals you can turn to when breaking a fast.

6 Nutritionist-Approved Meal Ideas for Breaking Your Intermittent Fast

Here are six well-balanced, easy meals to break a fast that you can add to your recipe arsenal:

1. Avocado and Egg Toast

Avocado and egg toast is among the best meals to break a fast because it perfectly balances healthy fats, proteins, and fibers. It is also an ideal way to start your day since it takes just 15 minutes to prep.

Ingredients:

• ½ ripe avocado
• Two eggs
• Two slices of whole-grain bread
• Six cherry tomatoes
• Handful of spinach leaves
• Seasonings

The body craves certain nutrients after fasting, so replenishing those nutrients with a mix of essentials is the way to go. The healthy fats from avocado will not only do that but also aid in absorbing fat-soluble vitamins (2). In addition, the protein you get from eggs will help stabilize blood sugar levels, and fibers will help with digestion.

How to make:

• Toast the bread to your liking.
• Poach or boil the eggs.
• Mash the avocado and spread it evenly over the bread.
• Place the eggs on toast, and add cherry tomatoes and spinach leaves.
• Season to taste.

2. Greek Yogurt Parfait with Mixed Berries and Nuts

You are short on time and want to break your fast with a healthy meal, this is what you’re looking for. It’s delicious, lightweight, low on calories, and offers a great balance of probiotics, antioxidants, and healthy fats.

Ingredients:

• Cup of Greek yogurt
• Half cup mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, etc.)
• Handful of mixed nuts (almonds, walnuts, or pecans)
• One tablespoon honey
• A sprinkle of chia seeds

Greek yogurt is a great base for fruit parfaits and an excellent choice of probiotics—beneficial bacteria that support gut microbiota and digestion. Additionally, mixed berries high in antioxidants fight oxidative stress and boost immunity, and healthy fats from nuts provide long-lasting energy. Finally, honey helps with flavor and provides some fast-acting carbs, while chia seeds provide extra fiber and omega-3 fatty acids.

How to make:

• Lay the Greek yogurt, berries, and fats in a bowl in that particular order.
• Repeat the process until you use up all the ingredients.
• Drizzle honey on top and sprinkle with chia seeds.

3. Grilled Chicken with Sweet Potato and Avocado

This is one of my favorite weekly meals because it offers a splendid balance of all the micro and macronutrients your body needs. As such, it is the ideal meal to break a fast with.

Ingredients:

• 200g of chicken breast
• One large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• One ripe avocado, sliced
• Six cherry tomatoes
• Two tablespoons of olive oil
• Seasonings to taste

This one provides complete protein from the chicken, which will repair and build lean muscle tissue. Once you add sweet potatoes and avocado to the mix, you have a balanced meal rich in complex carbohydrates and healthy monounsaturated fats for an all-boxes-checked lunch.

How to make:

• Season the chicken to your liking (e.g., salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili flakes) and drizzle with one tablespoon of olive oil.
• Preheat the grill or a pan on high heat to sear the chicken and lock in the moisture and flavor. Drop the heat to medium and grill for 6-7 minutes on each side.
• Brush the sweet potato with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 200°C for 20-25 minutes until tender.
• Serve while warm with sliced avocado on the side.
• Optional: Add any salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, etc.) to the mix.

4. Salmon with Quinoa and Steamed Broccoli

A dish featuring salmon, quinoa, and steamed broccoli might sound bland, but when seasoned properly, it is as delicious as it is nutritious. Packed with high-quality protein, healthy, fiber-rich carbs, and omega-3 fatty acids, this may very well be the best meal to break a fast with.

Ingredients:

• Two salmon filets (6 oz each)
• One cup of quinoa, rinsed
• Two cups broccoli florets
• Olive oil
• Lemon wedges
• Garlic and dill
• Salt and pepper

Broccoli is one of my favorite veggies because it is packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, so it will replenish whatever you may be lacking after a long fast. As for salmon, you are getting a ton of high-quality protein and omega-3s, which are beneficial for heart health, inflammation reduction, and various other things. Finally, we get quinoa for some gluten-free fiber to help with digestive health and overall satiety.

How to make:

• Boil the water in a small pan and add quinoa and salt. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the quinoa for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove from heat, cover with lid, and let it steam for 5 minutes.
• Season the salmon with salt and pepper.
• Mix olive oil, crushed garlic, and dill and spread over salmon.
• Wrap the salmon and foil, and bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven at 200°C.
• Steam the broccoli until tender for 3-4 minutes.
• Plate everything and serve with lemon wedges.

5. Ground Beef Cabbage Rolls

This is a healthier take on one of the most popular dishes in my home country (Serbia), but believe me — it is as delicious as the original. Unlike the rest of the meals on this list, this one takes a while to make. However, this is an S-tier meal prep recipe you can keep in the freezer for months on end, and it will still be as good as it was on day one. To make these cabbage rolls, you will need:

Ingredients:

• 10-12 large cabbage leaves
• 500g lean ground beef
• Cup of rice
• Onion–finely chopped
• Two cloves of garlic —minced
• Two cups of tomato sauce
• Two tablespoons of olive oil
• Salt, pepper, and paprika

Cabbage rolls are probably one of the most well-balanced meals you’ll ever eat. They are also very satiating yet easy on the stomach. You will get a healthy dose of complete protein from turkey, complex carbohydrates from rice, and vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants from all the veggies in this dish.

One thing worth noting is that the original recipe calls for sauerkraut, a probiotic-packed superfood (3). However, I don’t like store-bought sauerkraut, and making it at home takes months and smells horrible — so cabbage it is.

How to make:

• Blanch the cabbage leaves for 2-3 minutes until soft.
• Cook rice for 8-10 minutes until al dente.
• In a large skillet, sweat the chopped onions and minced garlic. Add ground beef, season with salt, pepper, and paprika, and stir until evenly browned but not fully cooked.
• Mix the ground beef with rice.
• Place a spoonful of beef and rice mixture onto a cabbage leaf and roll up tightly. Tuck in the sides. If necessary, use toothpicks.
• Heat the olive oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Place the cabbage rolls and cook until browned on all sides (about one minute per side).
• Once browned, pour the tomato sauce over the rolls, add a glass of water, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30-40 minutes.

6. Zucchini Dough Pizza

When the cravings for pizza kick in — it’s hard to say no. Therefore, I decided to make a healthier, low-carb alternative that is bound to sit right with your stomach after a long fast. To make this healthy pizza, you will need:

Ingredients:

• One large egg
• One large zucchini
• ⅛  of flour
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella
• ¼ cup chopped bell peppers
• ¼ cup chopped mushrooms
• 100g of turkey sausage
• ¼ cup of tomato sauce
• Salt and oregano

What you get here is not necessarily a low-calorie meal (although we have eliminated a lot of flour from the mix). However, this pizza is very nutritious. You get lean protein from turkey sausage, vitamins and fiber from peppers, mushrooms, and zucchini, as well as some additional protein and healthy fats from mozzarella.

How to make:

• Shred a zucchini and place it in a colander. Season with salt and let it drain for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, squeeze out the remaining liquid.
• Mix the zucchini with flour and add a beaten egg until dough-like.
• Spread the zucchini dough in a circle on top of parchment paper. Bake at 180°C for 8-10 minutes, and take out to rest and cool.
• Cover the cooled dough with tomato sauce and season with salt and oregano.
• Top off with bell peppers, mushrooms, and turkey sausage.
• Bake for 10-12 more minutes at 180°C until the cheese has melted.

Things To Consider While Breaking A Fast

We must break the fast to revitalize our body and replenish essential macro and micronutrients.

What we know for certain is that after fasting, your digestive system ends up in a delicate state, so we must reintroduce food slowly and gradually.

Starting with easily digestible foods and meals, such as the ones listed above, can help “awaken” the digestive system without overwhelming it. We should also aim for foods rich in minerals, vitamins, dietary fiber, proteins, healthy fats, and carbohydrates to support proper immune system function and other biological processes.

Overeating and consuming heavy, fatty foods such as pizzas, hamburgers, cheesy pasta, and similar foods is likely not the best course of action.

How Important Is Hydration During Fasting?

Another critical aspect of intermittent fasting and breaking a fast is hydration.

Proper hydration during fasting is vital for maintaining optimal body functionality and ensuring the fast goes smoothly and without any side effects.

Water plays a critical role in nearly every bodily process, including regulating body temperature and facilitating cellular health. Therefore, we should drink at least a gallon of water per day.

Another reason why hydration is vital during fasting is that a significant portion of your daily fluid intake comes from food. So, drinking more water than usual is essential to compensate for this fluid loss.

Also, drinking plenty of water while fasting helps mitigate known side effects of fasting, such as:

• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Constipation
• Insomnia

Not to mention, drinking water can help curb those annoying hunger pangs during the initial stages of intermittent fasting.

Read also: Drinking Water During Fasting: A Complete Guide

Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

There are plenty of reasons why intermittent fasting is so popular, and most of those boil down to the following three:

Weight Loss

The most sought-after benefit of intermittent fasting is weight loss. When you narrow your eating window to just a few hours each day, cutting down on food intake happens quite naturally, leading to a calorie deficit without strict calorie counting.

In addition, you are more careful with your meal planning and avoid snacking late at night or eating junk food when you go out for a drink with your friends.

Furthermore, intermittent fasting promotes hormone function that can promote weight loss, such as increased growth hormone and decreased insulin levels. (4)

Of course, fasting could prompt your body to switch from using glucose for energy to ketones, which could result in fat loss and overall weight loss. However, there’s still much debate regarding this particular process, as the timeframe to reach ketosis may be too narrow in many IF plans.

Improved Health

Intermittent fasting improves metabolic health by regulating sugar levels, reducing inflammation, and, as said above, improving insulin sensitivity.

These positive changes are known to reduce the risk of developing metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, as well as a myriad of cardiovascular ailments.

The fasting process is also known to stimulate autophagy — a cellular process that breaks down and removes damaged cells, which can contribute to overall health, to say the least. While autophagy is often associated with weight management, there still isn’t enough evidence to suggest autophagy directly stimulates weight loss. However, some data found in rodent studies seems optimistic. (5)

Better Brain Function

While most are familiar with the brain fog or fatigue you experience in the initial stages of intermittent fasting, not many know enough about the positive effects of IF on brain health and function.

Intermittent fasting has been linked to improved memory, better cognitive function, and reduced risk of neurodegenerative diseases. Namely, fasting upregulates the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BNDF), a protein that supports brain plasticity and is crucial for learning and memory. (6)

As always, additional research is still necessary to fully substantiate these claims, but anecdotal evidence of “sharpness” and “better memory” is present.

Potential Drawbacks of Intermittent Fasting

While the data is overwhelmingly positive, there are still some drawbacks associated with intermittent fasting.

Possible Nutrient Deficiencies

From what I’ve seen over the years, the most significant drawback of intermittent fasting is nutrient deficiency.

Limiting eating time sometimes leads to insufficient intake of essential vitamins and minerals due to a lack of careful planning.

This often results in a decline in overall health, weakened immunity, or chronic fatigue. This prompts many people to abandon fasting and return to old, unhealthier eating habits.

Risk of Overeating

Another common drawback of fasting is the risk of overeating due to the short eating windows. I’ve seen many compensate for the fasting periods by consuming large amounts of food (often unhealthy, junk food), which essentially defeats the purpose of fasting in the first place.

FAQs

Can I eat bread after fasting?

While many would say no, introducing small portions of bread after fasting can’t hurt. You may eat it after a fast if you’re not devouring copious amounts of bread.

Does coffee break a fast?

In theory, yes, but in practice, a cup of black coffee does not break a fast. A cup of plain black coffee contains negligible calories and can add to some of the fasting benefits, such as improved brain function. Learn everything about fasting and coffee here.
 

How to break a 72-hour fast?

I suggest breaking a 72-hour fast with bone broth, followed by yogurt, smoothies, or soup. These foods give your body the time to readjust to the food intake after the prolonged fasting period.

Conclusion

Breaking a fast can be simple (and delicious). Prepare one of the six meals listed in this article to make the transition period smooth, delicious, and stomach-ache-free.

As long as you keep the meals light and well-balanced, meaning you start with easily digestible proteins, carbs, and fats — your body will quickly and easily adjust to your new eating schedule and diet.

References:

1. Welton S, Minty R, O’Driscoll T, Willms H, Poirier D, Madden S, Kelly L. Intermittent fasting and weight loss: Systematic review. Can Fam Physician. 2020 Feb;66(2):117-125. PMID: 32060194; PMCID: PMC7021351.
2. Dawson-Hughes B, Harris SS, Lichtenstein AH, Dolnikowski G, Palermo NJ, Rasmussen H. Dietary fat increases vitamin D-3 absorption. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2015 Feb;115(2):225-230. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2014.09.014. Epub 2014 Nov 17. PMID: 25441954.
3. Raak C, Ostermann T, Boehm K, Molsberger F. Regular consumption of sauerkraut and its effect on human health: a bibliometric analysis. Glob Adv Health Med. 2014 Nov;3(6):12-8. doi: 10.7453/gahmj.2014.038. PMID: 25568828; PMCID: PMC4268643.
4. Ho KY, Veldhuis JD, Johnson ML, Furlanetto R, Evans WS, Alberti KG, Thorner MO. Fasting enhances growth hormone secretion and amplifies the complex rhythms of growth hormone secretion in man. J Clin Invest. 1988 Apr;81(4):968-75. doi: 10.1172/JCI113450. PMID: 3127426; PMCID: PMC329619.
5. Fernández ÁF, Bárcena C, Martínez-García GG, Tamargo-Gómez I, Suárez MF, Pietrocola F, Castoldi F, Esteban L, Sierra-Filardi E, Boya P, López-Otín C, Kroemer G, Mariño G. Autophagy couteracts weight gain, lipotoxicity and pancreatic β-cell death upon hypercaloric pro-diabetic regimens. Cell Death Dis. 2017 Aug 3;8(8):e2970. doi: 10.1038/cddis.2017.373. PMID: 28771229; PMCID: PMC5596561.
6. Seidler K, Barrow M. Intermittent fasting and cognitive performance – Targeting BDNF as potential strategy to optimise brain health. Front Neuroendocrinol. 2022 Apr;65:100971. doi: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2021.100971. Epub 2021 Dec 18. PMID: 34929259.

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