Welcome back to The Diet Oracle! Today’s post is all about the best foods for intermittent fasting. Now, I know what you’re thinking–Isn’t fasting all about NOT EATING? Even I have to chuckle at the thought of food lists for fasting! However! Be that as it may, when it comes to intermittent fasting, food is still on the table and planning for your meals is as crucial as ever.

Anytime you are eating less, it is imperative that you make the most of every bite. Not only will you want your food choices to be filling and satisfying, but you will want to make sure your nutritional needs are being met as well.

Foods for Intermittent Fasting

With that in mind, I wanted to share with you today a simple list of the foods I found to be essential to my own week-long experience with intermittent fasting. While some were important for the nutrients they offered, others made it possible to just make it through the day.

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Bear in mind that as I followed one of the fasting schedules found in The Complete Guide to Fasting: Heal Your Body Through Intermittent, Alternate-Day, and Extended Fasting, I also committed to the particular nutrition recommendations given by the authors, which included an emphasis on natural fats (not necessarily plant-based) and whole, unprocessed foods. Refined grains were to be strictly limited and sugar avoided entirely.

Beverages

• Coffee with half and half. If you go back through my previous posts, you’ll see that I began every single day with 2 cups of coffee with half and half. Though I woke up almost every morning feeling hungry and really wanting to eat breakfast, drinking coffee made it possible for me to wait until lunchtime for that first meal. Don’t misunderstand: I still dealt with hunger throughout the morning, but coffee is what got me through. (I could also list tea here, except I drink chai tea with whole milk and a bit of sugar and sugar was on the no-no list.)
• Bone broth with fresh herbs. On my 24-hour fast days, bone broth was an absolute must-have. Though technically a liquid (and therefore in my beverage category), it seemed more than that. More filling. More substantial. More like food, I suppose, than other hot beverages. While I’m sure part of this truly is due to the nutritional content, I think it also is mental. A hot bowl (or mug) of bone broth with fresh herbs is *almost* like a bowl of soup. Almost. I happened to make a Vietnamese-style pho broth, which I adore in its own right.
• Water, plain or infused with fruits and fresh herbs. Staying hydrated is so important during a fast. Thirst is often misperceived as hunger and when you’re fasting, you’ve already got enough hunger pangs to deal with without adding dehydration to the mix.

Dairy and Eggs

• Half and half. A coffee necessity for me.
• Whole milk. When I did have tea, whole milk was essential.
• Cream. An important ingredient for cooking when you want to add fat. Also is not prone to breaking/curdling when making a sauce with acidic ingredients.
• Butter. Another important (and delicious) source of fat.
• Your favorite cheeses. Cheese is considered a medium-fat protein, which makes it a nice fit for Fung’s recommendations. Cheese also has a way of making a recipe or meal feel both filling and comforting–a bonus when you haven’t eaten for 18+ hours. I personally stocked the fridge with some of our usual suspects: Tillamook Cheddar, mozzarella, feta, and pecorino Romano.
• Greek yogurt (non-sweetened, full-fat). It’s high in protein with a neutral, slightly tangy flavor that pairs well with fruit as well as more savory fare. An easy grab-and-go item.
• Cottage cheese (ideally full-fat or at least 2%). Like Greek yogurt, another easy choice that’s high in protein and versatile.
• Eggs. So many ways to enjoy eggs and can be prepped in advance.

Meat, Poultry, Fish, and Other Protein Choices

• Cuts of beef you enjoy. I have to say that a good steak with a heaping pile of Caesar salad is my kind of diet.
• Chicken. You don’t need to go too lean here. Though you can certainly do boneless, skinless breasts, you’ll need to add fats in other ways to compensate.
• Fish (especially cold water, fatty fish)
• Tofu (not a low-fat kind)
• Various breakfast meats. I stocked both bacon as well as a chicken apple breakfast sausage.

Nuts and Other Fats

• Peanut (or other nut) butter. Snacks can be tough when you’re trying to go the high-fat, low-carb route. A spoonful of peanut butter, either alone or with some veggies, can be a life-saver.
• Your favorite nuts. Once again, nuts make a great snack when you need something that’s high in fat, low-carb, and easy. I keep almonds, cashews, walnuts, and pecans on hand pretty much always.
• A few favorite full-fat salad dressings. I particularly love Caesar and Thousand Island.

Fruits and Vegetables

• In the produce aisle, go with what you like!
• For fruits, I stocked up on apples, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, melon, cuties, bananas and whatever else looked good.
• If available, stock up on avocados! They’re another great source of fat to add to salads, lettuce wraps, and whatever else you can think of.
• For veggies, I filled my crisper drawer with spring greens, romaine, cucumbers, celery, mini bell peppers, baby carrots, zoodles (spiralized zucchini), cauliflower, broccoli, and more! Vine ripened tomatoes were also a must, though of course those don’t go in the fridge, right?
• I also made sure to have lettuce that worked well for wraps. There are some fancy lettuces out there, but iceberg can do the trick, too.

Whole Grains

• Because I followed the sample meal plan fairly closely, I didn’t consume many grains. When I did, I went with 100% whole wheat bread, bran cereal, and Triscuit Thin Crisps (which are also whole grain).

Planning is Key

Though this list is by no means exhaustive, these were the foods and beverages I found to be both helpful and enjoyable as I attempted my first ever intermittent fast. By planning ahead and stocking the right foods, you can boost your chances for success and decrease needless stress. If intermittent fasting is on your radar, I hope this list of fast-friendly foods helps you get results and reach your goals!

(If you’d like to read more about my experiences with intermittent fasting, I have an entire series available for you here!)