The truth about lemon water and intermittent fasting Long story short - the answer to the question “Does lemon water break a fast?” is no, lemon water does not break a fast. Lemon water contains almost no calories and zero sugars, it doesn't raise insulin levels, which means it will not break your fast (1).
Is lemon water allowed during intermittent fasting? The short answer is YES, as lemon water is considered a non-caloric (zero calorie) beverage. Lemons are so low in calories that when you add a small amount of lemon juice to water, the calorie content is negligible.
Lemon juice technically contains carbohydrates and therefore can break a fast, but it comes down to the amount of lemon juice that you're using. One full lemon, juiced, contains a little over 3 grams of carbohydrates. This means using one full lemon will break a fast.
Lemon water will not spike your insulin, it will not break your fast, instead it will do the OPPOSITE! Like I said it earlier, lemon water actually aids in your digestion, it fires up your immune system, which means it puts you into a deeper fasted state QUICKER!
No, lemon does not break ketosis. Lemons provide a small amount of carbohydrates, but when eaten in moderation, their nutritional value will not take you out of ketosis. Lemons have several positive health benefits, such as providing vitamin C and promoting hydration.
Nut milks, unsweetened tea, and good old-fashioned water are all great keto-friendly drinks. If you're on a ketogenic diet, you're super focused on what you're eating (and especially what you're not eating). But don't forget that what you sip can also help set you up for success.
Experts advise drinking 6-8 glasses of water every day for oxygen to flow freely in your body and help the kidneys and colon eliminate waste. What's best, it helps in flushing out excess sugar from your body.
Lemons contain vitamin C, which can help promote better metabolic control. Vitamin C can decrease levels of fasting blood sugar. It can also improve insulin resistance.
Technically speaking, eating or drinking any calories breaks a fast. That means it's generally considered OK to drink black, unsweetened coffee or tea, as well as water.
Strictly speaking, any amount of calories will break a fast. If a person follows a strict fasting schedule, they should avoid any food or drinks containing calories. Those following a modified fasting diet can often eat up to 25% of their daily calorie needs while fasting.
Lemon/Lime Water
Like apple cider vinegar, lemons and limes do contain calories but having lemon or lime in your water will NOT break your fast! Lemons and limes can help speed up your metabolism and help keep you feeling full!
What Breaks a Fast? Strictly speaking: any amount of calories, no matter how small, disrupts the fasting process. If you're following your intermittent fasting plan to the letter, that means no calories, whatsoever, for the entirety of your fasting window.
Tea does not break a fast and is one of the preferred beverages during a fast. Some people find that tea or a warm beverage can help manage hunger. Adding a slice of lemon is allowed, however, be sure to avoid insulin-stimulating sweeteners which are often added to tea such as sugar and honey.
Putting a few slices of lemon, lime, orange, cucumber, or mint leaves into your water likely has no effect on your blood sugar or fasting.
Consuming large amounts of lemon water daily can damage the stomach. Due to its acidity, it can cause heartburn, nausea, and vomiting. One of the downsides of drinking lemon water daily is that it can trigger the development of ulcers. The acid in lemons can harm the stomach and intestinal linings, leading to ulcers.
The lemon detox diet involves consuming just a lemon juice-based mixture for 1 or 2 weeks, with no solid foods. The diet aims to remove toxins and cleanse the body.
Cutting down sugar helps in improving insulin resistance, makes you feel active and energetic and further boosts your kidney function and metabolism. "Cutting down sugar will reduce your hunger pangs and also prevent mood swings since they are mostly caused by sugar spikes," the expert added.
Nigma Talib, a naturopath who works with celebrities, has popularized the term “Sugar Face” to describe the effects that excess sugar has on the skin. Supposedly, she can look at someone's face and determine if they have a sweet tooth by the appearance and the location of their blemishes and wrinkles.
What turns off autophagy? Eating. Glucose, insulin (or decreased glucagon) and proteins all turn off this self-cleaning process.
Fasting is used to stimulate autophagy (cell turnover), ketosis, fat burning and insulin sensitivity. You can reap the rewards of fasting while consuming water, tea, coffee, bulletproof coffee, apple cider vinegar, bone broth, salt and sweetener.
If you're adding pure lemon juice to water and/or apple cider vinegar water, we recommend not putting more than a few drops into your drink, so that the lemon juice doesn't break your fast.