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Do Zero-Calorie Energy Drinks Break Your Fast? (Answered)

Short answer: Drinking zero-calorie energy drinks are not likely to break your fast. 

Fasting has many potential benefits, including better heart health, blood sugar control, prevention of cancer, and losing weight; that’s why zero calories energy drinks are highly demanded, as they can give you a boost without breaking your fast. 

Zero-calorie drinks contain no chemicals and are calorie-free since chemicals can harm your insulin level and break your fast.

However, this isn’t true for some of the zero-calorie energy drinks that may actually harm your fast.

Energy Drinks
Choosing zero-calorie energy drinks

Some zero-calorie drinks contain artificial sweeteners that can generate insulin secretions, as a result breaking your fast. It would be best to check the ingredients whenever choosing a zero-calorie energy drink. 

These energy drinks are incredible during extended fasts (as they can drain you a little bit), and consuming one or two cans can put you together. 

If you want to have more information about fasting, its benefits, and how zero-calorie energy drinks may influence you while fasting, I suggest you continue reading. 

Information About Fasting 

Fasting means avoiding eating entirely for some time. Typically, a fast lasts between 12 and 24 hours. Intermittent fast is between 12 to 36 hours. However, a protracted fast may go more than 36 hours. 

Thirty-six hours fast or more may bring hazards, so I would recommend intermittent fasting. Fasting has been practiced for religious, spiritual, and cultural reasons. However, most people adopt this to improve their health and lose weight

During your fast, you might be allowed to drink coffee, tea, water, and even a little bit of food in some situations to maintain your body’s ability to retain glucose and water to keep functioning.

Benefits of Fasting 

In human studies, intermittent fasting has shown many effects and improves illnesses’ indicators such as fat blood abnormalities, insulin resistance, inflammation, weight reduction, and high blood pressure. 

A study that was published in 2018, confirmed that intermittent fasting improves symptoms in patients with sclerosis within just two months. Researchers have been checking several fasting benefits for a while. 

The results of such studies are sometimes inconclusive and conflicting, but the consensus is that if fasting is done right, it can be beneficial

The following table shows the stages of fasting;

Stage period Results on the body
Within the first few hoursYour body digests and consumes the nutrients from your last meal. Your insulin and glucose level is at their maximum.
From 3 to 18 hours after fastBlood sugar levels decline, inducing your body to break down glycogen stores in your liver into glucose to bring up the glucose level. At hour 18, your body would run out of its stores and begin alternative procedures for energy synthesis. This is usually when people break their fasts.
From 18 hours to 2 days after fastAll of your carbohydrates have been drained, and now your body starts the ketosis method by breaking down all fat stores in your body; towards the end of this stage, all of the fat stores have also been weakened, and now the hunger process occurs. Your body now breaks down proteins as a last-ditch effort. This stage is hazardous, causing many diseases and even death.
Stages of fasting

Fasting With Zero-Calorie Energy Drinks

Calories
Energy Drinks if filled with harmful ingredients can break your fast

Energy Drinks or sports drinks are famous these days. Most energy drinks are advertised as sugar-free and zero-calorie. They are assumed to help lose weight and be healthy. 

However, artificial sweeteners, caffeine, and many other harmful and unnecessary ingredients are added to energy drinks. Before consuming an energy drink, make sure to check its ingredients thoroughly. 

But it is safe to consume energy drinks with no artificial sweeteners and sugar, as they will not break your fast. 

If an energy drink has a high amount of caffeine or harmful artificial sweeteners, think twice before consuming such an energy drink.

How Zero-Calorie Energy Drinks Influence Your Fast? 

Zero-calorie energy drinks won’t break your fast.

Energy Drinks
Energy Drinks

However, it is necessary to consume zero-calorie energy drinks within a limit to avoid side effects on your health. Our tissues erode stored nutrients and detoxify lethal components when we are fasting. 

Intermittent fasting is a strict eating plan that you must hold to if you want to improve your health and get rid of toxins. Fasting permits the tissues to convert malfunctioning and damaged proteins while also permitting them to use the energy they have saved. 

However, zero-calorie energy drinks may contain artificial sweeteners, which might increase your food hunger during your fast. According to some studies, diet drinks might increase your appetite by activating dopamine reactions in the brain for artificial sweet taste receptors and increasing hunger hormones. 

During intermittent fasting, this can cause you to crave high-calorie sweets and more food, resulting in weight gain. However, according to another research, shifting from high-calorie or sugar energy drinks to diet soda can help lose weight. 

Are Zero-Calorie Energy Drinks Safe to Consume? 

Even though zero-calorie energy drinks have no sugar, fat, or calories, many studies have connected excessive consumption of these energy drinks with heart diseases and type 2 diabetes

Even if you drink one can of artificially sweetened energy drink every day, it increases the chances of type 2 diabetes by 8% to 13%, according to studies. However, zero-calorie energy drinks are dangerous only when mixed with calorie-free substitutes or artificial sweeteners. 

Consuming zero-calorie overly can lead to the following side effects;

Zero-Calorie Energy Drinks Replacement 

While fasting, you can drink green tea or black coffee without sugar instead of drinking zero-calorie. 

Herbal tea contains antioxidants, that help boost immunity and aid digestion. It can be included in your fast; however, if you need a fizzy drink, select unsweetened seltzer or unflavored water, which contains no artificial sweeteners and is calorie-free. 

You can also add cucumber, mint, or a squeeze of lemon to add more flavor. Some other options may include;

Flavored Water 

Flavored water is a healthier alternative. Add slices of your favorite fruits, herbs, watermelon, cucumber, mint, oranges, or lime into a jug of ice-cold water to make a refreshing flavored drink.

Detox water
Detox water is great during fasting

Another method is to freeze a sliced fruit in the ice cube tray with water. Detox water may include cucumber, mint, lemon, and ginger, which is a great way to start your day as they can help accelerate metabolism, release fat cells and wash out toxins. 

Green Tea 

According to the review, Green Tea aids in reducing the risk of cancers, obesity, heart diseases, type 2 diabetes, and liver diseases. 

Green tea has bioactive chemicals such as EGCG and caffeine, with significant metabolic effects. Caffeine is a stimulant that helps in improving workout performance and fat burning. 

Alternatives 

Reign 

Reign Energy Drink is designed for people living an active lifestyle who want to enhance their workout performance. Since Reign is sugar-free and contains few calories, it is excellent for people who avoid consuming too much sugar and calories. 

It has 300 mg of caffeine, 0 sugar, and ten calories, with no artificial sweeteners. However, you need to take care of your caffeine intake, as this energy drink’s caffeine content is high. Apart from this, Reign is amazing for intermittent fasting. 

Celsius 

Celsius is praised as a healthy energy drink with no added sugar or natural flavor. It contains just ten calories. Its caffeine content is 200 mg and contains a substantial amount of vitamin B and C. 

This energy drink is suitable for vegans or the ones with the keto diet, making it an adaptable beverage for those who follow intermittent fasting. 

Runa Clean Energy

Runa Clean Energy is an organic drink that is made of Guayusa which is extracted from Amazon Forest leaves that contain caffeine and antioxidants.

This energy drink is best for you during your fasting hours as it has low calories and will give you energy.

Other notable mention

Monster

Bucked Up

Final Thoughts 

Zero-Calorie Energy Drinks have very few or no calories but can lead to obesity and diabetes if consumed overly. To fight food hunger while fasting, choose green tea, black coffee, and herbal drinks. 

Choosing appropriate foods will help you achieve your goal while fasting. However, if you want to drink zero-calorie energy drinks, read their ingredients, as this will help you know which would suit your fast. 

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