Does Tea Break A Fast? Your Guide To Intermittent Fasting and Tea

By Carrie Pinkard

Intermittent fasting is one of the most popular diets because it doesn’t control what you eat but rather when you eat.

That means burgers, Oreos, and carbs are all still on the table for you, as long as you eat them within your designated eating window. Not convinced? We’re going to walk you through what intermittent fasting is, how you can fit it in your lifestyle, and how tea can help boost the benefits of this diet.

What is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting (IF) is basically putting your eating on a strict schedule.

You set aside an “eating window” where you consume all of your calories, and then you don’t eat for the rest of the day. There are many different eating window options, but for this article, we’re going to focus on the standard 16:8 fasting schedule.

16:8 is a fasting schedule where you fast for 16 hours of the day and eat for 8 hours of the day. During your fasting period, you consume only water and zero-calorie beverages -- like tea! There are zero restrictions on what you’re allowed to eat during your eating window, though obviously maintaining a healthy, balanced diet will expedite your weight loss goals.

How Do You Adapt It To Your Lifestyle?

Intermittent fasting is more of a lifestyle change than a diet. It’s teaching your body that you don’t need to be grazing on food from the moment you wake up until the moment you go to sleep.

In order to fit IF into your lifestyle, you need to pick an eating window that works for your schedule. For instance, if you’re a morning person who would rather die than skip her sunny side up egg in the morning, choose an eating window that starts at breakfast. On the other hand, if you know you work late and like to eat dinner when you get off, choosing an eating window that ends at night is best for you.

A standard eating window is 12-8 p.m. This means you’re skipping breakfast, but you can still have your morning tea. An easy way to keep track of your fasting and eating hours is through an app like Zero that counts down the time until your next window.

Don’t forget to add exercise into your intermittent fasting schedule. Doing cardio at the end of your fasting window will cause your body to torch fat quickly. However, if you’re doing strength training, it’s better to do in the middle of your eating window so you can have plenty of fuel to push through your sets.

Why Is Intermittent Fasting Effective?

You know when your computer breaks but it seems to magically fix itself when you turn it off and back on again? That’s the same concept as IF.

Going through a fasting window is like turning your body off and back on again. Not eating for 16 hours gives your body the reset it so desperately craves. It allows your body plenty of time to digest your last meal and start burning fat for energy.

When you’re constantly eating throughout the day and late into the night, your body is always trying to digest something. But when you implement an eating window and stop eating after 8 hours, your body has time to focus on other things besides just sorting out food.

Fasting causes your insulin levels to drop and your body to start tapping into fat stores. It also causes your body to release HGH (human growth hormone) that builds muscle and burns fat.

Fasting can also cause your body to enter “autophagy”, where your body literally starts eating your bad cells and replaces them with newer, healthier ones. It’s like cannibalism, but totally chic.

Does Tea Break A Fast?

Absolutely not! Tea is your best friend when it comes to intermittent fasting. You’ll find that when you start IF, you’ll want to drink plenty of tea and water during your fasting windows to help satisfy hunger cravings.

All of our Snarky Teas have zero calories, so they won’t affect your fast and you can drink them all day long. What’s even better is that each of our teas has additional health benefits to complement your intermittent fasting lifestyle.

For instance, drinking green tea like Get Your Sh*t Together can help speed up digestion. Drinking Energize tea in the morning while waiting for your eating window to open can keep you alert and satiated. Finally, drinking Get Your Ass in Bed at night will help you go to sleep and avoid those late-night munchies that ruin your intermittent fasting schedule.

Try Intermittent Fasting For Yourself

If you’re one of those gals who hate obsessing over calories and nutrition labels, intermittent fasting might be the best diet for you.

You don’t have to commit the rest of your life to intermittent fasting, but do yourself a favor and try it for 30 days. We’re confident you’ll notice an increase in energy, better concentration, and more wiggle room in your favorite pair of jeans.

Remember that tea and intermittent fasting go hand in hand. So before you start your IF journey, stock up on enough delicious tea to last you for your first month.

Comment below if you’ve tried intermittent fasting and how it has worked for you!