Breaking a Fast for a Happy Tummy

Brittany Neal
Nov 7 · 3 min read
Empty to full avocado
Empty to full avocado

Wondering how to properly break an extended fast? I’ve got you covered -

First things first — we need to wake up your stomach! You’ve let it take a long break, and now it’s sleepy. Wake it up gently, like when mom or your SO kisses you on the forehead and tells you it’s time to get up.

How to do this? Bone broth. Bone broth is your best friend for breaking a fast. Not only does it replenish many of the nutrients you’ve been going without, it is very gut friendly. Many people actually do bone broth fasts, where they consume bone broth as their only source of calories, and reap many of the rewards of water fasts. You can buy this at Sprouts or Whole Foods, or even often your local Farmer’s Market, but it is much cheaper to make your own. Simply stick some grass-fed beef marrow bones in the crock pot for 24 hours with some apple cider vinegar and salt. You can add more things to make it a bit tastier (I often add coconut aminos, ginger, veggies that I later remove, etc.)

Bone broth gently wakes up the digestion which is an interesting feeling. Despite wanting to now eat everything in sight now that you’re back to feast-mode, wait as long as possible (at least an hour) before eating solids. Starting slow on soups (both broth and pureed) is even better.

Suggested fast breaking foods:

mixed greens (chew thoroughly!)

flax seed oil (a great addition to those mixed greens)

Non-dairy yogurt (dairy is hard on most people’s digestions. I prefer coconut yogurts. Cocoyo if you’re willing to splurge. Otherwise, So Delicious and Follow your Heart are other great brands. Get plain to avoid the sugar)

Gut Shots (this is sauerkraut juice — salty and probiotic, perfect for replenishing your gut flora)

Hard boiled eggs (eggs of all types will do, but there is something extra satisfying about a perfectly soft/hard boiled egg. Also, eggs are packed full of nutrients and protein — things your body will lap right up.)

Avocados (add a little salt, and it’s simply delectable. Also high in healthy fats, easy to digest, and incredibly satisfying, this is the perfect thing to break a fast with)

Sardines in olive oil (this is potentially more of a day 2 item, but in my opinion, they are the perfect food, loaded with healthy fats, high in protein, and full of calcium.

Brothy soups or puréed soups

Soft cooked veggies


Remember to go slow. It can definitely be hard now that your stomach has awaken with a voracious appetite, but you’ll feel better when you do.


Avoid hard to digest foods such as beef and most animal products. Also avoid greasy foods and fried foods. That would be like waking up your stomach with that horrible nuclear bomb i-phone alarm, or rolling out of a bunk bed and crashing to the floor. I would save foods like that for day three or later.

Also avoid high glycemic foods. Skip the sugar/any sweeteners, and the grains (oats, rice, wheat, etc.) for now — actually I recommend skipping these always, but that’s another story. Your insulin sensitivity is at an all time high, and if you give it a sudden spike with those, you’ll likely experience a sugar crash.

As much as I love them, I suggest you avoid peppers and spicy foods. These are delicious, but can irritate the stomach lining when you HAVEN’T been fasting, and building back up a good gut lining and healthy stomach flora is a good idea before returning to those beloved hot sauce duels and ghost pepper challenges.

Congratulations on completing your fast! That’s an awesome achievement, and I applaud you for taking such a leap towards better health.

Brittany Neal

Written by

A software engineer and linguist who loves strategic board games, nutrition, and soup.

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