One of the biggest rules for fasting-friendly drinks is choosing beverages that don’t contain calories. If you are doing intermittent fasting, you want to continue to fast without having to eat or drink any form of carbohydrates and other stuff like healthy fats and lean protein over an extensive period.
What happens when you do this?
Well, your body just immediately stops producing any amount of insulin. That means it leverages the ketones that are naturally stored in your fat as a primary energy source as opposed to the glucose you find in your liver.
This process is touted as ketogenesis, which is believed to help reduce excess weight helping you achieve a leaner frame.
What Do Regular Sodas Contain?
Even before we dive deeper into diet soda, let’s first understand what regular sodas contain.
Let’s start with a 12-ounce bottle of regular cola-like Coca-Cola. This drink would contain:
- 140 calories,
- 0 grams of fat,
- 43 grams of sodium,
- No fiber,
- 39 grams of carbohydrates and processed sugar for each, and
- No protein.
This seems to paint a fairly dismal picture of regular sodas, and it goes without mentioning that it isn’t in your best judgment to consume them, especially when you are doing intermittent fasting.
Because these sodas contain a high amount of carbohydrates and processed sugar, they can lead to a sudden insulin spike, ultimately increasing your cravings. The result? You are derailed from your intermittent fasting goal and are left with the same body as you started.
But what about diet sodas? Does coke zero have aspartame that can cause insulin spikes? Is it safe to consume diet sodas when you’re on intermittent fasting? Keep reading to learn more.
What Does Coke Zero Contain?
Now that you know about regular sodas, you are probably inclined to find out more about Coke Zero and what it contains.
Typically, a 12-ounce can of soda contains:
- No calories, fat, protein, or sugar.
- The sodium amount is 2% of the drink’s daily value, which is minimal, to say the least.
- And the potassium content continues to be the same as the sodium value.
So, what’s our final call?
Is it at all safe to drink coke zero when trying to follow a stringent intermittent fasting schedule? Does coke zero break a fast? Does coke zero spike insulin?
Since it doesn’t contain sugar, coke zero is known specifically not to spike insulin levels. As you already know, the drink contains zero fat, calories, and sugar. This makes it relatively safe to consume between your intermittent fasting.
However, since coke zero is still a soda, we recommend mixing and matching your beverages when intermittent fasting. Even though the product is safe to consume during your fast, it contains some artificial sweeteners that are highly processed and thus not recommended.
That is why we recommend using your discretion and using a balanced beverage diet of juices, diet sodas, and plenty of water when trying to break your fast.
Other Drinks For Intermittent Fasting
If you are intermittent fasting, you would probably need a bunch of drinks to help you stay grounded, prevent sugar cravings, and leave your body fully unaffected.
Water
One of the first beverage recommendations for intermittent fasting is water.
It is crucial to stay hydrated and make sure you have ample water before and after your fast. This will not merely suppress your appetite but also rejuvenate your system, keep your skin clear, and help avoid tons of physical issues.
Tea
Other recommendations would be tea (without milk and sugar). You will find various tea blends like jasmine, licorice, and lavender, among others.
Coconut Water
The next drink to make it to our list would be coconut water which is just as good as water, if not the same.
Coconut water is a healthy drink; you can always break your fast without thinking about calories. This drink only applies if you are doing intermittent fasting for ketosis purposes.
Bottom Line
You need to define your goal and the reasons why you are doing intermittent fasting.
Then you can clearly see if coke zero is available or not for your fasting journey.
- Fasting for weight loss? Coke zero is a good option.
- Fasting for ketosis? You are safe.
- Fasting for autophagy? Not a good option.
- Fasting for the immune system? Stay away from coke zero.
Make sure to take into consideration all the variables and decide what works best for you!
