Does Sugar Free Creamer Break Your Intermittent Fast?

For a lot of people, drinking coffee or tea with creamer is a great way to start the morning. Especially for those of you who require their morning fix to function optimally throughout the day. For me, I love to start my day with a cup of english breakfast tea with a splash of coffee cream. I can skip all the sugar or sweeteners but creamer is really something that makes the drink so delicious. 

But does sugar free creamer really break your fast? Well it all depends on what your goals of fasting is. Adding a little bit of sugar free creamer is generally allowed and the low amount of calories should not break your fast, however it might have an impact on your body’s fat burning state.

Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is an eating plan that requires you to cycle between a period of eating and a period of fasting. One of the most common form of intermittent fasting is the 16/8. This is the one I do myself, I spend 16 hours of the day not eating and the rest of the 8 hours eating. This means that I skip breakfast and start eating between 12pm to 8pm. As soon as 8pm hits, I stop eating and can only drink tea, coffee and water. 

When you are in your eating period, you can technically eat anything you want. However, I would always recommend you to eat foods that are healthy and aim for a balanced diet. This would include whole foods such as fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean meats. In addition, you should always try to keep within your calorie limit and avoid overeating too much food during your eating period. 

If you plan on trying out intermittent fasting, you should always consult with a doctor before trying it out. Even though intermittent fasting is safe for most people, it does not meant that it is suitable for everybody. Studies have suggested that intermittent fasting can help you lose weight while also lowering your risk of diabetes and inflammation. You can also achieve autophagy through intermittent fasting.

Autophagy is when your body self digest the damaged or broken cells and discard or reuse it for better purposes. It is associated with increasing your longevity and also decreasing your insulin sensitivity. Intermittent fasting in particular can help increase autophagy and can be really beneficial to your health.

Sugar Free Creamer

Sugar free creamer is a type of coffee creamer that does not contain any sugar. Instead, it contains a combination of ingredients that could include flavoring, artificial sweeteners and thickeners. Even though it does not include added sugar, milk and cream does contain naturally occurring sugar and therefore you should always double check the nutritional information. 

Sugar free creamer is mostly sold as a healthier alternative to normal creamers. It is often marketed as low or no calories and used as a replacement for sugar. Regardless, it is a processed product. Consider this, something will have to be put into the coffee creamer to make sure the creamer is sugar free. Typically, this is a sweetener called sucralose, also known as splenda. Studies have shown that sweeteners may in fact change the gut microbiome in your gut. This could lead to inflammation in you intestines. 

Artificial sweeteners can also have the possibility of increasing your appetite and make you want to eat more. It is important for you to remember that artificial sweetener should always be only consumed in moderation. It is important you read the the ingredients and nutritional label to fully understand what you are putting into your coffee or tea. 

Does Sugar Free Creamer Break Your Fast?

I occasionally use sugar free creamer with my cup of tea in the morning. There are information that both state that sugar free creamer can and cannot break your intermittent fast. In my opinion, I do not think 1 cup of tea or coffee with a splash of sugar free creamer will break your fast. If you drink too much creamer (probably more than 50 calories worth), it will kick start your body and tell it to start digesting the sugar free creamer instead of the stored energy you have in your body. 

If you want to commit to a full true fast, then you should not have any creamer, regardless of it being sugar free or not. In this mindset, anything with calories will break a fast. This means that when you are fasting, you should only stick to plain tea, black coffee or water. 

I would advise giving sugar free creamer a try, see how it feels for you. Try it out for a week or so and see how your body responds to the sugar free creamer. If you notice any positive changes, then it might be working out for you. If you notice that your fast seems to be worse or ruined, then perhaps sugar free creamer might not be working out for you.

As always, contact a doctor if you are unsure about intermittent fasting or drinking coffee or tea with sugar free creamer. It is always best to talk to a specialist if you are unsure about anything. 

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