when fasting what can you drink

When fasting, you can generally drink plain water, black coffee, and unsweetened tea without breaking your fast, as long as they are essentially zero calories and have no additives like sugar, milk, or cream. Most experts also consider plain or sparkling water, and sometimes diluted apple cider vinegar, “safe” fasting drinks, while sugary or creamy drinks will end your fast.

Key idea: zero or near-zero calories

The usual rule during a fast is that anything with meaningful calories, sugar, or protein will “break” the fast, while truly calorie‑free drinks keep you in a fasting state. Some people allow a very small amount of calories (like a splash of milk), but stricter fasting plans avoid this to stay fully in a fasted metabolic state.

What you can drink

These are commonly allowed during intermittent fasting and similar protocols:

• Plain water (still or sparkling), including mineral water.
• Infused water with a slice of lemon, cucumber, or herbs (not large amounts of juice or fruit).

• Black coffee (no sugar, no milk, no cream, no flavored syrups).

• Plain tea (green, black, white, oolong) without milk or sweeteners.

• Herbal teas with no added sugar or calories.

• Very diluted apple cider vinegar in water (for those who tolerate it), as long as no sweetener is added.

For longer or more intensive fasts, some people and clinicians also use:

• Electrolyte water without sugar (e.g., water with a pinch of salt, or sugar‑free electrolyte tablets).

• Plain bone broth, but this technically adds calories and protein, so it usually counts as ending a strict fast and is often used to gently break a long fast.

If your fasting plan is for religious reasons (e.g., Ramadan) or medical reasons, rules may differ, so it is important to follow your specific guidance.

What you should avoid

These drinks usually break a fast or interfere with fasting benefits:

• Any drink with sugar: juice, regular soda, sweet tea, energy drinks, sweetened coffee drinks.
• Milk, cream, half‑and‑half, regular coffee creamers.
• Protein shakes or collagen drinks.
• Alcohol.
• Most “diet” or zero‑calorie soft drinks with artificial sweeteners, if you are doing a strict fast focused on insulin or gut rest (some people permit them in looser “calorie‑only” fasts).

Many intermittent fasting communities actively discourage diet sodas during the fasting window because of concerns about insulin response, cravings, and gut effects, even though the drinks are technically very low in calories.

Different types of fasting

The exact answer to “when fasting what can you drink” depends a bit on which style of fasting you follow:

• Intermittent fasting (time‑restricted eating):
  • Typically allows water, black coffee, and unsweetened tea during the fasting window.
  • Some people allow very small amounts of milk or cream but accept that this may blunt strict metabolic benefits.
• Water fasting:
  • Only water (sometimes including mineral or sparkling water).
  • No coffee, tea, or flavorings in stricter versions.
• Dry fasting:
  • No food or liquids at all, usually only for short periods and often in a religious context.
• Religious fasts (Ramadan, other traditions):
  • Often prohibit food and drink from sunrise to sunset but allow water and other drinks outside those hours, depending on the tradition.

If your goal is weight loss and metabolic health, the more consistent you are with low‑ or zero‑calorie drinks, the easier it is to stay in a fasting state.

Forum & “latest trend” chatter

Recent fasting forums and blogs still revolve around the same core drinks—water, black coffee, and tea—but there are some trending twists:

• “Snake juice” or DIY electrolyte mixes (water, salts, sometimes potassium and magnesium) for long fasts.
• “Ketorade” (electrolyte water aimed at low‑carb or ketogenic fasters).
• Debates over whether flavored sparkling water, stevia, or other non‑nutritive sweeteners “count” as breaking a fast.

Discussions in fasting communities can be lively and sometimes extreme, so it helps to cross‑check any unusual drink ideas with a healthcare professional, especially if you have medical conditions, take medications, or plan extended fasts.

TL;DR: When fasting, stick to water (still or sparkling), black coffee, and unsweetened tea to be on the safe side, and avoid any drink with sugar, cream, milk, or protein. Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.