Top 5 Foods to Break Your Fast | Fasting

Breaking a fast is a decision point, not just a meal. Get it right and you reinforce the metabolic and psychological benefits of the fast; get it wrong and you can undo hours of good work with a single plate of refined carbohydrate.

Here are five go-to meals that each illustrate a different principle of breaking a fast well — plus the reasoning behind why they work, so you can build your own. Each of these meals rests on the same low-carb foundation, and this guide to low carb meals will help you build plates that keep your fast’s benefits intact.

Key Takeaways

• Ease in, don’t feast. After a fast, digestive capacity and appetite signalling are both dampened. A large, heavy or very high-carb meal is the fastest route to bloating, reflux and a blood-sugar spike.
• Protein and fat first, fibre alongside. These are satiating, gentle on blood glucose, and consistent with an LCHF approach. Carbohydrate — even “healthy” carbohydrate — is the variable to keep modest at the break-fast meal.
• Preparation beats willpower. Having something ready (a pie, a stew, a roast) removes the moment where hunger makes poor decisions for you.
• The first meal sets the tone. A calm, protein-led break-fast tends to reduce subsequent cravings for the rest of the day.
• Ritual matters. The French notion of les plaisirs de la table — the pleasures of the table — is a genuine part of why fasting feels good rather than merely restrictive.

Why the First Meal Matters More Than You Think

Fasting is a stressor, albeit a productive one. During a fast, insulin falls, glycogen stores deplete, and the body shifts toward fat oxidation and, in longer fasts, ketone production. The gut also quiets down: gastric emptying slows, digestive enzyme secretion drops, and the migrating motor complex — the wave of muscular activity that sweeps the small intestine between meals — has had a chance to run its course.

That physiology has practical consequences for the meal that ends the fast:

• Digestive capacity is temporarily reduced. A huge meal after a long fast often produces nausea, cramping or reflux. Smaller, softer, slower-cooked food is easier to handle.
• Insulin sensitivity is generally improved after a fast, which is good news — but it also means a large carbohydrate load will be disposed of quickly and can produce a sharp glucose excursion followed by a reactive dip and renewed hunger.
• Appetite hormones are still catching up. Ghrelin and satiety signalling lag behind the act of eating, so it is easy to overshoot. Eating slowly and stopping before you feel full is genuinely useful advice, not a platitude.

This is why the meals below lean on protein, fat and non-starchy vegetables, and why they emphasise preparation and ritual as much as macronutrients.

1. Easy Cheesy Cottage Pie — The Case for Pre-Prepared Food

Having a pre-prepared item like a pie, bake or stew — made the day before your fast — is a great way to get dinner on the table without cooking while you work through the inevitable pangs of hunger that come with smelling and seeing food being prepared.

Our Easy Cheesy Cottage Pie is a great option to try. The logic is straightforward: the hardest part of breaking a fast is often the cooking, not the eating. Standing in a kitchen, hungry, chopping onions, is precisely the situation in which people reach for bread, biscuits or takeaway.

A cottage pie built on a cauliflower or celeriac topping rather than potato keeps the carbohydrate load low while delivering the comforting, savoury quality that makes it satisfying. Make it in advance, portion it, and refrigerate or freeze it. Then breaking your fast becomes a reheating task rather than a cooking task.

How to decide if this suits you: if you tend to break your fast in the evening after work, or if you are feeding a family who are not fasting, a pre-prepared bake is the highest-leverage option on this list.

2. Steak and Slaw — Speed, Protein and Fibre

A simple steak and slaw is a great meal to break your fast with for a couple of reasons.

• It’s quick and painless. As your steak is cooking (and resting — don’t skip the rest) you can prepare the slaw. The whole meal is on the table in the time it takes a steak to rest properly.
• It delivers a solid protein hit. Protein is the most satiating macronutrient and the one most likely to preserve lean mass during periods of energy restriction.
• It gives you fibre. Fibre is great for you, regardless of whether you are fasting or on an LCHF diet, so make sure you don’t forget about this important part of your diet.

There are really great pre-prepared slaws available these days — just ensure you don’t use those sugary, weird dressings that they include in the slaw. Read the label; supermarket slaw dressings are frequently sweetened. A couple of spoonfuls of mayo, or some mayo and vinaigrette, are my favourite ways to dress a slaw.

Practical notes:

• Rest the steak for at least as long as you cooked it on one side. This is not fussiness — it lets the juices redistribute so the meat is tender rather than dry.
• If you are breaking a long fast (24 hours or more), a very large steak can sit heavily. Consider a smaller portion with more slaw, or slice it thinly.
• Cabbage-based slaw keeps well dressed for a day or two, so it doubles as a make-ahead component.

3. Chicken Thigh Braised Thai Green Curry — Easy to Digest, Easy to Make

This is the recipe I return to most often, because braising does two things at once: it makes meat tender and it makes it easy to digest.

Ingredients

• 500g skinless chicken thigh
• 1 x 400g can of coconut cream
• 3–4 tablespoons Thai green curry paste (Cock brand is awesome, or Aroy-D)
• 1 cup of stock or water
• 3 cups frozen vegetables

Method

Place chicken, coconut cream, curry paste and stock or water into a medium pot and braise for about 30 minutes until the chicken is tender and the spices have cooked out. Add the frozen vegetables and continue to cook for 5 minutes until the vegetables are piping hot throughout.

Why braising suits a break-fast meal

I like braising meat as it is particularly easy to digest and absorb. The slow, moist cooking begins to convert tough proteins into water-soluble proteins that are easier for your body to absorb. Collagen in particular breaks down into gelatin during long, moist cooking, which is why braised meat feels gentler on the stomach than a dry-cooked cut.

I also like curries and stews for the ‘set-and-forget’ factor — you can get them up to a simmer and then get on with other important tasks like sorting the kitchen out, feeding the kids, or spending 23 minutes trying to find something on Netflix.

Caveats worth knowing:

• Check your curry paste. Thai curry pastes vary enormously in added sugar and in heat. If you are breaking a long fast, a very spicy curry may sit uncomfortably; start milder.
• Coconut cream is rich. For some people, a large quantity of coconut fat after a fast is too much. Start with a smaller bowl and see how you feel.
• Frozen vegetables are genuinely fine. They are picked and frozen at harvest, retain their nutrients well, and remove a chopping step — which is exactly what you want when you are hungry.

4. Pan Fried Fish, Sautéed Greens — Simple, with a Fat-Rich Pan Sauce

Simple, delicious, and it lends itself to delicious healthy fat-rich sauces. Once your fish is cooked, add a splash of cream to the pan and add a swig of white wine or lemon to the cream. Allow to reduce for 1 minute to make a delicious pan sauce that will be perfect with your fish and greens.

This meal is the lightest option on the list, which makes it a good choice if you are breaking a fast and don’t feel like eating much — a common experience after a longer fast. Fish also cooks in minutes, so there is very little time spent hungry in the kitchen.

Choosing your fish and greens:

• Oily fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna) brings omega-3 fats and is more satiating than white fish.
• White fish (snapper, cod, hoki, flathead) is lighter and quicker, and works beautifully with a cream pan sauce.
• Greens — spinach, silverbeet, kale, broccoli, bok choy — wilt in the same pan in under two minutes. Don’t overcook them; you want them bright, not grey.
• If you avoid alcohol, the wine is entirely optional. Lemon juice and a little stock reduce just as well, and a knob of butter whisked in at the end gives the sauce body.

5. Roast Chicken — The Pleasures of the Table

One benefit of fasting that I get immense pleasure from is the power it has to reset your ability to appreciate the simple pleasure of eating. The French call it les plaisirs de la table — “The Pleasures of The Table”.

This includes every aspect of preparing and serving food. The French put a lot of value into the seemingly fiddly creations coming out of the kitchen in the same way we delight in sewing baubles into kids’ clothes or plaiting hair in elaborate patterns. It’s superfluous but it is a labour of love.

Another pleasure of the table is the space eating together creates in allowing for us to talk to each other and connect. I can’t think of a meal that fits the bill better than a classic roast chicken. You can prepare it in the morning or afternoon and you can get the rest of the family to help you prepare everything.

I like the ritual of cooking and eating, and I know Prof. Grant puts a lot of emphasis on dedicating yourself to doing activities together to live your happiest life. That social dimension is easy to overlook when you are focused on macronutrients, but it is arguably the most durable reason people stick with any way of eating.

Making a roast work on an LCHF plan:

• Roast the bird on a bed of root vegetables only if your carbohydrate budget allows; otherwise use onion, garlic, celery and herbs, and serve with non-starchy greens.
• The pan juices, defatted or not, make an excellent gravy thickened with a little cream rather than flour.
• Leftovers are the point: cold roast chicken becomes tomorrow’s lunch, which means one cooking session covers two break-fasts.

Choosing Between Them: A Quick Decision Guide

Situation	Best choice	Why
Breaking a fast after work, family to feed	Easy Cheesy Cottage Pie or Roast Chicken	Pre-prepared or hands-off; no hungry chopping
Short fast (16–18 hours), feeling fine	Steak and Slaw	Fast, protein-led, high fibre
Long fast (24h+), low appetite	Pan Fried Fish, Sautéed Greens	Lightest option; small portions sit well
Want something gentle on the gut	Chicken Thigh Braised Thai Green Curry	Slow-cooked protein is easiest to digest
Want the meal to be an occasion	Roast Chicken	Ritual, connection, pleasure of the table

Common Mistakes When Breaking a Fast

• Breaking the fast with fruit, juice or a “healthy” smoothie. These are concentrated carbohydrate and produce exactly the glucose spike you were trying to avoid.
• Eating too fast. Satiety signals lag. Slow down; put the fork down between bites.
• Drinking alcohol immediately. It hits harder on an empty stomach and displaces the nutrients you actually need.
• Overeating because “I earned it.” A fast is not a calorie credit to be spent. The point is the metabolic reset, not the reward.
• Ignoring hydration. Have water or a clear broth while you cook. Many post-fast headaches are dehydration, not hunger.
• Not planning the next meal. The break-fast meal shapes appetite for the rest of the day. If it is protein-led, the next meal tends to be easier.

What are the healthiest first foods after a 16-hour fast?

The healthiest first foods after a 16-hour fast are protein, fat, and fiber-rich foods. Protein is the single most important nutrient for maintaining muscle mass, bone density, and metabolism, and because it is satiating, taking too much time to ease back into eating can limit how much protein fits into the daily eating window. Foods rich in sugar or refined carbohydrates, such as bagels, cereal, and toast, can spike insulin and lead to unstable blood sugar and an energy crash.

Source: autumnellenutrition.com

Should you break a fast with bone broth or soup?

Bone broth is a good first step before a full meal because it is warm, light and easy to digest after a long stretch without food. A mug provides fluid, naturally occurring salts, collagen-rich protein and amino acids such as glycine, proline and glutamine. It is light enough to drink through a fasting window, but substantial enough to take the edge off hunger. For fasting, choose a bone broth with a short ingredients list: no added sugar, thickeners or artificial flavourings.

Source: frejabonebroth.com

How many calories should you eat when breaking a fast?

There is no set number of calories for breaking a fast. Any amount of calories technically breaks a fast, and there is no hard-and-fast rule or research providing a set number of calories that are okay for breaking a fast.

As soon as you consume enough calories to give your body energy to do anything, that brings you out of the fasting state because your body has been given fuel to work with. Everyone’s metabolism is different, so what jumpstarts you out of a fast may differ from person to person.

Source: womenshealthmag.com

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best food to break a fast with?

There is no single best food, but the strongest general answer is a modest portion of protein with fat and non-starchy vegetables. Something like eggs, fish, chicken or steak with greens will satisfy hunger, support lean mass, and keep blood glucose stable. The meals above all follow that pattern in different ways.

Should I break a fast with protein or fat?

Both, in practice. Protein is the most satiating macronutrient and helps preserve muscle, while fat provides steady energy and makes the meal palatable without adding carbohydrate. A meal that is almost entirely protein tends to feel unsatisfying; a meal that is almost entirely fat can sit heavily. Combining them works best.

Can I break my fast with fruit?

You can, but be deliberate about it. Fruit is carbohydrate, and after a fast your body will dispose of that glucose quickly. A small amount of low-sugar fruit — berries, for example — alongside protein and fat is very different from a large serving of tropical fruit or a glass of juice on its own.

How long after breaking my fast should I wait before eating again?

There is no fixed rule. Many people find that a protein-led break-fast keeps them comfortable for several hours, which naturally spaces out the next meal. If you are hungry again within an hour, the first meal probably lacked enough protein, fat or fibre.

Is it normal to feel full very quickly after a fast?

Yes, and it is one of the more reliable experiences of fasting. Gastric emptying is slower and appetite signalling is still catching up, so a portion that would normally seem small can feel like plenty. Eat slowly, stop when comfortable, and don’t force the rest.

Does breaking a fast with a curry or spicy food cause problems?

Not inherently, but heat and richness can be uncomfortable on a quiet gut, particularly after a long fast. If you are new to fasting, start with milder, less rich meals and work up. The braised curry above is a good middle ground because the slow cooking makes the meat gentle even when the paste is flavourful.

Further Reading

• Roast chicken — Wikipedia
• Fasting — Wikipedia
• Low-carbohydrate diet — Wikipedia
• Dietary fibre — Wikipedia