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5 Reasons to Break Your Fast with Bone Broth

Fasting has gained immense popularity in our modern world, and with good reason. Research supports the many physical benefits of fasting including weight loss, detoxification, slowing the aging process, stabilized blood sugar, improved autoimmune symptoms, and autophagy, a self-healing mechanism where the body removes damaged parts of the cell to regenerate newer, healthier cells, to name a few.

Fasting has been around for thousands of years and has been used by various religions and spiritual practices throughout human history. These days, intermittent fasting, defined as cycling between periods of fasting and eating, has gained recognition from doctors and experts as an effective way to boost your body and brain.

So you’ve just abstained from food for somewhere between 12 and 72 hours, now what? Let’s talk about the importance of breaking your fast properly.

OWL Broth Elixirs

The rejuvenating effects of fasting largely depend on the food you eat after the fast.

Depending on how long you’ve been fasting, you’ll want to break your fast slowly and easily. Starting with liquids will ease your body back into the digestive process. Warm bone broth is one of the best ways to break your fast. Let’s dive into why below.

1. Easy to digest. Let’s start with the most simple. Bone broth is gentle on and soothing to the gut while being easy to digest and incredibly nutritious. Rich in electrolytes like potassium, sodium, magnesium, and calcium, it’s super hydrating and can help restore low electrolyte levels after fasting, particularly after prolonged fasts like a 24-hour water fast.
2. Support Immune Function. Bone broth is one of the most beneficial foods to consume to restore gut health and therefore support immune system function and healthy inflammation response. Bone broth is high in amino acids, such as glutamine, glycine, and proline, that restore the gut lining by helping to seal openings in the gut and support its integrity. Glycine in particular is known to help repair and heal the inner lining of the gut. Because you’ve been fasting, the gut terrain has been reorganized. What a perfect time to add in these aminos!
3. Turns off the hunger hormone. High fat content, found in bone broth, turns off the hunger hormone in your brain so you may not need another meal for several hours. If you are fasting to help with weight loss, this could be a very beneficial tool.
4. Collagen. Bone broth is rich in collagen, the most abundant protein in the body, making it especially beneficial after fasting. During extended fasting, the body lacks a fresh supply of amino acids, so replenishing collagen can be particularly advantageous. Collagen directly affects the health of your hair, nails and the texture, color, youthfulness and moisture level of your skin. It is also beneficial for the health of your joints, supporting mobility and bone density. Start drinking a cup of bone broth a day for 3 or 4 days and notice the almost immediate changes in your skin and body.
5. Boosts detoxification. Bone broth is a potent detoxifier, aiding the digestive system in expelling waste. Rich in potassium and glycine, it supports cellular and liver detoxification. During a fast, your body works hard to eliminate toxins, utilizing the energy typically spent on digestion for this purpose. Breaking your fast with bone broth continues to flush out waste and enhance the liver’s toxin-removing capabilities.
    Pouring Beef Bone Broth Elixir to break fast

    No matter the reason you’ve chosen to fast, the research shows the benefits are countless. Be sure to break your fast in a way that will support your gut, your immune system and your body as a whole.

    **It's always important to consult with a healthcare professional before fasting, especially if you have pre-existing medical conditions or are taking medications.

    Lisa DiMartino

    Lisa DiMartino is an IIN Certified Health Coach and 500-hr YogaWorks certified yoga teacher who resides in Venice, CA. She loves all things holistic health and healing. She struggled with mold toxicity, parasites, Bell’s Palsy and leaky gut but has healed herself through whole body detox protocols and changing the inner terrain, physically & mentally. She uses food as medicine and fully embodies living a non-toxic lifestyle. Lisa recognizes that the body knows how to heal itself when given the opportunity.

    Lisa specializes in guiding people through detoxes for conditions including toxic mold, parasites, and other chronic gut issues. As a coach, she focuses on implementing detox protocols, regulating the nervous system, daily movement and stress management to help her clients return to optimum health. Lisa loves her daily yoga practice, cooking, being in the sunshine, and traveling the world.

    Sources:

    1. Research on Intermittent Fasting Shows Health Benefits (nih.gov)
    2. Mayo Clinic researchers identify how fat stores in the liver provide an energy source during fasting (mayoclinic.org)
    3. Bone broth benefits for joints, skin and gut health (draxe.com)
    4. Impact of intermittent fasting on health and disease processes (pubmed.ncbi.nih.gov)
    5. Analysis of the anti-inflammatory capacity of bone broth in a murine model of ulcerative colitis (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)