It matters more the longer the fast was, and almost not at all when it was short. Pick your length.
An overnight fast, 12:12 or 14:10.
Eat your normal meal. There is nothing to be careful about.
Chicken or turkey with cooked vegetables (a normal plate) · Oily fish with vegetables (a normal plate) · Eggs with vegetables and toast (a normal plate) · Lentil or bean stew (a normal bowl) · Tofu or tempeh with rice and vegetables (a normal plate) · Greek yoghurt with fruit and nuts (a normal bowl) · Cheese, oatcakes and a salad (a normal plate) · Rice or potato with your protein (a normal plate)
A sugary drink or dessert as the first thing
The 16:8 and 18:6 windows.
A normal meal, with the protein and vegetables ahead of the bread and rice.
Soft-scrambled or boiled eggs (one or two) · Plain yoghurt or kefir (a small pot) · Avocado (half) · Steamed or cooked vegetables (a small bowl) · Steamed white fish (a palm-sized piece) · Mashed or baked sweet potato (a small portion) · Silken tofu (a small portion) · Cooked lentils or split peas (a few spoonfuls) · Banana (one)
Chicken or turkey with cooked vegetables (a normal plate) · Oily fish with vegetables (a normal plate) · Eggs with vegetables and toast (a normal plate) · Lentil or bean stew (a normal bowl) · Tofu or tempeh with rice and vegetables (a normal plate) · Greek yoghurt with fruit and nuts (a normal bowl) · Cheese, oatcakes and a salad (a normal plate) · Rice or potato with your protein (a normal plate)
A sugary drink or dessert as the first thing
A 20:4 window, or one meal a day.
Start with something small, wait, then eat the meal.
Soft-scrambled or boiled eggs (one or two) · Plain yoghurt or kefir (a small pot) · Avocado (half) · Steamed or cooked vegetables (a small bowl) · Steamed white fish (a palm-sized piece) · Mashed or baked sweet potato (a small portion) · Silken tofu (a small portion) · Cooked lentils or split peas (a few spoonfuls) · Banana (one)
Chicken or turkey with cooked vegetables (a normal plate) · Oily fish with vegetables (a normal plate) · Eggs with vegetables and toast (a normal plate) · Lentil or bean stew (a normal bowl) · Tofu or tempeh with rice and vegetables (a normal plate) · Greek yoghurt with fruit and nuts (a normal bowl) · Cheese, oatcakes and a salad (a normal plate) · Rice or potato with your protein (a normal plate)
A sugary drink or dessert as the first thing · Eating until you are full because you earned it · Alcohol
A full day without food.
Something liquid and warm first. Wait half an hour. Then a modest meal.
Bone broth (one mug, sipped over 20 minutes) · Vegetable broth (one mug, sipped over 20 minutes) · Miso soup (one small bowl) · Water with a pinch of salt (one glass) · Thin vegetable soup (one small bowl)
Soft-scrambled or boiled eggs (one or two) · Plain yoghurt or kefir (a small pot) · Avocado (half) · Steamed or cooked vegetables (a small bowl) · Steamed white fish (a palm-sized piece) · Mashed or baked sweet potato (a small portion) · Silken tofu (a small portion) · Banana (one)
Chicken or turkey with cooked vegetables (a normal plate) · Oily fish with vegetables (a normal plate) · Eggs with vegetables and toast (a normal plate) · Lentil or bean stew (a normal bowl) · Tofu or tempeh with rice and vegetables (a normal plate) · Greek yoghurt with fruit and nuts (a normal bowl) · Cheese, oatcakes and a salad (a normal plate) · Rice or potato with your protein (a normal plate)
A sugary drink or dessert as the first thing · Eating until you are full because you earned it · Alcohol · A large raw salad, or raw cruciferous vegetables · Deep-fried or heavily processed food · A large portion of nuts or seeds · A big glass of milk or a large serving of unfermented dairy
A day and a half to two days.
The same sequence, slower, and spread the day rather than the hour.
Bone broth (one mug, sipped over 20 minutes) · Vegetable broth (one mug, sipped over 20 minutes) · Miso soup (one small bowl) · Water with a pinch of salt (one glass) · Thin vegetable soup (one small bowl)
Soft-scrambled or boiled eggs (one or two) · Plain yoghurt or kefir (a small pot) · Avocado (half) · Steamed or cooked vegetables (a small bowl) · Steamed white fish (a palm-sized piece) · Mashed or baked sweet potato (a small portion) · Silken tofu (a small portion) · Banana (one)
Chicken or turkey with cooked vegetables (a normal plate) · Oily fish with vegetables (a normal plate) · Eggs with vegetables and toast (a normal plate) · Lentil or bean stew (a normal bowl) · Tofu or tempeh with rice and vegetables (a normal plate) · Greek yoghurt with fruit and nuts (a normal bowl) · Rice or potato with your protein (a normal plate)
A sugary drink or dessert as the first thing · Eating until you are full because you earned it · Alcohol · A large raw salad, or raw cruciferous vegetables · Deep-fried or heavily processed food · A large portion of nuts or seeds · A big glass of milk or a large serving of unfermented dairy · A large, fatty meal · Making up the missed calories in one sitting
Two to three days.
A slow first hour, small meals across the rest of the day, and a full day back to normal.
Bone broth (one mug, sipped over 20 minutes) · Vegetable broth (one mug, sipped over 20 minutes) · Miso soup (one small bowl) · Water with a pinch of salt (one glass) · Thin vegetable soup (one small bowl)
Soft-scrambled or boiled eggs (one or two) · Plain yoghurt or kefir (a small pot) · Avocado (half) · Steamed or cooked vegetables (a small bowl) · Steamed white fish (a palm-sized piece) · Mashed or baked sweet potato (a small portion) · Silken tofu (a small portion) · Banana (one)
Chicken or turkey with cooked vegetables (a normal plate) · Oily fish with vegetables (a normal plate) · Eggs with vegetables and toast (a normal plate) · Lentil or bean stew (a normal bowl) · Tofu or tempeh with rice and vegetables (a normal plate) · Greek yoghurt with fruit and nuts (a normal bowl) · Rice or potato with your protein (a normal plate)
A sugary drink or dessert as the first thing · Eating until you are full because you earned it · Alcohol · A large raw salad, or raw cruciferous vegetables · Deep-fried or heavily processed food · A large portion of nuts or seeds · A big glass of milk or a large serving of unfermented dairy · A large, fatty meal · Making up the missed calories in one sitting · Going straight back to your normal training · Caffeine on top of the first meal
Three to five days.
Take a full day to come back, not a meal. Read the risk criteria before you start, not after.
Bone broth (one mug, sipped over 20 minutes) · Vegetable broth (one mug, sipped over 20 minutes) · Miso soup (one small bowl) · Water with a pinch of salt (one glass) · A ripe apple or pear (one piece, eaten slowly) · Thin vegetable soup (one small bowl)
Soft-scrambled or boiled eggs (one or two) · Plain yoghurt or kefir (a small pot) · Avocado (half) · Steamed or cooked vegetables (a small bowl) · Steamed white fish (a palm-sized piece) · Mashed or baked sweet potato (a small portion) · Silken tofu (a small portion) · Banana (one)
Chicken or turkey with cooked vegetables (a normal plate) · Oily fish with vegetables (a normal plate) · Eggs with vegetables and toast (a normal plate) · Lentil or bean stew (a normal bowl) · Tofu or tempeh with rice and vegetables (a normal plate) · Greek yoghurt with fruit and nuts (a normal bowl) · Rice or potato with your protein (a normal plate)
A sugary drink or dessert as the first thing · Eating until you are full because you earned it · Alcohol · A large raw salad, or raw cruciferous vegetables · Deep-fried or heavily processed food · A large portion of nuts or seeds · A big glass of milk or a large serving of unfermented dairy · A large, fatty meal · Making up the missed calories in one sitting · Going straight back to your normal training · Caffeine on top of the first meal
Five days and beyond.
Break this one with medical supervision. This page will not give you a meal plan for it.
There is no meal plan here, deliberately. Past five days the guideline becomes an energy figure per kilogram of body weight, bloods measured before the first mouthful, and thiamine given before feeding. Talk to a clinician before you fast, not before you eat again.
A sugary drink or dessert as the first thing · Eating until you are full because you earned it · Alcohol · A large raw salad, or raw cruciferous vegetables · Deep-fried or heavily processed food · A large portion of nuts or seeds · A big glass of milk or a large serving of unfermented dairy · A large, fatty meal · Making up the missed calories in one sitting · Going straight back to your normal training · Caffeine on top of the first meal