Intermittent fasting has become an increasingly popular diet strategy in recent years. Many people use intermittent fasting to lose weight, improve health, and simplify their eating schedule.
One of the most common questions about intermittent fasting is whether certain additions to coffee or tea will break your fast. Specifically, many people wonder if using zero-calorie, zero sugar creamers can be consumed during your fasting window without disrupting ketosis or other benefits of fasting.
This article will examine the science and debate around using zero sugar creamers or dairy substitutes during intermittent fasting. We’ll cover topics like:
- The basics of intermittent fasting and common fasting protocols
- Whether zero sugar creamers technically “break” a fast
- The potential impact of artificial sweeteners on insulin, hunger, and ketosis
- How dairy proteins in creamers may affect fasting
- The best options for fasting-friendly creamers
- Final advice on if and how to use creamer during a fast
By the end, you’ll have a research-backed answer to whether zero sugar creamers can be consumed without disrupting or breaking your intermittent fast.
What is Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent fasting (IF) is an eating pattern that involves regular, extended fasts of 12 hours or more. The most popular intermittent fasting protocols include:
- 16/8 method: Fast for 16 hours per day, eat during an 8 hour “feeding window.” This is the most common IF method.
- Alternate day fasting: Fast every other day. On fast days, some eat just 500 calories.
- 5:2 diet: Eat normally 5 days a week, limit calories to 500-600 for 2 days.
- Eat-stop-eat: Do 24 hour fasts 1-2 times per week.
- The Warrior Diet: Fast during the day, eat one large meal at night.
During fasting periods, no or very limited calorie intake is allowed. Water, unsweetened tea, and black coffee are usually permitted.
The proposed benefits of intermittent fasting include:
- Weight loss: IF makes it easier to reduce calories and body fat.
- Improved health: Fastings may protect against diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
- Longevity: IF may increase lifespan by slowing aging and cellular regeneration.
- Simplified diet: Fasting eliminates need to plan & prepare multiple meals per day.
Now that we’ve covered the basics of intermittent fasting, let’s examine whether non-caloric creamers are allowed during fasts.
Do Zero Sugar Creamers Technically Break a Fast?
Whether or not zero sugar creamers (or zero calorie sweeteners) technically break a fast depends on your definition of fasting.
In terms of calories and macronutrients, zero sugar creamers almost never contain any calories, carbs, protein or fat. From this standpoint, they should be fasting-friendly.
However, some argue that even non-caloric sweeteners can produce an insulin response or spike hunger levels. As such, strict fasters avoid all sweeteners and flavorings during the fasting window.
Overall, there are two main perspectives on zero sugar creamers and intermittent fasting:
They do NOT break a fast:
- Zero calorie, so don’t contain macros that break fasted state
- Allowable on most intermittent fasting protocols
- May provide comfort/normalcy for black coffee drinkers
They technically CAN break a fast:
- Some evidence they provoke an insulin reaction
- May stimulate hunger during fast
- Go against spirit of fasting by stimulating appetite/pleasure
As we’ll explore in detail below, the impact of zero calorie creamers depends greatly on the specific ingredients used in the formulation.
Do Artificial Sweeteners in Creamers Break a Fast?
One point of debate is whether artificial sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose and saccharin can disrupt fasting benefits. These zero calorie sugar substitutes allow creamers to have a sweet flavor without calories or carbs.
But some research indicates artificial sweeteners can provoke an insulin response, essentially “tricking” the body into reacting as if real sugar has been consumed:
- A 2013 study found sucralose raised insulin levels by 20% in 17 obese patients [1]
- A 2008 study observed insulin spikes of 20% in healthy patients after ingesting sucralose [2]
- Experts theorize that strong sweet flavors may cause anticipate release of insulin, even without carbs [3]
- These insulin spikes could inhibit lipolysis (fat burning) and ketosis
However, the evidence is mixed. Several studies found no effect of artificial sweeteners on insulin or glucose [4,5].
A major review also concluded that while these sweeteners may produce an insulin response, it is much smaller than sugar and unlikely to impact blood sugar control in diabetics [6].
Overall, a small insulin reaction may occur with artificial sweeteners for some people but likely does not significantly disrupt fasting benefits.
Sucralose vs. Aspartame vs. Saccharin
Most zero sugar creamers use sucralose, aspartame or saccharin as the main sweetener.
Sucralose may have the biggest impact on insulin. Multiple studies show it triggers an insulin response and elevates blood glucose [1,2]. One study found sucralose also increased appetite sensations in obese patients [7].
In contrast, aspartame seems to have no effect on appetite or cravings [8]. Saccharin also appears neutral regarding insulin and appetite, according to the majority of studies [9].
So creamers sweetened with aspartame or saccharin may be better options for fasters concerned about insulin or hunger.
Stevia as a Natural Sweetener
Stevia is a natural, zero calorie sweetener extracted from a plant. A few fasting creamer products use stevia instead of artificial sweeteners.
Several studies suggest stevia has no effect on insulin, blood sugar or hunger [10,11]. Therefore, stevia-sweetened creamers that are very low in carbs look to be a safe bet for fasts.
Do Milk Proteins in Creamers Break a Fast?
Along with sweeteners, some people worry the milk proteins in dairy and non-dairy creamers could disrupt fasting.
Whey, casein and other milk proteins are insulinogenic, meaning they stimulate insulin release [12]. Milk proteins also provide amino acids that turn off lipolysis and ketone production [13].
However, creamers contain only miniscule amounts of milk proteins. For example:
- Coffee mate Original Powder: 0g protein per serving [14]
- Silk Almond Creamer: <1 g protein per serving [15]
These trace amounts of proteins almost certainly have negligible effects on insulin and ketosis during short term fasts under 24 hours.
Therefore, there is no reason to believe the tiny protein content in zero sugar creamers significantly impacts fasting.
Are There Better Creamer Options for Fasting?
If you remain concerned about insulin, cravings or strictly adhering to a fast, there are some better creamer options:
For Clearer Fast:
- Use small amounts of regular cream or milk
- Opt for nut-based creamers without sweeteners
- Try “bulletproof” coffee recipes with butter or MCT oil
For Minimal Impact:
- Choose stevia-sweetened over artificial sweetened creamers
- Look for creamers with only trace protein/carbs
- Limit to 1-2 tbsp per day maximum
Heavy cream or nut-based creamers have some calories, but no sweeteners or additives. Adding a dash of cream to black coffee is unlikely to alter fasting benefits.
Bulletproof coffee with butter or MCT oil will not stimulate insulin or hunger. However, these do technically break a fast with their high fat calorie content.
Among sweetened creamers, those using stevia or very minimal ingredients can let you taste your coffee without significantly impacting metabolism or appetite during a fast.
The Final Verdict: Should You Use Creamer When Fasting?
At the end of the day, whether or not to use zero sugar creamers while intermittent fasting comes down to your preferences and goals:
- For strictest fast: Avoid all sweeteners and flavorings
- For fat burning: Limit anything that affects insulin
- For convenience: Enjoy if needed to stick with fasting routine
The majority of evidence suggests small amounts of zero calorie creamer have minimal effects on insulin and ketosis during fasting windows under 24 hours.
However, creamers flavored with sucralose or heavy in additives could potentially trigger a slight insulin reaction. Going without any creamer is the safest bet for maintaining a fully fasted state.
That said, even purists like Dr. Fung say fasting should be sustainable long-term. So adding some zero sugar creamer if it makes adhering to your fasting schedule more enjoyable is perfectly fine.
At the end of the day, fasting is just a tool. Finding a sustainable balance matters more than strict dogma over whether a splash of creamer “breaks” a fast.
References
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23633524
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18854483
[3] https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/artificial-sweeteners-sugar-free-but-at-what-cost-201207165030
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29159583
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2887500
[6] https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/41/5/951
[7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23633524
[8] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7657095
[9] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8092062
[10] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17381382
[11] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2900484/
[12] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7900695
[13] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3248697/
[14] https://www.coffee-mate.com/products/liquid/french-vanilla/
[15] https://silk.com/plant-based-products/creamer/almond-coconut-blend/
