Does Cinnamon Break a Fast? A Deep Dive

Intermittent fasting with only plain liquids like water, green tea, coffee, and herbal tea can be tedious. It does not take long to wonder what flavors and sweeteners you can add to your drinks without raising blood glucose levels or compromising the benefits of fasting. Among the top choices is cinnamon.

Cinnamon is a spice many people add to spruce up their drinks, which begs the question – does it break a fast?

Does Cinnamon in Coffee Break a Fast?

To make your coffee taste better, a small amount of ground cinnamon (1/2 teaspoon) is acceptable to sprinkle on top of your morning coffee. Of course, don’t forget that you should drink black coffee without any sweetener or milk if you don’t want to break your fast.

However, cinnamon contains calories, so moderation is key when on an intermittent fasting period. 

What Else Can I Put in My Coffee to Not Break My Fast?

While fasting, you may crave sugar, but adding anything to your coffee may break your fast. If you want to learn more about coffee while fasting, click here.

Luckily, you can add some spices and foods to your black or decaffeinated coffee without exacerbating weight gain, insulin resistance, or breaking the fast.

#1 Nutmeg

Among the many health benefits of nutmeg are pain relief, digestion regulation, sleep improvement, brain health promotion, high blood pressure management, and weight loss assistance. A pinch of nutmeg will not have any effects on your fast.

#2 Cocoa

Unsweetened cocoa adds flavor to coffee without adding calories. Cocoa also contains phytonutrients and theobromine, which help reduce inflammation, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Incorporating less than a gram of cocoa powder into your coffee will not break the fast.

#3 Heavy Cream

Adding a small amount of heavy cream to your cup of coffee will not break your fast or drastically alter your fat-burning process, but it may reduce your autophagy.

#4 Coconut Oil  

Insulin and blood sugar levels will not change by adding a little coconut oil to your cup of coffee. Nevertheless, because it contains calories, you should consume it in moderation to get the benefits of your fasting regimen.

Conclusion

If you implement an intermittent fasting regimen, you should stay hydrated with coffee, diet drinks, herbal teas, sparkling water, plain water, green tea, and black tea. However, you may want to use artificial sweeteners or flavors at some point. Adding cinnamon is a popular way to spice up coffee and tea.

When consumed during fasting periods, cinnamon does not break the fast and causes no adverse effects. Cinnamon is also suitable for a keto diet. If you are still uncertain, check with your doctor before eating anything with cinnamon on an empty stomach.