Can You Take Gummy Vitamins While Intermittent Fasting?
Gummy vitamins are fun ways to make sure that you’re getting your daily recommended amount of vitamins and minerals. They’ve often easier to take on an empty stomach than traditional vitamins, which can leave a sour taste in your stomach. Some even taste like fruit snacks, making you feel like a kid again!
Unfortunately, if you’re intermittent fasting, you’ll want to pass on the gummy vitamins – at least until your eating windows. They contain calories and sugar, among other ingredients, all of which will break you fast. Let’s explore more about why you want to skip these types of vitamins during fasting windows. While some supplements may break fast in one area but not others, gummy vitamins typically break fast in all areas, and here’s why.
Key Takeaways
- Gummy vitamins should be avoided while intermittent fasting because they contain calories, sweeteners, and other ingredients that can break a fast.
- Sugar and sweeteners can prompt a metabolic response in the body, causing insulin to spike, impacting gut health, and breaking autophagy and ketosis, which are important aspects of fasting.
- If you need to take multivitamins or supplements, choose ones that do not contain sugar, fats, and proteins, and review the nutritional label to ensure they won’t break your fast.
- Consult with a doctor to ensure that any supplements or medications won’t interfere with intermittent fasting plans.
- Ultimately, intermittent fasting is about improving overall health, so make adjustments to your fasting plan based on your needs and work with your doctor to ensure your treatment plan is safe and effective.
Calories
Gummy vitamins contain calories, though the amount depends on the brand and type of gummy vitamin. On average, a typical serving size will include between 15 and 30 calories, which is enough to break your fast.
Sometimes, you can make an exception. For example, if you are an avid coffee or tea drinker, a cup without milk or sweeteners may have about five calories in it. This is generally accepted for intermittent fasting without breaking your fast. However, you don’t want to make an exception for gummy vitamins. The calories aren’t the only reasons these supplements will break your fast.
Sweeteners
We already discussed that gummy vitamins taste better than traditional coated supplements, but do you know why? You guessed it. Sugar. Many gummy vitamins contain sweeteners to help make them taste better. Even if they used no-calorie sweeteners – which they don’t – gummy vitamins would still break your fast.
This is because sugar and sweeteners prompt a metabolic response in your body. They cause your insulin to spike, impact your gut health, and break autophagy and ketosis. This is the trifecta when it comes to breaking fast, so it’s best to avoid it. You can take calorie-free supplements and multivitamins to get similar benefits of a gummy vitamin without breaking your fast.
Protein, Carbs, and Fats
You’ll want to check the label, but some gummy vitamins contain protein, carbs, and fats as part of their ingredients, which automatically excludes them from taking during fasts. Even the gelatin that the gummy vitamin is encased in contains protein! All around, gummy vitamins contain hidden ingredients that can hinder your progress while fasting.
Breaking your fast with gummy vitamins will make you crave sugar and food, causing more harm than good when you take while fasting. Because of that, it’s best to get your vitamins and nutrients elsewhere during an intermittent fast.
What If My Doctor Recommends I Take a Multivitamin?
Your doctor may recommend that you take multivitamins to fill any nutritional gaps you have from your diet itself, and that’s okay. There are supplements that you can take while intermittent fasting that won’t break your fast. As long as your supplement does not need to be taken with food, it should be safe to take.
Again, review the nutritional label to ensure it does not include sugar, fats, and proteins. If there are calories, know that it may technically break your fast; however, it may be okay as long as it doesn’t trigger an insulin response, break autophagy or ketosis, or upset your gut.
Ultimately, intermittent fasting is about improving your overall health; however, if your doctor recommends you take specific medicines or supplements, it should never take precedence. Work with your doctor to ensure your intermittent fasting plan won’t interact with their treatment. If it does, don’t hesitate to make adjustments based on your needs.
FAQ
Can you take gummy vitamins during intermittent fasting?
Yes, you can take gummy vitamins during intermittent fasting. However, it’s important to choose vitamins without calories, sugars, or artificial sweeteners that could break your fast.
Do gummy vitamins contain calories?
Some gummy vitamins may contain calories, sugars, or artificial sweeteners. Therefore, it’s important to check the label to ensure that the gummy vitamins you choose do not have any ingredients that could break your fast.
Will taking gummy vitamins to break a fast?
It depends on the ingredients in the gummy vitamins. If the gummy vitamins contain calories, sugars, or artificial sweeteners, they could break your fast. However, if the gummy vitamins are calorie-free and do not contain any sweeteners, they are unlikely to break your fast.
Can gummy vitamins affect blood sugar levels during fasting?
If the gummy vitamins contain sugar or other sweeteners, they could raise blood sugar levels and break your fast. However, most high-quality gummy vitamins are made with low-glycemic sweeteners and are unlikely to affect blood sugar levels.
What are the benefits of taking gummy vitamins while intermittent fasting?
Taking gummy vitamins while intermittent fasting can help ensure your body gets the nutrients it needs during your feeding window. This can help support your overall health and well-being.
Are there any potential drawbacks to taking gummy vitamins while intermittent fasting?
If the gummy vitamins you choose contain calories, sugars, or artificial sweeteners, they could break your fast and interfere with the benefits of intermittent fasting. Additionally, taking too many vitamins can lead to unwanted side effects, so following the recommended dosage is important.
How should one take gummy vitamins during intermittent fasting?
It’s best to take gummy vitamins during your feeding window to ensure you benefit from the nutrients they contain. However, if you prefer to take your vitamins during your fasting window, ensure they do not have any ingredients that could break your fast.
Are there any particular gummy vitamin types better suited for intermittent fasting?
When choosing gummy vitamins for intermittent fasting, look for high-quality brands that use low-glycemic sweeteners and do not contain any calories or artificial sweeteners. Additionally, consider selecting vitamins that are specifically designed to support the needs of those who are intermittent fasting.
