FAQ: Does Matcha Break My Fast?

With many types of fasts becoming popular, it can be confusing to know which type of drink will break a fast. The simple answer is “No, matcha will not break your fast.” Read on to learn why.

Types of fasts

Fasting generally falls into these categories:

• Dry fast: No fluids of any kind are allowed. Because this can lead to dehydration, it’s generally not recommended. Muslims practice this form of fasting, but only during daylight hours of the holy month of Ramadan.
• Water-only fast: This is the classic fast during which you are only allowed to consume water.
• Water-and-noncaloric-beverages fast: This is a variant of the water-only fast. For this kind of fast, you can consume water as well as other noncaloric drinks, such as matcha, tea and black coffee. Sweeteners are not allowed.
• Juice fast: You are permitted to drink juice as well as water. Since juice contains sugars and calories, it’s not technically a true fast; and the results you get from it will vary depending on the type and amount of juice consumed. For example, fruit juices have more sugar than vegetable juices.
• Fat fast: This is a newer variation of fasting, where you are permitted to consume fat in the form of high-fat meats, fish, oils, nuts, and dairy. Like juice fasting, it isn’t technically a true fast as calories are consumed. Currently, there’s little scientific proof supporting the effectiveness or safety of this type of fast.

The two most common kinds of fasting are water fasting and juice fasting. Generally, water fasting is done with the intention of personal transformation or overcoming chronic health conditions. Juice fasting is less demanding, and a person can usually go about their normal activities, including work, while doing a juice fast.

Water-only versus water-and-matcha (or any noncaloric-beverages) fast

Most people will experience similar results whether they choose a water-only fast or water-and-matcha (or any noncaloric-beverages) fast. But if you have a caffeine addiction, you might choose a water-only fast to help you reset your relationship with caffeine. In addition, drinking a caffeinated beverage on an empty stomach will intensify its effects, so you may want to cut caffeine consumption off after noon to promote better sleep during your fast.

If you choose a water-and-noncaloric-beverages fast, here are some beverage options:

• Water: Still or sparkling water are both good choices, and you can switch between the two for variety.
• Matcha: My personal favorite for starting the day, matcha is a powder of ground-up green tea leaves. It contains a bit more caffeine than green tea but less than coffee. And because it contains the amino acid L-theanine (like green tea), it delivers a sustained release of energy compared to caffeine energy in coffee, which is absorbed more quickly.
• Tea: All types of tea can be consumed during this fast, such as green, black, oolong, and herbal. The catechins in green tea are believed to suppress appetite, so green tea is a particularly good choice. Herbal teas like ginger, mint, cinnamon, and chamomile are also good options. These are ideal to drink during the evening since they contain no caffeine.
• Coffee: Coffee has many health benefits, including being a great source of antioxidants. It has more caffeine than the other choices, so be wary of that, especially since you’ll be fasting. If you are a heavy coffee drinker, be aware that while black coffee has zero calories, it does trigger some digestive functions that could lead to heartburn if you overdo it.

For all these noncaloric beverage options, no milk, cream, sugar, or artificial sweetener is allowed to be added. This is because milk, cream, and sugar contain calories; and artificial sweeteners will stimulate hunger.

On using matcha for fasting versus coffee

Here’s a comparison of matcha versus coffee for fasting:

• Matcha has a better, longer-lasting caffeine high than coffee. Instead of the sudden spike in energy and jitters, you get a calm awareness energy. It has a quarter of the caffeine in coffee, and that caffeine is slowed in absorption to the body due to the phytonutrients (esp. L-theanine) in it. The caffeine in matcha typically takes three to six hours to be absorbed by the body. You will feel energized in a better way and for a longer amount of time when using matcha.
• Matcha has more antioxidants: Coffee has a good amount of antioxidants, but matcha has much more. It is full of flavonoids, polyphenols and catechins (10 times the antioxidants of green tea). Due to the high levels of these antioxidants, matcha is even under study for prevention of cancer.
• Matcha is better for your teeth and mouth: It doesn’t stain your teeth and helps control dental plaque.
• Matcha increases your metabolism: Coffee does this too. Unfortunately, I have yet to see a study which compares the two on this.

The unique benefits of matcha for fasting

I drink matcha every morning while intermittent fasting, as well as when I go on longer multi-day fasts. Because matcha has naturally high levels of l-theanine, it provides a longer-lasting, calm awareness energy. This is perfect for both intermittent fasting and transformational fasting practices. It’s also important to consider the caffeine content of matcha versus other caffeinated beverages. Matcha has more caffeine than green or black teas, but less than coffee. This puts matcha in a moderate sweet spot in terms of its caffeine content, especially considering the calm energy that comes from it due to its l-theanine content.

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Credits

• Photo by j_arlecchino under Creative Commons