What Broth Can I Have When Fasting? A Guide to Choosing the Right Elixir

November 3, 2025 •

4 min read

While water is the universal solvent, most fasters find they need something more substantial to sustain longer periods without food. Learning what broth can I have when fasting? is crucial for maintaining hydration and replenishing electrolytes, especially during modified fasting protocols. Incorporating the right broth can make the experience more manageable and beneficial.

Quick Summary

The best broth for fasting depends on your goals, with low-calorie vegetable broth suiting stricter fasts and nutrient-rich bone broth supporting modified plans. Both options aid hydration, replenish electrolytes, and provide satiety, helping you adhere to your fasting regimen more easily.

Key Points

Define Your Fasting Goal: The type of broth you can have depends on your fasting goal—strict water-only for autophagy versus modified fasts for weight loss or satiety.
Choose Bone or Vegetable Broth: Bone broth is nutrient-dense, rich in collagen and electrolytes, while vegetable broth is lower in calories and suitable for vegans.
Technically, Broth Breaks a Pure Fast: Any calories, even minimal amounts in broth, will technically break a strict fast, though it is compatible with modified fasting for fat-burning.
Replenish Electrolytes: Broths are excellent for preventing dehydration and electrolyte imbalance symptoms like headaches and cramps during a fast.
Promote Satiety and Gut Health: The protein in bone broth helps with hunger control, while the collagen and gelatin support a healthy gut lining.
Consider Homemade Broth: To control sodium and ensure quality, preparing your own broth from bones or vegetable scraps is recommended.
Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to how you feel during your fast and use broth strategically to manage hunger and discomfort, especially on modified protocols.

Understanding Fasting Protocols and Broth Consumption

Fasting practices range from strict water-only regimens to more flexible, modified approaches like intermittent fasting or calorie-restricted plans. The fundamental distinction lies in whether calorie consumption is allowed. A 'true' fast, often observed for cellular autophagy, requires zero calories. For this, even a small number of calories in broth is not permitted. However, for modified fasts where the primary goal is weight loss, metabolic health, or appetite control, a low-calorie broth can be a powerful tool to prevent hunger and replenish essential minerals.

The Broth Breakdown: Bone Broth vs. Vegetable Broth

Choosing between bone and vegetable broth depends on your dietary preferences and fasting objectives. Both offer distinct advantages and a savory alternative to plain water, but they differ significantly in their nutritional content and impact on the body.

Bone Broth for Fasting: The Nutrient-Rich Option

Bone broth, made by simmering animal bones and connective tissues for an extended period, is celebrated for its dense nutrient profile.

Replenishes Electrolytes: During fasting, your body flushes out electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and magnesium. Bone broth is a natural source of these crucial minerals, which helps prevent dehydration, muscle cramps, and the "keto flu".
Supports Gut Health: It contains collagen and gelatin, which help support the gut lining and decrease inflammation. This can be particularly beneficial after a fasting period.
Provides Satiety: With a higher protein content (typically 9-10 grams per cup), bone broth can significantly reduce hunger pangs, making it easier to stick to your fasting window.
Promotes Ketosis: Since high-quality bone broth contains minimal carbs and fat, it's unlikely to kick your body out of ketosis, the fat-burning state targeted by many intermittent fasters.

Vegetable Broth for Fasting: The Vegan-Friendly Choice

For those following a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, or for fasters aiming for the most minimal calorie intake, vegetable broth is an ideal choice.

Very Low Calorie: A clear vegetable broth is typically the lowest in calories, with some recipes containing as little as 20 calories per serving. This makes it a safer option for those pursuing stricter modified fasts.
Electrolyte Support: Just like bone broth, a vegetable-based version can help restore electrolytes. Adding ingredients like seaweed or mushrooms can boost trace mineral content.
Less Impact on Autophagy: For fasters prioritizing autophagy—the cellular clean-up process—the lower protein and amino acid content of vegetable broth may be less disruptive compared to bone broth.
Gentle on the Stomach: Vegetable broth is often less rich than bone broth, making it easier on an empty stomach and a good option for people with sensitivities.

Comparing Bone Broth and Vegetable Broth for Fasting

This comparison table can help you decide which broth is best suited for your specific fasting goals.


Feature	Bone Broth	Vegetable Broth
Calories	Higher (typically 40-50 per cup)	Lower (often under 30 per cup)
Protein	Higher (collagen and gelatin)	Lower or trace amounts
Satiety	Very effective for curbing hunger	Provides a sense of fullness but less protein
Electrolytes	Excellent source of sodium, potassium, magnesium	Good source, can be enhanced with certain vegetables/seaweed
Impact on Strict Fast	Technically breaks a fast due to calories/protein	Less likely to interfere with autophagy due to lower calories/macronutrients
Best For	Weight loss, appetite control, keto-compatible fasting	Stricter modified fasts, vegans, autophagy-focused goals

How to Prepare and Enhance Your Fasting Broth

While store-bought broths are convenient, making your own offers complete control over ingredients and sodium levels.

Homemade Bone Broth: Use roasted bones (beef or chicken), carrots, celery, and onions. Add a splash of apple cider vinegar to help extract minerals and simmer for 12-48 hours.
Homemade Vegetable Broth: Save vegetable scraps like celery, carrots, leek tops, and mushrooms. Simmer for about an hour with water, herbs (parsley, thyme), and mineral-rich ingredients like kombu seaweed for extra nutrition.
Fasting-Friendly Additions: To enhance flavor without adding calories, consider adding fresh herbs, ginger, turmeric, or a small pinch of high-quality salt for electrolytes. Avoid adding spices with a significant caloric impact.

Signs You Need Broth During a Fast

If you're on a modified fast and experiencing symptoms like those below, a cup of broth can provide relief and support your body:

Headaches
Muscle cramps
Fatigue or feeling run-down
Irritability
Brain fog

These are often indicators of dehydration or electrolyte imbalance, which broth can quickly help to correct.

Common Fasting Schedules Incorporating Broth

Intermittent Fasting (e.g., 16/8): Drink broth during your fasting window to manage hunger and maintain hydration. A mug of broth can help bridge the gap to your eating period.
Bone Broth Fast: A dedicated protocol where you consume only bone broth for a few days to reset your digestive system and support gut health.
Fasting Mimicking Diets (FMDs): These plans involve low-calorie intake over several days, and bone or vegetable broth is often a key component to provide nutrients and satiety.

Conclusion: Making Broth Part of Your Fasting Journey

Choosing what broth can I have when fasting? is not a one-size-fits-all decision, but rather one guided by your specific health goals and the type of fast you are undertaking. For strict, water-only fasts, broth is not an option due to its caloric content. However, for modified fasts focused on weight management or digestive rest, nutrient-dense bone broth or low-calorie vegetable broth can be an invaluable ally. They offer a gentle, flavorful way to replenish electrolytes, curb hunger, and support your well-being, making your fasting experience more sustainable and comfortable. As always, listening to your body and consulting a healthcare professional before beginning any new fasting regimen is recommended.

Authoritative Outbound Link

For more detailed information on the health benefits of fasting and what can be consumed, you can read more from The Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials on Bone Broth Benefits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, drinking bone broth technically breaks a 'true' or strict fast because it contains calories from protein and fat. However, for modified fasts focused on metabolic benefits like ketosis, many people include bone broth because its low-carb content doesn't significantly spike insulin.

The 'better' option depends on your goal. Vegetable broth is the best choice for stricter fasts or for vegans because it contains fewer calories and less protein, making it less likely to interrupt cellular autophagy. Bone broth offers more protein and collagen, which is beneficial for satiety and gut health, particularly for modified fasting or keto diets.

For intermittent fasting, a typical approach is to have 1-2 cups of broth during your fasting window to help with hunger and hydration. During a dedicated bone broth fast, some people drink up to 2 liters over a 24-hour period.

Yes, adding salt to your broth is highly recommended, especially during longer fasts. Salt, along with other electrolytes, is often depleted when abstaining from food. Adding high-quality salt helps replenish these minerals and can prevent headaches and cramps.

No. If your goal is a strict water-only fast for maximum cellular autophagy, you should not have broth. The caloric content, however small, will signal your body to stop the pure fasting state. Broth is only suitable for modified fasting protocols.

Yes, broth is excellent for alleviating 'keto flu' symptoms, which are often caused by electrolyte imbalance. Both bone and vegetable broths are rich in essential electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and magnesium, which helps your body adjust to using fat for fuel.

Store-bought broth is an acceptable option, but it is important to check the ingredients and nutritional label carefully. Look for low-sodium, low-calorie options without added sugars or artificial flavorings. Homemade broth gives you the most control over content.

The best time to drink broth is when you experience hunger pangs, feel fatigued, or need hydration during your fasting window. It can also be a gentle way to break your fast and ease your digestive system back into eating.