Fast Like a Girl: A Woman's Guide to Using the Healing Power of Fasting to Burn Fat, Boost Energy,and Balance Hormones

Essential oils: Essential oils like mandarin orange, geranium, and rosemary are great for opening up liver detox pathways. Just a few drops on the skin over the liver after a hot shower or infrared sauna are all that is needed.

If you want to stay in a fasted state, the name of the game is to keep your blood sugar low. Anything that causes your blood sugar to rise will pull you out of your fast, whether you want it to or not.

WHAT PULLS YOU OUT OF A FASTED STATE?

Although I have fat listed here as breaking a fast, it technically doesn’t break your fast; it just helps you lengthen your fasting time. As with all foods, you need to check it with your blood sugar to see what it does for you.

Foods to break your fast with that keep you burning fat: Avocado Raw nuts or nut butter Olives Bone broth

Foods to break your fast with that support muscle building: Eggs Beef sticks Beef jerky Protein shakes such as pea, hemp, and whey concentrate Sliced deli meats (nitrite-free) Chicken breast Turkey Grass-fed beef High-protein vegetables such as peas, broccoli, sprouts, mushrooms, and brussels sprouts Chickpeas Lima beans Quinoa Avocado

BUILD MORE MUSCLE

Foods to break your fast with that support your microbiome: Fermented yogurts, including coconut and dairy varieties Bone broth Sauerkraut Kombucha Seeds and seed oils Prebiotic-rich protein powders

One of my favorite meals to break a fast with is half an avocado and a cup of sauerkraut sprinkled with pumpkin seeds and drizzled with flaxseed oil, hitting all the necessary components to grow good bacteria.