How I Break a Fast

I have been dealing with metastatic breast cancer. While doing research on how to increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy and radiation as well as reducing the side effects of these treatments, I came across some intriguing studies about fasting and cancer.

In a nutshell, those who fasted for 24–48 hours prior to chemo experienced much lower side effects and responded better to the drugs. Same with radiation.

I also read that having miso soup during radiation treatments would help alleviate some of the side effects. I’ve written about this in other articles on Medium:

As I documented in my articles — I started off by doing intermittent fasting and listened to my body. When I felt very weak, I ate food. Because the intervals were shorter than 24 hours, I didn’t worry too much about how to break my fast at that point. I just ate my normal, healthy diet.

However, at this point, I can easily go for 48 hours without eating.

I’ve researched the effects of fasting with or without conventional cancer treatments and it turns out that for many people fasting alone is as effective as chemo or radiation alone. The combination of both cancer treatments and fasting is even more powerful. Because I am fasting for 48 hours before treatment, it’s important for me to be mindful how I break the fast.

However, one question many people may ask — is there a “best” way to break a fast?

What I have chosen to do — I have a cup of warm bone broth to break my fast. It’s tasty and nourishing and also light enough that my stomach is not overwhelmed. Since nausea is often a side effect for cancer patients going through treatment, this is important.

If you are a vegan, breaking a fast with lemon water to which you’ve added a little honey and a pinch of salt might be a good option.

If I had been going through radiation therapy, however, instead of bone broth I have miso soup to break my fast. I fast for 2 days prior to the radiation, and then have miso soup the day of, as well as having it again for breakfast for a couple of days after.

I feel that this combination of nutrition with treatment has helped me survive over 2 years when my brain surgeon gave me 6 months to live.

Going back to breaking a fast — while my first meal is bone broth, my second meal, usually a couple of hours later, might have an egg and some sauteed greens. A little later, I’ll snack on an orange or have some lemon water with a little bit of honey or some berries with yogurt. For lunch, I will have a small piece of fish and some cooked veggies. Throughout the day I may sip on kombucha.

The next day, I have more “balanced” meals, so I’ll add small amounts of starches to some of them. A small baked potato, for example, or a couple of slices of sprouted grain bread or a serving of rice with my stir fry. I need to incorporate these more dense foods into my diet because, as someone dealing with cancer, I can’t afford to lose too much weight and also there are nutrients that healthy carbs provide that my body craves.

If your goal in fasting is to lose weight, then avoiding carbs might make sense as it will provide another boost to weight loss.

Also, in breaking a fast — some people will have to be more slow and careful while others can break a fast by having pizza! It really depends on how your own body functions, so the best advice I can give — pay attention to your body!

If, during a fast, you start to feel dizzy — stop the fast! Keep some bone broth or lemons and honey on hand to do so.

For those who have never fasted before, I hope this helps you figure out a routine that works for you. One thing you can do if your goal is weight loss — check your ketone levels. The cheapest way to do so is to use ketone test strips. They can give a good rough measure of your status. The darker the color the more ketones. While you want to be in the optimal range of 1.5–4.0 mmol/l, I have been as high as 8 mmol/l without any adverse effects. Again, listen to your body.

I am fighting stage IV cancer. If you can help with medical bills, I would really appreciate it. Or if you enjoy my writing and would like to buy me a cup of coffee, that’s great too. Maybe someday I can return the favor.

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This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM.

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