If you’re following an Intermittent Fast, will Metamucil break your fast? Today, we’re diving into the details of Metamucil and Intermittent Fasting.
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The 21 Day Intermittent Fasting Program
The 21 Day Intermittent Fasting Program provides step-by-step strategies to help you use Intermittent Fasting with delicious, protein-packed meals to support fat loss, reduce hunger, and boost gut health.
Does Metamucil Break a Fast?
Metamucil comes in a variety of shapes and forms – some are powder form, some gummies and even capsules and crackers. Looking at the most basic capsule form, the ingredients list psyllium husk as the only ingredient.
If your goal with Intermittent Fasting is improved gut health and motility, then yes, even the pure psyllium husk will break a fast. Complete abstinence from food and drinks (except for water) is required to stimulate the Migrating Motor Complex and clean out the left behind food and bacteria that typically lead to bloating.
If your goal is weight loss with Intermittent Fasting, then psyllium husk fiber on its own will NOT stimulate an insulin response and therefore will NOT break a fast. One of the main perks of Intermittent Fasting is that it naturally allows for lower levels of insulin during the fasted state, which then triggers the fat burning process, called lipolysis.(1) However, here is where we get into some tricky territory with the different forms of Metamucil.
The other forms of Metamucil, such as the powders, gummies and crackers, typically contain the sugar maltodextrin, wheat flour or other carbohydrates. Even though the fiber (psyllium husk) in Metamucil will not break a fast, the maltodextrin and other ingredients will.
So if you’re looking to use Metamucil while Intermittent Fasting and your goal is weight loss, you might want to opt for the capsule form over the other varieties — at least while you’re fasting.
