To help mitigate the chances of you eating unhealthy foods when breaking your fast, don't set yourself up for failure. Prepare ahead for what you'll eat and have it readily on hand. Don't wait until the last 30 minutes of your fast to realize you have nothing in the house to eat. Have easy-to-eat but healthful foods available to you at the end of your fast.
You may find them especially helpful to have in stock to snack on when you're preparing your first regular post-fast meal.
Some healthy foods that are good to have available post-fast to snack on include
All-natural jerky (beef, bison, ostrich, and so on)
Apple slices with all-natural almond butter
Fresh crudités, such as sliced fresh carrots, celery, cucumber, and broccoli or cauliflower florets
Hard-boiled eggs
Raw unsalted nuts, such as Brazil nuts, cashews, macadamia nuts, and walnuts
Despite their name, peanuts aren't nuts; they're legumes. Although you may not have a full-on peanut allergy, if you experience digestive issues when eating peanuts, as you would with other legumes (such as beans), then limit how much you eat and/or switch to a different food.
To help you plan your post-fast meals in advance, prep the vegetables with which you'll be cooking your next meal. Set aside single servings of raw, unsalted nuts in plastic sandwich bags. Make it as easy as possible to break your fast.
Also, be aware of just how much you're snacking in your post-fast period. Nuts can be especially deceiving because they are so small and easy to eat yet pack a powerful caloric punch. Limit how many nuts you're eating in a given day because of their omega-6 fatty acid content.
Avoid going grocery shopping toward the end of your fast when you'll probably feel the hungriest. Not only will you probably wind up buying more food than you actually meant to when entering the store, but you'll also more than likely purchase some less-than-choice foods that look especially good through the eyes of an empty stomach.
Head to the grocery store before you begin your fast or on a nonfasting day. Bring a list that includes just the healthful and nutritious items you need (and stick to that list), rather than blindly wandering down the aisles (which is where the packaged and generally unhealthy foods reside).
Having a list and sticking to it helps you spend less time and less money in the grocery store. Your wallet and your waistline will thank you.
