No, chicken broth has calories and protein, so it breaks a strict fasting window; it fits only in modified or “broth-allowed” fasts.
Fasting plans aren’t all the same. Some stick to zero-calorie drinks only, while others allow a small amount of energy during the fasting window. Chicken broth lands in a gray zone for many beginners. It feels light, yet it still carries calories, amino acids, and sodium. This guide explains when broth fits, when it doesn’t, how much nutrition it adds, and safer ways to use it around a fast.
What Chicken Broth Really Contains
Broth isn’t just flavored water. A cup often delivers a handful of calories, a few grams of protein from dissolved collagen and meat juices, and a notable hit of sodium. That mix can blunt the very signals many people want from a fast, like lower insulin and a shift toward fat use. On the flip side, that same mix can steady lightheadedness, ease headaches, and make fasts feel doable for folks who practice modified methods.
Quick Nutrition Snapshot
The numbers vary by brand and recipe. Store cartons, homemade stock, bone broth, and bouillon-based cups can sit far apart. Here’s a broad view you can use as orientation before you check your label.
| Type | Calories | Protein (g) |
|---|---|---|
| Carton Chicken Broth (regular) | 10–20 | 1–2 |
| Low-Sodium Chicken Broth | 10–25 | 1–3 |
| Chicken Bone Broth (carton) | 35–50 | 7–10 |
| Home-Simmered Chicken Stock | 25–40 | 2–6 |
| Bouillon-Based Cup | 5–15 | 0–1 |
Those ranges show why answers online feel mixed. A clear carton that lists 10–15 calories looks different from a meaty bone broth with 8–10 grams of protein per cup. Both are still energy-containing liquids, though, so strict plans treat them as “eating.”
Is Chicken Broth Allowed While Fasting For Health Goals?
That depends on the plan you follow and the goal you care about most. Many mainstream time-restricted methods define the fasting window as water, black coffee, and plain tea only. Health systems that teach time-restricted eating often repeat the same rule: if it has calories, it ends the fast. In practice, countless people still use broth during the day on tougher schedules. That shift turns the plan into a modified fast, sometimes called “dirty fasting.” It can feel easier, but it’s not the same stimulus.
Zero-Calorie Plans
If your plan is strict about noncaloric drinks only, broth isn’t a match. It carries calories and small amounts of carbs and fat along with protein. Even a cup with 10–20 calories counts. That’s why clinics and academic sources keep pointing to plain water, black coffee, and unsweetened tea as the safe trio during the fasting window.
Modified Or “Broth-Allowed” Plans
Some people allow a small serving of broth to curb nausea, dizziness, or cramps. They accept the trade: a tiny calorie bump for better adherence. This approach can help on long days or in the afternoon when focus dips. If you go this route, a small cup (4–8 oz) of lower-calorie broth tends to be gentler than a full mug of protein-dense bone broth.
Religious Or Medical Fasts
Rules vary widely. Many religious daytime fasts don’t permit any food or drink during set hours. Medical fasts before a test or procedure often allow only clear liquids within a strict window, and many labs still limit even those. Always follow the specific instructions given to you by your faith tradition or your clinician.
Why Broth Can Undercut Common Fasting Goals
People fast for several reasons. Broth can help with comfort yet work against certain aims during the fasting period. Here’s how that tension plays out.
Body-Weight Control
Time-restricted eating works by compressing eating into a shorter window. Liquids with energy add up. A routine that includes several cups of bone broth during the day might slide into a sip-and-snack pattern that blurs the “no energy” rule. For weight control, every calorie still counts, even when it’s in a mug.
Metabolic Signaling
Many readers care about insulin and fat-use signals during a fast. Protein, even in small doses, can nudge insulin. Salt won’t break a fast by itself, but the protein and any carbs in broth can. If you want the cleanest signal, stick to noncaloric choices until your eating window starts.
Cell-Cleaning Stimulus
Research summaries describe how fasting patterns can trigger recycling pathways in cells. Broth adds nutrients that shift the metabolic state away from that stress-resistance signal. That’s one reason many practitioners keep the fasting window strictly calorie-free when that cellular angle is the priority.
How To Use Broth Without Derailing Your Plan
You don’t need to ban broth forever. You just need to place it where it works for you. Use these placement ideas to keep your plan intact.
Use It To Break The Fast
Starting your eating window with a cup of warm broth can be gentle on the stomach and easy on digestion. It hydrates, brings in sodium, and primes you for a balanced meal. This is a smart slot for bone broth with higher protein, since it can carry you to the next plate.
Keep It For Low-Energy Days
If a strict approach tanks your day, a small serving may be a better compromise than quitting the plan. Keep the serving tight, avoid constant sipping, and treat it as an exception instead of a routine habit. If you notice stalls in progress, pull the broth back out of the fasting window first.
Pick A Lower-Calorie Style
A clear broth with 10–15 calories lands softer than a cup with 8–10 grams of protein. Check the label and portion with a measuring cup until your eye is trained. For salty concentrates, mix as directed; double-strength “sips” usually bump both salt and calories.
Label Check: What To Scan Before You Sip
Broth labels look simple at a glance, yet a fast-friendly choice needs a closer look. Here’s a short checklist that helps you judge the fit quickly on a store run.
Serving Size And Calories
Confirm the serving is one cup. Some cartons list odd sizes, which can make a low number look lower than it really is. Multiply to match how much you plan to drink.
Protein Per Cup
Protein brings satiety, but during a fast that protein moves the needle. A high-protein bone broth belongs at the start of your eating window or with a meal, not during the fasting stretch if you’re following a strict plan.
Sodium
Many broths are salty. That can help with headaches, yet it can also overshoot daily totals fast. If you use broth often, grab a low-sodium carton and season in the bowl so you stay in control.
Authoritative Rules For Drinks During A Fast
Major health sources repeat the same baseline: keep the fasting window calorie-free. You’ll see water, black coffee, and plain tea named again and again. For readers who want a clear cut rule set from a clinical source, see the guidance from a large health system on which beverages fit a fasting period. You’ll also find academic pages that outline fasting schedules and note the same drink rule.
See the Cleveland Clinic fasting drink guidance and this Harvard Health overview for simple, no-calorie beverage rules during the fasting window.
When A Small Cup Might Make Sense
Plenty of people like broth during the day for electrolytes and comfort. If you choose that route, treat it as a tool, not a loophole. Pair it with set times and a cap on volume. If your goal centers on a strict fast, move broth to the start of your eating window instead.
Reasonable Limits If You Bend The Rules
- Keep it to 4–8 oz, once.
- Pick a clear broth in the 10–20 calorie range.
- Avoid nonstop sipping; set a single time and be done.
Practical Day Plans That Include Broth
Here are sample ways to place broth while keeping structure. Adjust portions to your needs and the plan you follow.
Time-Restricted Eating (16:8) With Strict Window
During the 16-hour fast, drink water, black coffee, and tea. Start your 8-hour window with a cup of bone broth and a protein-forward meal. Use broth again with dinner if you like.
Time-Restricted Eating (16:8) With A Single Broth Exception
During the 16-hour fast, allow one 4–8 oz cup of clear broth mid-day for steadiness. If progress plateaus, remove the exception first before changing anything else.
Alternate-Day Style
On low-energy days, place broth at the first eating occasion that fits your target for that day. Keep the amount tight and pair it with a lean protein and vegetables so the day stays on track.
Side Effects, Safety, And Who Should Be Careful
Most healthy adults tolerate broth well. The concerns show up in context: blood pressure, kidney issues, and limits on sodium; reflux or sensitive digestion when sipping fatty cups; and interactions with medical fasting rules. If you live with any condition that demands strict diet direction, your clinical instructions take priority over any general plan.
Sodium Awareness
Salt content in commercial broth can be high. Low-sodium versions exist and taste better than they used to. If you drink broth often, rotate in low-salt cartons and season to taste in the bowl.
Digestive Comfort
A rich, gelatin-heavy cup can feel soothing for some and heavy for others. If you find that a fatty broth triggers reflux or cramps during a fast, move it to the first meal of the day and sip water or tea during the fasting stretch.
How We Built The Comparisons
The ranges in the first table blend common label patterns seen on national brands, retail bone broths, and home stock recipes, plus values echoed across nutrition databases. Values vary with dilution, simmer time, and added ingredients. Treat the tables as a guide for label reading, not as a substitute for your carton’s nutrition facts.
| Drink | Calories | Fasting Window Fit |
|---|---|---|
| Water (still or sparkling) | 0 | Fits all strict plans |
| Black Coffee | ~0–5 | Fits strict plans |
| Plain Tea (unsweetened) | ~0–5 | Fits strict plans |
| Chicken Broth (clear) | 10–20 | Not strict; fits modified |
| Bone Broth | 35–50 | Use to break fast |
Smart Scripting For Your Next Week
Pick one stance and run it for seven days so you can actually see results. Either keep the fasting window to water, coffee, and tea only, or plan a single clear-broth exception mid-day and stop there. If the exception helps you stay on schedule without drifting into snacking, you’ve found a workable bridge. If progress stalls, remove the exception and try again. Place bone broth at the start of your eating window for a gentle ramp into solid food.
Bottom Line
Chicken broth is food. If your fasting window is noncaloric only, it doesn’t fit. If you’re using a modified plan and a small cup helps you adhere, set a firm limit and keep it rare. For many readers, the simplest path is clean drinks during the fast and broth with the first meal. That keeps structure tight, recovery smooth, and your plan crystal clear.