Before the fast:

• Eat regularly throughout the day
• Drink extra water throughout the day
• Avoid salty foods such as sauerkraut, pickles, soy sauce, eggplant
• Avoid spicing your food
• You may have one extra serving of protein at dinner and one extra fruit
• Good fruits to eat before a fast include watermelon, grapes, and pineapple
• Choose brown rice or whole grain noodles for your starch. The Fiber will help to keep you full.
• You may have coconut water and Gatorade/Powerade just choose the 0-calorie options and still drink plenty of water.
• Choose veggies that are high in water content such as cucumbers and peppers.

Extras you may have:

• ONE extra serving of protein at dinner 
• ONE extra serving of starch, such as an additional bread or one portion of rice or noodles, etc.
• ONE extra fruit above your daily fruit total
• If you are having two official pre-fast meals, the extras don’t apply to both; but rather to spread out between both meals or use at the second meal which is closer to the fast.

Regarding washing for the meals: When it’s not Shabbos, it’s better to have whole wheat bread or matzah versus challah.

After the fast:

• Drink 2 cups of water (room temperature versus iced cold)
• This is your budget, preferably in this order but you may also switch the order if you wish:
  • One complete approved meal
  • Up to 3 fruits
  • 1 snack
  • 1 treat if needed

Remember! You can NOT make up all the calories of one day in a short time span.

If fasting half a day: 

When breaking your fast, start with either a breakfast meal or a lunch meal, and then move on to have the rest of the day’s food (minus the meal you skipped)

Yom Kippur and Tisha B’Av- For those whose custom is a meal of bread and egg before a fast: 

• Save up for this bread- don’t have bread in your previous meal. 
• An egg can be a snack or a protein:

-If it’s part of your meal it’s a protein 

-if it’s separate from your meal then it can be a snack 

Have an easy fast!

CLLICK HERE for the PDF.