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The Segal Guide to Fasting For Yom Kippur
(from a Medical Perspective)
By: Michael M. Segal, MD, PhD
An earlier version of this article appeared in the Jewish Advocate <http://www.thejewishadvocate.com/>  (Boston, USA) in 1989. Copyright © 1989 - 2011 Michael M. Segal, MD, PhD.  This document may be reproduced freely on a non-profit basis, including electronically, during 2009 as long as the source at www.segal.org/kippur/ <http://www.segal.org/kippur/>  is indicated and this copyright notice is included.

Each year on Yom Kippur, Jews wish each other a khatima tova (a good seal in the Book of Life) and tolerable fast.  The route to a khatima tova is beyond the scope of this article; the route to an easy fast is simpler to describe.  The following are the essentials of human physiology that will help you have a tolerable fast on Yom Kippur:

Don't get thirsty:
Most people think the difficulty about fasting is feeling "hungry".  However, avoiding thirst is much more important for how you feel. Not only do you avoid the discomfort of thirst but you are also well hydrated and swallow frequently, so your stomach does not feel as empty.

One important way to remain well hydrated is to avoid drinks or foods that cause your body to get rid of water.  Such foods and drinks include alcohol, tea, caffeinated coffee and chocolate.  Another important rule is to avoid consuming much salt.  Salt causes a person to feel thirsty despite having a "normal" amount of water, because extra water is needed for the extra salt.  For this reason you should avoid processed foods containing lots of salt such as pickles, cold cuts, or cheese.  Most tomato sauces,  canned fish and smoked fish have a lot of added salt.  Since Kosher meat has a high salt content it may be best to choose a main course such as fresh fish, canned no-salt tuna fish or a de-salted meat such as boiled chicken.
 

By avoiding these types of foods and drinks in the several hours before a fast, you can avoid either losing water or needing extra water. Other actions that cause the body to lose water, such as perspiring in warm clothing, should also be avoided during the fast.

Don't start the pre-fast meal on a full stomach:
The pre-fast meal often begins at 5 PM, so a large lunch could prevent you from eating enough immediately before the fast.  It is best to have a small lunch, or no lunch at all.  A large breakfast early in the day based on cereals, breads and fruits can provide the energy you need during the day, yet these high-fiber foods will be far downstream by the time of the pre-fast meal and will not keep you from eating enough food at the pre-fast meal.  A large breakfast is also helpful because it stretches the stomach.  After eating breakfast, it is best to consume beverages during the day.  This will not fill you up, since liquids are absorbed quickly, and this will ensure that you have absorbed enough fluids during the day to start the pre-fast meal being well hydrated.  Be sure to avoid beverages with alcohol or caffeine.  You should also drink at least a glass or two of fluids with the pre-fast meal because many foods need extra water to be digested properly.

Eat foods that are digested slowly:
Include some foods high in oils and fats in the pre-fast meal, since such foods delay emptying of the stomach and effectively prolong your meal.  However, beware of fatty meats or salted potato chips that could load you up with too much salt.  Salads and other high fiber foods that are so important in one's normal diet should be de-emphasized for the pre-fast meal since they travel quickly through the digestive system.  Fruit, despite its high fiber content, is worthwhile since it carries a lot of water in a "time-release" form.

Don't get a headache:
Withdrawing from caffeine produces a headache in people who drink several cups of coffee a day.  If you consume this much caffeine in coffee or other foods or drinks you should prepare yourself for the caffeine-free period by reducing or eliminating caffeine from your diet in the days or weeks before Yom Kippur.  Don't try to get through the fast by drinking coffee right before Kol Nidre, since this will cause you to lose a lot of water.

Make the meal tasty enough so people will eat:
The pre-fast meal doesn't have be bland.  Spices such as lemon or herbs are fine for fasting, but salt and monosodium glutamate should be reduced as much as possible.

Don't do a complete fast if you have certain medical problems:
People with medical conditions such as diabetes should consult their doctors and rabbis before fasting. Certain medications need to be taken during Yom Kippur, and it is important to swallow them with enough water to avoid pills getting stuck on the way to the stomach and damaging the esophagus.  Fasting by women who are pregnant or breast feeding can also be dangerous. If a young person who has not fasted much before has unusual difficulty fasting you should discuss this with your doctor since this happens in some serious metabolic problems <http://www.genereviews.org/query?dz=mcad> in which fasting can be very dangerous.

Don't eat improperly after Neila:
Even people who have prepared well for fasting will be hungry after Neila. Be sure not to eat food too quickly at the post-fast meal.  Begin the break-fast meal with several glasses of milk or juice: these put sugar into the bloodstream and occupy space in the stomach, discouraging you from eating too rapidly.  Also be careful about eating high salt foods such as lox, since you will still be a little dehydrated and will need to drink a lot of fluids to avoid waking up extremely thirsty in the early morning hours.  If you take vitamin C, be sure that you are fully re-hydrated beforehand, because one of the vitamin's breakdown products can precipitate out in your urine if you are dehydrated, causing kidney stones, which are painful and dangerous.

These preparations for the fast of Yom Kippur will be different from your normal routine, but they can serve as a concrete reminder of the approaching Day of Atonement.

« Last edited by mevinyavin on March 21, 2024, 06:01:13 AM »

Author Topic: What do you eat before a fast?  (Read 74649 times)

Offline Achas Veachas

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Re: What do you eat before a fast?
« Reply #280 on: December 31, 2014, 07:26:52 AM »
Sheesh! Asarah Bteves should hardly count as a fast, it's basically a missed breakfast with a late lunch...

Offline etech0

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Re: What do you eat before a fast?
« Reply #281 on: December 31, 2014, 10:03:51 AM »
Sheesh! Asarah Bteves should hardly count as a fast, it's basically a missed breakfast with a late lunch...
what about snacks and drinks?
Workflowy. You won't know what you're missing until you try it.

Offline henche

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Re: What do you eat before a fast?
« Reply #282 on: December 31, 2014, 12:26:06 PM »
A pickle. You need salt to retain all that water you are going to drink.

Offline dealfinder85

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Re: What do you eat before a fast?
« Reply #283 on: December 31, 2014, 12:27:44 PM »
Sheesh! Asarah Bteves should hardly count as a fast, it's basically a missed breakfast with a late lunch...
i get so hungry even when it isnt fast days, i dont like when people downplay this one
it is easier, but not easy
and who eats lunch at 5:30?

Offline Dr Moose

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Re: What do you eat before a fast?
« Reply #284 on: December 31, 2014, 06:32:21 PM »
Brown Rice is the key.
does fried rice have the same effect?
« Last Edit: December 31, 2014, 06:55:40 PM by Dr Moose »
Hey there! I am using DansDeals Forums.

Offline bb1836

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Re: What do you eat before a fast?
« Reply #285 on: December 31, 2014, 06:54:44 PM »
tons of watermelon. got lots o water in it.
As @davidmal says: "Likes" feed the family

Offline snapit

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Re: What do you eat before a fast?
« Reply #286 on: December 31, 2014, 06:56:51 PM »
tons of watermelon. got lots o water in it.
So u can spend extra time in the bathroom

Offline bb1836

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Re: What do you eat before a fast?
« Reply #287 on: December 31, 2014, 06:58:54 PM »
So u can spend extra time in the bathroom
so many ways to answer back to you!!! :P :P ;) ;)
As @davidmal says: "Likes" feed the family

Offline TimT

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Re: What do you eat before a fast?
« Reply #288 on: December 31, 2014, 07:36:04 PM »
I eat whatever I'd be kicking myself during the fast for not eating beforehand. & brown rice ain't one of the things.

Offline snapit

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Re: What do you eat before a fast?
« Reply #289 on: December 31, 2014, 08:18:03 PM »
I eat whatever I'd be kicking myself during the fast for not eating beforehand. & brown rice ain't one of the things.
And then some

Offline lubaby

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Re: What do you eat before a fast?
« Reply #290 on: December 31, 2014, 09:13:50 PM »
2014 had no Asarah B'Teves!

Offline TimT

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Re: What do you eat before a fast?
« Reply #291 on: December 31, 2014, 09:17:53 PM »
2014 had no Asarah B'Teves!
Before you start celebrating, if moshiach doesn't come ch"v, 2015 has 2.

Offline upside down

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Re: What do you eat before a fast?
« Reply #292 on: December 31, 2014, 09:24:22 PM »
tons of watermelon. got lots o water in it.
if your looking for tons of water.... you could just drink tons of water

Offline bb1836

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Re: What do you eat before a fast?
« Reply #293 on: December 31, 2014, 09:39:52 PM »
if your looking for tons of water.... you could just drink tons of water
but you need substance also. thats the point
As @davidmal says: "Likes" feed the family

Offline Achas Veachas

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Re: What do you eat before a fast?
« Reply #294 on: December 31, 2014, 09:54:07 PM »
but you need substance also. thats the point
Not much of that in watermelon, it's all sugars that will flush out of your system before tomorrow morning. You need complex carbs...

Offline Achas Veachas

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Re: What do you eat before a fast?
« Reply #295 on: December 31, 2014, 10:20:40 PM »
Before you start celebrating, if moshiach doesn't come ch"v, 2015 has 2.
Whether Moshiach comes or not there will be 2. Let's hope that יהפכו לשמחה

Offline eAge

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Re: What do you eat before a fast?
« Reply #296 on: January 01, 2015, 12:02:15 AM »
An 8 oz cup coffee right before the עלות usually does the trick for me

Offline Josef.koney

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Re: What do you eat before a fast?
« Reply #297 on: January 01, 2015, 12:34:52 AM »
Starch works well for me

Offline Centro

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Re: What do you eat before a fast?
« Reply #298 on: January 01, 2015, 12:55:19 AM »
My trip to FL is costing me an extra hour of fasting :-[

Offline sammy n

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Re: What do you eat before a fast?
« Reply #299 on: January 01, 2015, 03:01:58 AM »

My trip to FL is costing me an extra hour of fasting :-[
Oiy! Hope it doesn't kill you!