I Tried Fasting With and Without Chocolate — Here’s What Surprised Me

I’ll be honest — the first time I tried a serious fast, I caved halfway through and ate a square of Dairy Milk chocolate. It felt harmless in the moment, but an hour later I felt sluggish and a bit foggy. That’s when I started wondering: does chocolate actually break a fast in more ways than just calorie count?

Ayurveda has its own take on this. Pure dairy milk is considered sattvic — light, balancing, and acceptable for certain kinds of fasts. But once you add sugar, milk solids, and additives, like in chocolate, the energy shifts into tamasic — which can dull your mind and weigh down digestion. I recently read a great breakdown in this article: https://ask-ayurveda.com/articles/1352-can-we-eat-dairy-milk-in-fast-what-ayurveda-says-about-chocolate-and-fasting. It really opened my eyes to the fact that fasting isn’t just about “no food,” it’s about supporting clarity and balance.

Different traditions handle it differently. In Hindu fasts like Navratri or Ekadashi, pure milk is fine but chocolate is avoided. During Lent, some people give up sweets entirely. In Ramadan, you can enjoy chocolate after sunset, but not during the fast. Jain fasting is even stricter, cutting out processed foods altogether. Intermittent fasting is more flexible, but the real question is — does it fit your purpose for fasting?

I started exploring alternatives that feel like treats but still keep me feeling light. Dates, figs, soaked raisins, fresh fruit, roasted makhana, even homemade nut laddoos. They satisfy cravings without making me crash. I came across a Threads discussion about milk and fasting here: https://www.threads.com/@askayurveda_24/post/DNTHFwDs0-i, and it was interesting to see how many people wrestle with that same “is it okay?” question.

On Twitter (X) I found a short reflection about sugar cravings during intermittent fasting: https://x.com/1857364984759541760/status/1955638060927844668 — it made me feel a lot less alone in my own chocolate battles. Over on Instagram, someone posted this carousel of beautiful sattvic snack ideas: https://www.instagram.com/p/DNTHFpQCYkm/. And this Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/895934919626606967 made me realize how presentation can actually make healthy fasting snacks more exciting. Even on LinkedIn, there’s a thoughtful post about using Ayurvedic fasting ideas for better workplace wellness: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ask-ayurveda_in-ayurvedic-nutrition-fasting-is-a-tool-activity-7361403816438566914-6uc6? — proof that this topic reaches way beyond kitchens and diets.

Now, when I fast, I skip the chocolate and go for something cleaner. The difference in my energy and focus is noticeable. Maybe it’s not just about “what breaks a fast” but “what supports the purpose of the fast.”