Fasting for 25 hours on Yom Kippur is undeniably difficult. But there is one thing that can make everything easier:
Hydration.
Most people think the challenge of fasting is feeling “hungry.” In truth, avoiding thirst is much more important. The average person can survive for a month without food – but only three days without water.
With proper hydration, not only do you avoid the discomfort of thirst, but you also swallow more frequently, so your stomach does not feel as empty.
Fasting is easier if you prepare your body in advance. Here are Seven Simple Steps to maximize your hydration on Yom Kippur – leaving you with more strength and energy to do the truly important spiritual work of the day.
1) Start early.
The nausea and headaches that many people experience during a fast are often the result of caffeine withdrawal. Prepare yourself by reducing caffeine intake in the days leading up to Yom Kippur – and then stop caffeine altogether 24 hours before the fast. One trick is to brew mixtures of regular and decaffeinated coffee, increasing the proportion of decaf as you progress.
2) Pace yourself.
The morning before Yom Kippur, start with a large breakfast – based on cereals, breads and fruits. It will provide good energy during the day, yet these high-fiber foods will be far downstream by the time of the pre-fast meal when you’ll want a hearty appetite.
A large breakfast is also helpful because it stretches the stomach, preparing to receive more food and water later.
Eat a moderate lunch, early enough so that you will have an appetite for the final meal before the fast.
Start the final meal at least an hour before the fast begins, so there is no rush to eat quickly.
3) Avoid thirst-inducing foods.
One important way to remain well-hydrated is to avoid anything that will cause your body to get rid of water. Chocolate, tea, cola and coffee should be avoided, since caffeine has diuretic effects when consumed in large amounts (3+ cups daily). Alcohol is also a no-no, as it requires extra water to process through the system.
The other problematic food – salt – is well-known for causing thirst. Avoid salty foods such as pickles, cold cuts, cheese, canned fish, smoked fish and the Jewish comfort foods: chicken soup and brisket. Fresh fish and boiled chicken are good alternatives.
4) Carbs over protein.
Plan the menu of the final meal so that it emphasizes carbohydrates and low salt foods like pasta, potatoes, rice and bread (preferably brown rice and whole-wheat bread). These carbohydrates bond with water which your body can "drink" when it needs to during the fast.
Salads and other high-fiber foods should be minimized, since they travel quickly through the digestive system and provides little long-term satiation.
The final meal should include only small amounts of protein, which actually attracts and leaches water from your tissues. (Most of the dramatic weight loss that people experience on high-protein diets is lost water that protein molecules cannot hold onto or bring into your system – water that you want around during a fast.)
5) “Camel up.”
The key to an easy fast is to super-hydrate. Starting 24 hours before the fast, drink one cup of water every hour. (Set your PDA to remind you.)
Throughout the day, consume a lot of beverages. This will not fill you up, since liquids are absorbed quickly. Yet it will ensure that you’ve absorbed enough fluids during the day to start the pre-fast meal well hydrated.
Don’t drink syrupy beverages, which provide empty calories. Best bet: Pure H2O. Second best: diluted fruit juice.
Fruit, despite its high fiber content, is worthwhile since it carries a lot of water in a “time-release” form. Throughout the day, you can munch on water-rich foods like melon and grapes.
At the final meal, drink a few glasses, because many foods need extra water to be digested properly. For dessert, substitute sweets with watermelon or other water-retaining fresh fruit. Finally, drink a cup of warm water to put a smooth finish on your pre-fast prep.
6) Mental discipline.
A large part of successful fasting is in the mind.
Talking about your hunger will only focus your attention on food and make things more difficult. When you think about food, your body prepares itself metabolically to receive the food, causing the sensation of hunger.
The key here is to distract your mind from food. Fortunately, Yom Kippur provides plenty of opportunity to be involved in the important task of teshuva – spiritual self-improvement. The more you immerse yourself in prayer, the less you'll think about food.
One “kosher” way to “consume” during Yom Kippur is to smell spices. Cinnamon and cloves are a quick pick-me-up if you’re feeling weak, and can actually create a brain sensation of satisfaction.
Before smelling the spices, say the following blessing:

Saying a blessing over the spices also helps one to fulfill the special mitzvah to say 100 brachot each day.
7) Break the fast wisely.
Even those who have prepared well for the fast will be hungry afterward. Be sure not to eat too quickly at the post-fast meal. Begin with fruit or a glass of juice. These put sugar into the bloodstream and occupy space in the stomach, discouraging you from eating too rapidly.
Avoid pastries and sugary drinks, whose heavy glucose can shock the digestive system.
To prevent overeating, eat one portion and then take a break of a half-hour. Otherwise, the break-fast may turn into a weight-gain event (and a stomachache). Since the body protects itself from starvation when you are not eating by slowing down the rate at which it burns food, the calories you take on right after a fast will stay with you a lot longer than those acquired when your metabolism is functioning at full speed.
Have an easy and meaningful fast!
With thanks to Michael M. Segal, MD, PhD and Richard Israel
(17) Haydee Rodriguez, September 26, 2020 11:59 PM
An excellent guide - thank you!
(16) Edgar Adona, September 26, 2020 5:21 AM
Thank you so much for sharing.
(15) Leah Lesserson, October 8, 2019 4:48 PM
Love it. Read it each year
Love it. Read it each year to remind me. Adding that watermelon is awesome pre fast as is grapes
(14) Yisroel, September 18, 2018 4:09 PM
Yom Kippur fast and watermelon
I’m sure that Rabbi Simmons suggestions are all good. Also, I never was a caffeine addict, and have stayed away from coffee for most of the last decade. Just wanted to share that fasting used to be especially difficult after lunchtime between 2 and 3 or so in the afternoon. Then, someone suggested to me that I eat watermelon, a lot of watermelon, after the meal before the fast. As long as I did that, I had an easy fast. It was explained to me that watermelon is 95% water, but the water is set among all the fiber, so it stays in the stomach much longer than water does.
(13) Anonymous, September 18, 2018 1:42 AM
Excellent article
An excellent article. Concise and to the point.
(12) Henry White, October 1, 2017 1:27 PM
Thanks for your help.
(11) Joshua Reuel, September 21, 2015 8:59 PM
Thanks
This is probably one of the hardest days to get through food wise...thanks for the tip. I'm sure it'll help alot.
(10) Lorraine, October 4, 2014 7:03 PM
Thanks
Food tips were very helpful- thanks.
(9) LC, September 15, 2013 1:30 PM
re: #5
I just wanted to comment that if you aren't regularly fully hydrated, starting to consciously drink more than you usually do a week in advance, consistently, works better than just the 24 hours prior.
(8) irene fohtung, March 26, 2013 10:55 AM
so hapy i have seen this page now i tink i wil have an easy fast
(7) Simon, September 27, 2012 7:30 PM
Excellent advice - it works!
I tried these recommendations. It ended up being the easiest fast I ever did. 25 hours? I could have done 30 hours no problem.
(6) Andre Ranulfo, October 9, 2011 12:31 AM
Why!!!
Why I did not read this article before my fast!!! Feeling sucj a headache! But it won[t happen anymore. This page is im my favorates now.
(5) Diana, October 6, 2011 9:51 PM
To Anonymous
By all means PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT FEEL GUILTY ABOUT NOT BEING ABLE TO FAST ON YOM KIPPUR on account of your Diabetes. Your soul will be okay because G-d loves you and understands your situation. This is what I hate about our religion. Making people feel guilty for everything and making them feel bad for just being alive. Who put that idea in your head that your soul would be afflicted? That person knows nothing about the Jewish religion and the true meaning of being a Jew.
Jossef, October 19, 2011 6:09 PM
No Need to Hate Anything About Our Religion
There is no need to hate anything about Judaism. It spells out the priority of not damaging one's health over a Mitzvh very clearly. Judaism does not make anyone feel guilty, people do!
M.D., September 24, 2012 5:24 PM
Did you read the comment?
Anon did NOT say that they feel guilty about not fasting. They were asking if there was another way to "feel" the fast. Not only does G-d "understand" their situation. G-d MADE their situation and gave them the special mitzvah of EATING on Yom Kippur. You don't seem to know too much about your religion yourself if you think that making ppl. feel guilty is part of it.
(4) rhoneyman, October 6, 2011 4:56 PM
where's the scotch?!?
best way to break a fast? a shot of old single malt! well, maybe not the best but there *must* be a reason i've been doing it this way for so many years. :7)
(3) Rachel, October 6, 2011 4:34 PM
Additional Helpful Advice:
I have found that it's very helpful to keep the water at close to room temperature when hydrating before a fast. It seems to absorb and last better. Also, I prefer low glycemic index foods prior to the fast, as they release their energy slowly, and provide comfort food for breaking the fast. Specifically, homemade lentil soup is great. Peanut butter or a small amount of other healthy fat helps stave off hunger pains, too. Perhaps the person who must eat for medical reasons ought to limit himself to foods he doesn't like. If I had to eat, I would choose bananas, which I dislike a lot!
(2) Anonymous, September 8, 2011 11:58 AM
Fasting on Yom Kippur
Dear Chaverim, I was recently diagnosed with diabetes. After nearly 50 years of Yom Kippur fasts, I now cannot. I know halachically I am exempted, but are there specific alternatives to fasting that can "afflict my soul"? I want Yom Kippur to still feel like I am fulfilling my obligation to keep the day as meaingful and special as possible. Todah rabah.
Anon2, September 11, 2013 4:25 PM
Fasting--from what? and for what?
Note that food is not the only thing from which we abstain on Yom Kippur. Yoma has the list. Note also that the command to fast is tied to this being a day that sin is forgiven. The focus of the day is not the fast, it is the forgiveness--thus the name. The prayers and the study are therefore more important in some ways than abstaining from food itself. Oh, and the exemption is NOT "just" rabbinic--we are commanded to "live". This is an exemption from Sinai.
(1) kaylee, March 9, 2011 10:41 PM
Great tips--
The spices especially work for laboring women when they can't eat anything if the doctor is worried about needing a c-section. Sometimes they work for cancer patients who just don't want to eat anything.