10 Refeeding Meal Recipes

Refeeding Principles First

Before the recipes, three rules that apply to all of them:

Smaller than you want

Hunger after a fast overstates what your stomach can handle. Aim for two-thirds of your normal portion size for the first meal. You can always eat more in 90 minutes.

Protein and fat first, refined carbs last

Starting with protein and fat produces a smoother glucose curve than starting with bread, pasta, or sweets. The latter creates a spike-and-crash that worsens hunger an hour later.

Eat slowly

20–30 minutes minimum for the first meal. The satiety signal takes ~20 minutes to register; eating quickly bypasses it.

For longer fasts: include sodium

Salt the food properly. Add a pinch of salt to broth, eggs, or vegetables. Don’t skimp.

After 16–24 Hour Fasts

Standard intermittent fasting. The body is fine; it just needs a balanced meal that doesn’t crash blood sugar.

Recipe 1 — Greek Yogurt Bowl with Berries and Walnuts

Time: 5 minutes · Protein: 25g · Calories: ~400

• 200 g full-fat Greek yogurt
• 1 handful frozen berries (defrosted) or fresh
• 15 g walnuts, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon honey or drizzle of maple syrup (optional)
• Cinnamon

Place yogurt in a bowl, top with berries and walnuts, drizzle honey if using, dust with cinnamon. Easy on digestion, protein and fat for satiety, modest carbs from fruit.

Recipe 2 — Three-Egg Spinach Omelette with Avocado

Time: 10 minutes · Protein: 25g · Calories: ~450

• 3 eggs
• 1 large handful frozen spinach (defrosted, squeezed dry)
• 30 g feta or cheddar (optional)
• ½ avocado, sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt, pepper

Beat eggs with salt and pepper. Heat oil in pan, add spinach, pour in eggs, scatter cheese. Cook gently to set. Serve with avocado on the side. Complete protein, healthy fats, no glucose spike.

Recipe 3 — Salmon Salad with Quinoa

Time: 15 minutes (with pre-cooked quinoa) · Protein: 35g · Calories: ~550

• 120 g salmon fillet (pan-fried or oven-baked)
• 100 g cooked quinoa
• 2 handfuls mixed greens (spinach, rocket)
• ½ cucumber, diced
• 5–6 cherry tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil + 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Salt, pepper

Cook salmon: brush with olive oil, season, pan-fry skin-side down 4 minutes, flip, 2 more minutes. Toss greens, cucumber, tomatoes, and quinoa. Top with salmon. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon. Balanced macronutrients, omega-3-rich, easy digestion.

Recipe 4 — Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry with Rice

Time: 20 minutes · Protein: 40g · Calories: ~600

• 150 g chicken breast or thigh, sliced
• 1 large mixed vegetable handful (broccoli, peppers, mushrooms, snow peas)
• 100 g cooked brown or white rice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-inch piece ginger, minced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil + 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Spring onion to garnish

Heat olive oil in wok/pan over high heat. Stir-fry chicken until cooked, set aside. Add garlic, ginger, vegetables; stir-fry 3–4 minutes. Return chicken, add soy sauce and sesame oil, toss. Serve over rice with spring onion. A normal-sized meal that breaks a fast cleanly.

After 24–48 Hour Fasts

The gut has been quiet for longer. Refeeding meals should be smaller, lighter on raw fibre, and gentler.

Recipe 5 — Bone Broth Egg Drop Soup

Time: 10 minutes · Protein: 18g · Calories: ~250

• 500 ml chicken or bone broth (well-salted)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 spring onion, sliced
• 1 inch piece ginger, sliced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Bring broth to a gentle simmer with ginger and soy sauce. Slowly drizzle in beaten eggs while stirring with a fork to create ribbons. Remove from heat. Stir in sesame oil and spring onion. Easy on digestion, protein-positive, electrolyte-supportive.

Recipe 6 — Avocado-Egg Toast (Half-Portion)

Time: 8 minutes · Protein: 20g · Calories: ~400

• 2 eggs (poached or soft-boiled)
• 1 slice sourdough or whole-grain bread (just one — half-portion intentional)
• ½ avocado, mashed
• Squeeze of lemon
• Salt, pepper, chilli flakes

Mash avocado with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Spread on toast. Top with eggs. Salt and pepper generously. Modest portion, balanced macronutrients, gentle on a quiet gut.

Recipe 7 — Smoked Mackerel with Cooked Greens

Time: 10 minutes · Protein: 30g · Calories: ~450

• 100 g smoked mackerel fillet
• 200 g spinach or kale, sautéed
• 1 small sweet potato (~150 g), baked or steamed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lemon wedge
• Salt, pepper

Bake or steam sweet potato until tender. Sauté greens in olive oil with salt. Plate the mackerel with greens and sweet potato. Squeeze lemon over. Omega-3-rich, protein-positive, easy starch.

After 48–72 Hour Fasts

The gut has been resting longer. Start with very small, very gentle, then build up over the next few hours. The first meal here is genuinely small. The second meal 2–3 hours later can be larger.

Recipe 8 — Bone Broth Then Soft Eggs (the gold-standard refeed)

Time: 5 + 10 minutes (two stages) · Protein: 18g total · Calories: ~280 total

Stage 1 (immediately on breaking the fast):

• 250 ml warm bone broth or chicken broth
• Pinch of salt
• Sip slowly over 10–15 minutes

Stage 2 (45–60 minutes later):

• 2 soft-boiled eggs
• 1 small avocado, sliced
• Pinch of salt
• Drizzle of olive oil

The two-stage approach lets the gut wake up gently. The broth re-introduces fluids and electrolytes; the eggs and avocado provide complete protein and fat without overwhelming digestion. Wait 2–3 hours before a second, larger meal.

Recipe 9 — Cooked Apple with Yogurt and Almond Butter

Time: 10 minutes · Protein: 12g · Calories: ~350

• 1 apple, peeled, cored, sliced
• 1 teaspoon butter
• Pinch cinnamon
• 150 g full-fat Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon almond butter
• Pinch of salt

Sauté apple slices in butter with cinnamon over medium-low heat for 5–8 minutes until soft. Cool slightly. Top yogurt with cooked apple, drizzle with almond butter, sprinkle of salt. Cooked apple is far gentler than raw on a quiet gut. Yogurt re-introduces probiotics. Modest portion.

Recipe 10 — Steamed Fish with Mashed Potato and Spinach

Time: 25 minutes · Protein: 30g · Calories: ~450

• 120 g white fish (cod, haddock, pollock — fresh or frozen)
• 1 medium potato (~200 g), peeled and quartered
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons milk or cream
• 1 large handful spinach
• 1 lemon wedge
• Salt, pepper, dill or parsley

Boil potato until soft, mash with butter, milk, salt, and pepper. Steam fish over simmering water with herbs (8–10 minutes depending on thickness). Wilt spinach in a splash of water with salt. Plate everything; squeeze lemon over fish. The classic gentle protein + cooked starch + cooked greens combination. Suitable for the second meal of a long-fast refeed.

Beyond 72 Hours: Special Rules

Fasts of 3–5+ days carry refeeding-syndrome risk. The intracellular shift of phosphate, potassium, and magnesium can produce serious cardiac and respiratory complications if refeeding is too aggressive. Specific guidance:

The first 24 hours of refeeding

• Start with broth and tiny portions (a few bites)
• Wait 2–3 hours between small meals
• Total intake on day 1: 30–50% of normal calories
• Emphasis on electrolyte-rich foods: well-salted broth, cooked greens, eggs, avocado, banana for potassium
• Avoid: large amounts of refined carbohydrate (the worst trigger for refeeding syndrome), raw vegetables, fermented foods, alcohol

Days 2–3

• Gradually increase to 60–80% of normal intake
• Re-introduce normal-sized meals 3 times per day
• Continue electrolyte attention
• Watch for: excessive thirst, swelling, irregular heart rhythm — all warrant medical attention

Days 4+

• Resume normal eating
• Some prefer to delay alcohol and intense exercise for a full week

For fasts longer than 5 days, refeeding should ideally have medical input. The risk is highest in people who are underweight, have a history of disordered eating, or have other medical complexity.

For more on extended fast safety, see the extended fasting guide and the safety guide.