“The most powerful thing you can do for your body, and the least likely thing that people in Western nations will actually do, is fast from food.”
Dr Andrew Iverson, ND, a natural foods, detox and fasting expert (dritheherbalguy.com).
I would love to share with you one of the greatest secrets to living a longer healthy life and that is giving your body a clear out. The great news is we can do it without starving ourselves and losing our energy, in fact we can fast with food!
Dr Valter Longo, researcher and director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California (valterlongo.com), developed the five-day fasting-mimicking diet (FMD)- Prolon. This five-day plant-based, low-calorie, low-protein diet includes only moderate amounts of carbohydrates and fats, and he claims it mimics the effects of fasting.
https://shop.prolon.co.uk/?sca_ref=5538913.Dp2PRbUWsh
“The body is always fed,” says Longo.
“Sometimes it is fed from the outside, and sometimes it’s fed from the inside—and the trick is obviously confusing the brain about the source. The body has to recognise the food as coming from an internal source and not an external one.
“After a couple days of not getting fully fed, the body switches to using the stuff around the belly. The body is happy to use the fat, although it will pull some protein from the muscle. Basically, the fasting-mimicking diet allows the natural process of starvation to occur, with autophagy,( cleaning up old trouble maker cells that need to die) protection and stem cell regeneration.
“You don’t interfere with the body’s natural processes with this diet. That’s the key.”
Potential health benefits
These are some potential health advantages of following the five-day FMD.
Metabolic reset. The main focus of the fasting-mimicking diet is long-term metabolic health improvements. It can reduce and even prevent negative health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood sugar and obesity.
In one study, subjects who consumed the FMD for five consecutive days per month for three months reduced body weight, trunk fat and total body fat; lowered blood pressure, fasting glucose and total and LDL cholesterol; and decreased insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). In other words, it corrects metabolic syndrome.
Short-term weight loss may also occur, but weight loss is not a primary goal or benefit of the diet.
Detoxification. The reduced food intake leads the body to more effectively process and eliminate toxins stored in fat cells. This directly improves overall organ function.
Autophagy. The diet can trigger a cellular process called autophagy during which the body eliminates damaged and non-working parts of a cell and recycles them for cellular repair. This cleanup process improves cellular function throughout the body, helping to increase overall health and well-being.
Deep healing. The five-day period of reduced caloric intake gives the body a break from constantly having to digest foods and manage nutrient assimilation. This break in the routine allows energy to go toward repairing tissues and addressing underlying health issues. Resting the organs has got to be good for us!
I use it twice a year, in Spring and Autumn because I think it’s more difficult when during the colder months. Longo recommends using the diet once a month for three consecutive months to reset the body’s metabolism, detox and start developing proper eating habits instead of over consuming. Between the five-day FMD sessions, he recommends following the Longevity Diet, a mostly plant-based diet that includes seafood two or three times a week.
Studies show the FMD reduces insulin resistance and fat in the liver as well as signs of ageing. Doing the FMD three times in three consecutive months can lead to a median 2.5-year reduction in biological age.
It also reduces the risk factors for ageing and for age-related diseases.
The diet normalises blood glucose levels, improves insulin sensitivity and boosts cellular function in mice so this sounds promising! It is currently being used in over 20 trials so more results should become available.
It improves metabolic syndrome in patients with type 2 diabetes
and if it wasn’t enough it It also boosts antitumour immunity in patients with cancer!
“Scientists are wary of the word cure because it sounds like an exaggeration,” says Longo. “However, for some patients with type 2 diabetes and for the great majority of prediabetic patients, the combination of the dietary interventions of the periodic FMD plus the Longevity Diet could eventually free them of type 2 diabetes, especially if treatment begins right after the initial diagnosis when the pancreas is still functioning well.”
When to be wary of fasting
Of most concern are people on medications who have preexisting conditions such as these:
Ulcers
Anemia
Osteoporosis
Kidney stones and gallstones
Kidney disease
Diabetes
Heart issues or atherosclerosis
Heart attack
Liver disease
Neurological conditions
Late-stage terminal illness
Substance addictions
Pregnancy or breast feeding
Eating disorders
Take it easy
Do not exercise! Instead gentle walking and stretching, restorative yoga or using a mini-trampoline rebounder (for gentle rebounding, not a cardio workout is ideal.
Weight loss
One of the major reasons most people fast is because they want to lose weight rapidly. And although fasting is almost guaranteed to help you quickly shed some pounds, most people just as quickly gain them back.
Now for the secret ingredient …..
“Fasting is miraculous,” says Iverson. “The problem with fasting is sooner or later you have to eat. And that’s where all the problems lie. The ‘refeeding’ element of a fast is more important than the fasting itself.
“If you don’t reengage food in a way that supports the fasting you did, then not only do you eventually undo what you’ve done, but you really don’t see any long-term benefit at all.”
Coming off the FMD
According to Longo, it’s enough to minimise or eliminate consumption of fish, meat, saturated fats, pastries, sugar and dairy for 24 hours after completing the five-day FMD.
“Knowing how to break the cleanse properly is more important than being on the detox itself,” says Iverson. “If you want to maintain the benefits you gained, the simple rule is to break the cleanse in the opposite way you went into it.
“Spend at least one day in each level, in whichever phase you choose, allows the body to slowly readjust to eating and prevents the body from overeating and undoing all the benefits you just accomplished. This gradual working into and out of a fast slowly re-feeds the body to appreciate and desire healthy foods again, which prevents the ‘yo-yo’ dieting responses. It also systematically readjusts the hormones gradually to prevent the unwanted weight from returning.”
So, stick to basics for at least one day coming out of the five-day FMD. Increase your caloric intake and try adding a little whole grain to your diet that first day. Add in fruits the next. Wait until day three to reintroduce proteins, and then do so in the more easily digestible form of fish or chicken.
“Grains, nuts, seeds and legumes along with animal protein like eggs and fish are not considered cleansing foods,” says Iverson. “Rather they are building foods to support you after you have cleansed. More time spent in a state of health and healing means more powerful results, and if you break this cleanse slowly, the results will be long-lasting.”
Eating advice for life
Both Longo and Iverson recommend that people over age 35 consider dropping from three meals a day to only two. Iverson takes it a step further and, contrary to popular nutrition advice, recommends that most people not eat solid food when breaking their fast in the morning. (That’s why breakfast is called breakfast!) Instead choose a caloric drink that’s high in nutrition but has no dairy in it—such as a healthy smoothie.
“That’s the way to really start off your day,” he says. “I also recommend drinking 12 ounces of pure water first thing, with a quarter of an organic lemon or lime, with the rind. This will help clean out your liver and provide the antioxidants that are needed to get you through until lunch.”
“But if you do the fasting-mimicking diet and then you go back to eating the way you were, and then you do the fasting-mimicking diet again a month later, you’re going to have this yo-yo-like effect. Sure, it’s going to be better than eating poorly all the time, but you’re never going to heal and get to where you want to be.”
Great foods to include in your day as you break a fast
Pure water
Veggie broths
Veggie juices
Raw fruits
Raw veggies
Cooked fruits and veggies
Cooked starches: root vegetables, then grains, then beans
Vegetable fats: avocado, olive, then seeds and lastly nuts
Proteins (build tissue)
Content from WDDTY (Cate Montana)
Much Love
