As a functional nutritionist, I help my clients identify many different ways to optimize their health. That said, I have a lot of clients that enjoy “the good life” and don’t necessarily want to obsess about their health at every moment of the day.
And the truth is, many people don’t have to. Now, I’m not saying that you can eat McDonald’s and sit on the couch every day. However, if you’re healthy and have moderately good habits such as eating whole foods, staying active, and getting adequate sleep, you don’t have to be extreme about your health to feel great.
My husband and I are great examples of how individualized nutrition and lifestyle are. While I suffer an autoimmune condition that requires me to be diligent every day, he does not. He has much more flexibility. He represents the type of person that can live in moderation, exercise, eat well, get good-quality sleep, but also indulge a bit. He is able to do that because he practices fasting.
About every 8-12 weeks, he fasts for 5 days. This is the metabolic reset that his body needs to boost stem cells, kill off potentially harmful cells, recalibrate his weight and reduce his risk of metabolic issues. In fact, fasting has been shown to positively affect:
- metabolic syndrome
- Obesity
- High blood pressure
- Cholesterol
- Asthma
- Inflammation
- Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmunity
While historically, fasting has been practiced by eating 200-500 calories for 7-21 days, you can enjoy the benefits of fasting without the extreme commitment. Intermittent fasting (significantly reducing calories to 200-700 calories 1-3 days per week) has been shown to improve brain function and even increase the production of new neurons.
While most people find intermittent fasting fairly tolerable, others prefer times restricted eating (eating within a 6-8 hour window of time) or fasting-mimicking diets.
Time-restricted eating has been shown to reduce caloric intake, weight loss, and improved blood pressure.
The fasting-mimicking diet, Prolon FMD, has been shown to increase stem cell production, reduce weight, decrease inflammation, reduce blood pressure, improve signs of aging, increase autophagy (death of unhealthy cells) and preserve healthy cells.
This “fast” was designed by Dr. Valter Longo of USC with his team of researchers. He spent years researching a 5-day diet that could mimic the benefits of a water fast. Water fasting has countless health benefits but is incredibly difficult to carry out for five days, so instead, the Prolon FMD creates a similar metabolic response resulting in big health benefits.
This fast is not right for everyone. Those suffering from thyroid disorders, certain autoimmune conditions, and some other metabolic abnormalities may not benefit from Prolon. Give me a shout before embarking on any type of fast and I can help you decide which one is right for you!