5-Day Food-Based Fast

Why is Fasting Important?

Going for extended periods of time without eating was completely normal for our hunter-gatherer ancestors. Killing an animal in the wild is not exactly an easy task. And foraging for fruits, vegetables, and nuts led to periods of abundance and scarcity depending on the seasons and terrain. As a result, we are biologically adapted to this style of eating. It wasn't until the industrial revolution that we had a steady supply of food. Therefore, fasting can be a healthy way to get back to an ancestral way of eating that is more consistent with our ancient DNA.

When we eat, our body breaks down carbohydrates into sugar that our cells use for energy. If we have too much energy, or glucose, it ultimately gets stored as fat. When you are fasting, your body burns fat instead of sugar for energy. Typically, it takes a minimum of 10 to 16 hours of not eating before this metabolic shift occurs. When your body uses fat for energy, it releases fatty acids called ketones into the bloodstream. 

Benefits of Fasting

Although the bulk of research into fasting protocols has been performed on laboratory animals, human clinical trials are a significant area of research at this time. Thus far, research has found many benefits to fasting such as:

Reduced inflammation:
Several human studies demonstrate that fasting is able to fight oxidative stress and reduce inflammation, two drivers of aging and chronic disease.

Improved heart health:
Individuals who fast experience a drop in homocysteine levels which is a major cardiovascular risk factor. They also show improvements in their total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol ratio. Fasting has also been shown to help lower blood pressure and decrease the risk of heart disease.

Cancer risk:
Clinical trials using the fasting mimicking diet have shown that chemotherapy may be more effective during fasting periods. In addition, intermittent fasting seems to lower insulin-like growth factor 1, a genetic marker for diseases like cancer.

Longevity genes:
Intermittent fasting has been shown to extend lifespan and reduce age related diseases in animals. A study in 2019 demonstrated that people following time restricted eating protocols upregulated genes associated with longevity and autophagy.

Balanced blood sugar and reduced insulin:
Individuals practicing time restricted eating have been shown to experience lower blood glucose levels, lower insulin levels, and ideal cortisol patterns. These benefits decrease fat storage and help prevent type 2 diabetes.

Growth hormone:
Human growth hormone appears to be upregulated after two to three days of fasting. Human growth hormone helps to preserve muscle and bone density and promote the use of fat for fuel. This is significant since human growth hormone naturally decreases as we age, which leads to an increase in fat and a decrease in muscle mass.

Improved gut health:
Studies on patients with irritable bowel syndrome have found that fasting can ease symptoms like diarrhea and abdominal pain. The fasting mimicking diet has been shown to reduce inflammation and completely reverse some irritable bowel disease symptoms. Fasting has also been shown to improve gut microbiome diversity and promote the proliferation of beneficial bacteria.

Improved brain health:
Patients following fasting protocols report a boost in mental energy, increased focus, and improved cognitive function. It is believed that the ketones generated during fasting have a neuroprotective effect, decreasing the risk from degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. These benefits occur because ketones help trigger the release of brain derived neurotrophic factor, BDNF, which strengthens neural connections
particularly in the areas involved in memory and learning. Intermittent fasting has also been shown to promote the growth of new nerve cells in the brain.

Ketosis:
Fasting allows a person to enter into a period of ketosis. When an individual uses up it stored glycogen for
energy, it turns to ketones as its secondary source. Ketosis helps with weight loss, cravings, blood sugar regulation, hormonal balance, and neuroprotection. Depending on a person's activity level, it is thought to take 12 to 24 hours of fasting in order to enter ketosis.

Digestion:
Fasting gives your body a break from digestion. This break from eating allows the migrating motor complex to
go to work as an intestinal housecleaner, getting rid of residual undigested material.

Autophagy:
During autophagy, the body starts to regenerate itself by eliminating dysfunctional cells and making room for new healthy ones. Autophagy may help in the protection against diseases like cancer and dementia. Autophagy also includes the removal of damaged mitochondria, the energy centers of our cells. Autophagy is believed to help play a role in modulating aging, improving brain health, decreasing inflammation, and improving immunity.

Circadian rhythm:
Our ancestors ate during the day and fasted during the night. They did not have artificial lighting once the sun went down and therefore did not eat past sunset. Our modern lifestyles allow us to eat well into the night and disrupt our eating and sleeping cycles. Intermittent fasting can help regulate circadian rhythms and improve metabolism. When we realign our eating patterns with our biological clock, we can improve weight regulation and get back to being in sync with our ancestral genes.

5-Day Food-Based Fast

Fasting Mimicking Diet:
The Prolon 5-Day Fasting Mimicking Diet, developed by Valter Longo at the USC Longevity Institute essentially mimics the effect of fasting without entirely eliminating food. This fast lasts for five days. During the fast you consume 1100 calories on the first day and approximately 800 calories over each of the next four days. The diet is formulated with specific low carb nutrient dense whole foods. This diet allows the body to enter ketosis, meaning it will breakdown and recycle damaged cells, activate stem cells, and preferentially decrease visceral and abdominal fat, without losing lean muscle mass.

What to Expect:
During these next 5 days, you will be following a carefully constructed meal plan, that will produce similar results to the Prolon 5-Day Fast. It is important to note a few things to get you set up for success: 

Option 1: 5-Day Food-Based Fast Prepared Foods Meal Guide

 Option 1: 5-Day Fast

Prepared Foods Shopping List

Homemade Nut and Seed Bar Ingredients and Directions

5-Day Fast Option 1: Prepared Foods Substitutions

Option 2: 5-Day Food-Based FastHomemade Meal Guide

(Courtesy of: California Institute for Functional Medicine)

5-Day Fast Option 2:

Homemade Recipes and Shopping List Day 1

5-Day Fast Option 2:

Homemade Recipes and Shopping ListDay 2

5-Day Fast Option 2:

Homemade Recipes and Shopping ListDay 3

5-Day Fast Option 2:

Homemade Recipes and Shopping ListDay 4

5-Day Fast Option 2:

Homemade Recipes and Shopping ListDay 5

Transitioning From Your Fast

You made it! You made it to the end of your fast. I'm sure you are craving all different kinds of foods, and ready with fork and knife in hand to dig in.

But not so fast...

Your body has just gone under an EXTREME cleansing process over the last 5 days. The last thing it needs right now is a cheese plate, glass of wine, and a big ol' cookie. (Well, let's be honest, does it ever really need it?)

In order to give your gut the smooth transition it deserves back into your normal eating habits, there are a few suggestions we have for the first 2 days after you finish your fast. We will also include some delicious recipes for you to try, to start reconditioning your gut into eating a normal diet again.

Post-Fast Meal Suggestions