Spring is the traditional time to detox after a winter of typically moving less due to the cold weather and eating more to keep warm. We all know about the traditional spring cleaning of our homes. Our bodies are no different! Spring is the perfect time to activate the body’s systems to do a cleanse.
When I was younger, a 5-7 day juice fast was just the thing to stimulate a good spring detox. The juice provided some minimal calories and it felt so cleansing to wash the intestines with fresh fruit & vegetable juices plus a cup of veggie broth at night. Lots of antioxidants from the juices helped create a vibrancy that I found so restorative!
But bodies change as they age. My sensitivity to the sugars in the juice increased as I got older and I couldn’t keep my blood sugar stable enough to tolerate such long fasts. So I went to shorter fasts gradually decreasing to just a day fast but that didn’t give me that same sense of detoxing I desired. One day fasts are great for an appetite reset, but they don’t activate a deep cellular cleanse.
Kick starting the body to detox
The purpose of a fast is to put your body into autophagy, the state in which the body starts breaking down and regenerating cells. Old mitochondria and waste inside the cells are removed while stimulating regeneration inside the cells. Dead cells are cleared out. Stem cells are activated to build new young cells that replace the old. Sounds good for us, right?
However, it isn’t easy to get the body into a state of autophagy. Just like we are reluctant to get down on our knees to scrub our floors or get underneath furniture to clean our homes, the body has to be prompted to do a deep clean. By inducing the special condition brought on by fasting, you kick deep autophagy into gear. It doesn’t just happen in a one day fast or by daily intermittent fasting. It takes about 3 days of fasting to get into a true state of autophagy.
Fasting and longevity
Fortunately for all of us, there is real science that verifies the conditions under which autophagy takes place.
Dr. Walter Longo, one of the world’s leading researchers on longevity, has studied the effects of fasting on the body’s ability to prevent and reverse chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes while contributing to longevity. His early desire to unlock the secrets of centenarians led him to study under a leading longevity researcher at UCLA. Eventually he set up his own laboratory at USC that he runs now. He works with researchers all over the world who, like him, are passionate about unlocking the keys to longevity.
Autophagy is at the heart of longevity. Our bodies are programmed first and foremost to reproduce. However, the body also has a secondary program to protect cells and our DNA against aging. Now that we aren’t reproducing as much as we did before the advent of birth control, turning the energy that used to be consumed by reproduction into anti-aging is the key to longevity. The trick is to make the body turn on its self-protection mechanisms. The most effective one of all is autophagy.
The 5 day Fasting-Mimicking Diet
Dr. Longo’s work with cancer patients led him to develop a fast that could help people who aren’t able to participate in complete nutrient-elimination fasts, which are stressful to people in a weakened state. Using laboratory tests, he developed a very low-calorie diet with precisely timed caloric intake that puts the body into a state of autophagy while not triggering a ‘food response’. It mimics the effects of a long water fast but makes it possible for the person to avoid hunger and other fasting side effects.
Many studies have now shown that the Fasting-Mimicking Diet (FMD) stimulates the production of stem cells, reduces abdominal fat, and lowers the risk of developing chronic diseases. Coupled with Dr. Longo’s Longevity Diet, which is based on the famous Mediterranean diet but includes periodic fasting, it even has been shown to reverse prediabetic conditions, reduce heart disease and inflammation, and possibly prevent or delay the onset of other life-threatening diseases like cancer.
Prolon, Dr. Longo’s FMD makes it simple to fast
If you’ve been reading my blog posts which I’ve been writing for many years now, you’ll be very familiar with how I like to experiment with diet and nutrition on my own body, the best laboratory I have! When I learned about the FMD, I was excited to try it because I knew I was experiencing signs that my body needed a fast. Hopefully, this program would provide a way to keep my blood sugar stable while fasting again. My requirement for success was not only that I could do the fast without experiencing stress like rapid heart beats, but also that I could work my normal schedule while following the FMD protocol.
Prolon is the name given to the FMD kit that the L-Nutra Company, founded by Dr. Longo, ships to customers all over the world. Its profits go to his foundation that funds much of his research into the effects of FMD on cancer and other diseases. The kit contains 5 separate days’ worth of meals, supplements and herbal teas. He wants people to be caffeine free as much as possible during the fasting period – a man after my own heart!
Five days really isn’t that long to go without eating
Each day, you start with eating a nut bar in the morning followed by 2 vegetable soups that you rehydrate for lunch and dinner.
In between, there are snacks of olives or crackers depending on the day. You drink a liquid made from glycine and flavors – I wasn’t fond of its taste but it is supposed to keep you from burning muscle tissue in favor of burning fat cells for energy. I combined it with the chilled herbal teas to make it more enjoyable. I thoroughly enjoyed the tasty soups and snacks and now they are certified organic!
The first day has more food and progressively you get less while your hunger lessens too. By day 3, you’re in autophagy. Symptoms of autophagy include lack of appetite and for some people bad breath and fatigue. For me though, perhaps because I’m an experienced faster, I get high.
Seriously. I love the feelings that autophagy promotes especially as it moves into the rejuvenation phase. This is when my vision gets brighter and I have lots of energy. Ok, maybe I’m somewhat spacey but definitely not dysfunctional. My skin develops a glow and my brain fires quickly as my body makes new healthy cells that are set to function optimally. I feel like I can accomplish anything. I also have to admit, I love losing a few pounds off my middle!
L-Nutra offers a daily coach-led fasting group where you can get questions answered and learn more about the process your body is undergoing during the FMD. I didn’t discover it until I was in my 4th day but even then, I found this daily Zoom sessions to be very helpful. The coaches are registered dieticians, and they answer everyone’s questions and then give a presentation that is very educational. Plus hearing about everyone else’s experiences helps keep you motivated.
How often should you fast?
The FMD studies recommend doing a cycle of 3 Prolon fasts approximately a month apart to change metabolic markers like cholesterol or to stabilize blood sugar. In relatively health people, i.e. not diabetics, our pancreas can actually regenerate insulin-producing cells and our insulin resistance decreases after fasting. About 30% of people eating a Western diet have fatty livers but the FMD will push the body to burn that fat and rejuvenate the liver.
A series of 3 FMD programs has been shown to reduce biological aging by an average of 2.5 years. Studies also show that cognitive health improves with fasting as the brain creates new neurons for connectivity.
My goal for fasting beyond the detox benefits is also to change some of my metabolic markers that have gotten higher than is optimal. My A1C, a measure of the red blood cells that have sugar-coated hemoglobin, has been creeping up towards the prediabetic threshold as I age. My cholesterol ratio of ‘good’ to ‘bad’ isn’t as optimal as it was 10 years ago. Physically, I am stiffer despite doing yoga and I know that’s a sign of glycation, which is sugars attaching to proteins that build up in the spine and joints.
I’ve done 1 FMD round thus far and it has fulfilled its promises. I noticed immediately that my blood sugar is now more stable which must be due to my insulin resistance being lowered. My lower back lost much of its stiffness which I experienced by doing better yoga poses. Friends commented on my glowing skin. Of course, I still have to prove these results by doing an A1C blood test. I’m waiting to do it 3 months after my first round so I can see the results of the test period post fasting. I’m planning on doing 2 more rounds but spaced out a bit farther than they recommend for younger people. They caution people over the age of 65 to take it easier. I’ll keep you all posted as I get test results and undergo more FMD rounds!
Teeccino and fasting
We get many questions about drinking Teeccino while fasting. According to the FMD, you can drink a cup of coffee in the morning if you must, but they prefer that you only drink the herbal teas provided in the kit. The registered dietician guiding the week I was fasting wasn’t very knowledgeable about herbal teas. She called them “decaffeinated herbal teas” while we know that no decaffeination process has been done to naturally caffeine-free herbal teas.
My advice is to stick to the program and stay caffeine free during the 5 days. I think you can safely drink a cup made with a Teeccino tea bag for a lighter dose than the serving size recommended for brewing like coffee. However, you can’t add creamer, milk or a sweetener. Just drink black Teeccino to avoid triggering a food response.
Our 8 dandelion blends are designed for stimulating detoxification with dandelion root, known for its bitters that turn on the bitter receptors throughout the digestive tract. Bitter receptors are also on organs like the liver and kidneys. Dandelion root has been valued for its cleansing properties in both Western herbalism and Traditional Chinese Medicine.
