“It’s really extraordinary and probably the most powerful regeneration or generation program that you have since birth.” - Dr. Valter Longo on the Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD)

The Science Behind the Fast

Dr. Valter Longo is a cell biologist and longevity expert, and the creator of the Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD): a way of eating that puts the body into a true fasted state (triggering powerful full-body benefits) without requiring us to avoid food completely. 

 

“Fasting has been evolving for billions of years.” -Dr. Valter Longo, author of The Longevity Diet

 

What the Research Suggests Fasting Can Do

• Clears away damaged cell parts and cells from our organs

• Primes stem cells during the fast, which begin the work of rebuilding and regenerating those same parts once we refeed

• May slow markers associated with aging

• Fine-tunes our hunger hormones, helping us to curb our appetite

• Keeps IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1) low for months, which research suggests may inhibit tumor growth

• Improves insulin sensitivity, supporting better metabolic health

 

What It's Done for Me, Personally

1. It reminds me to be mindful where I’m normally mindless: eating almost everything in sight.

2. It recalibrates my gut neurons (the conversation happening between my gut and brain) to clearly tell me when I’ve had enough food and should stop eating instead of over-stuffing myself at every meal. (I only do that occasionally now - huge change for me!)

3. I drop a few pounds (and with a little effort, I can pretty easily keep it off).

This has been key in changing my relationship with food. Going through the fast is hard (not impossible), but coming out of it is, in some ways, even harder because all our food options open back up. 😋🫠

I can't stress this enough: we have to refeed well to keep the benefits of fasting. Like most things in life, it's what we do most of the time that matters. 

 

“The most important part is the refeeding.” -Valter Longo

 

Why the Fasted State Matters

The fasting state triggers a natural healing system we all have, one that otherwise lies dormant. While fasting, our cells begin to literally eat the damaged parts of our cellular waste (a process called autophagy, which is more like a dimmer switch than an on/off button). Fasting also primes far more stem cells than usual. Then, once we break our fast and refeed, those activated stem cells go to work regenerating the areas of the body that need it most. 🤯

Research suggests this could mean a lower risk of chronic disease, more targeted healing throughout our bodies, and so much more. 

 

A Few Resources I Trust

If you're here because you're looking for health support, these are sources I've learned from and trust: 

• Valter Longo
• Gil Carvalho, MD's Nutrition Made Simple (YouTube channel)

I'm in the prevention game (and with years of imperfect habits mostly behind me, I'm a perfect candidate for seasonal fasting). 

 

Watch the Fasting Video Series → 

Have a question about fasting or where to start? Just email me at jamie@plant52.com. I read and reply to every one.