This series of videos is a report on my experiment with the do-it-yourself version of Dr. Valter Longo’s 5-day fasting mimicking diet (FMD). The clinically tested FMD combines the benefits of a water fast with the psychological safety net of being able to eat a limited number of calories every day. Aside from weight loss, and improved bio-markers (improvements in blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol and others), people on the FMD burn body fat when they get into ketosis, and experience autophagy (cells “eating themselves,” eliminating damaged parts of older cells) as well as spikes in the creation of stem cells, which are used to repair damage to organs and tissues in your body.
I have chosen not to use the commercially available version of the FMD (Prolon®), but rather to follow the specifications for macronutrients (fats, proteins and carbohydrates) and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals and trace elements) that Dr. Longo has established in his published papers and patents. While this is not recommended by Dr. Longo, I do a DIY version of the 5-day FMD, because I want to get the benefit of eating fresh, unprocessed food to support my body during this cleansing and rejuvenation process. A nutrition tracker I developed based on the published macronutrient ratios allows me to develop delicious recipes for fresh salads, hearty soups and tasty smoothies and I showcase those every day.