KetoFasting: The Dark Side of Fasting & Ketosis (+How To Use Cyclic Ketosis To Fix The Issues)

From Dr. Joseph Mercola, my friend, multiple-time podcast guest, a guy who thinks way outside-the-box and seems to always be discovering some new cutting-edge way to enhance human health and longevity, and one of the world's foremost authorities on alternative health has just written a guide to using the principles of ketogenic eating, meal planning, and timing to treat disease, promote weight loss, and optimize health. The new book is called "KetoFast: Rejuvenate Your Health with a Step-by-Step Guide to Timing Your Ketogenic Meals". In the book, he explores the profound health benefits that result when ketogenic living and well-planned fasting are combined. Topics include: -How our food is making us sick and what we can do about it... -The physiology and mechanisms of fasting, including stem cell activation... -How the cyclical ketogenic diet--with fasting included--differs from the conventional keto diet... -How fasting works and how safe it is for you... -How regular one-day fasts support fat burning and detoxification while minimizing hunger and side effects... -How to monitor your progress with lab tests... -And much more... During our discussion, you'll discover: -The fascinating history of fasting among different religions and cultures...8:25 Dr. Mercola's book was originally written to learn to optimize multiple day water fasting Most religions integrate fasting into their practice (speaks to its efficacy throughout history) It's one of the best ways to express care for your spirit, especially when combined with meditation, gratitude, solitude, etc. Therapeutic fasting: Calorie restriction to activate metabolic processes to catalyze the healing process Fasting didn't become popular in the U.S. until the 1800's with the natural hygiene movement Became more popular when Herbert Shelton popularized it in 1911 TrueNorth Health Center -Autophagy, and why Dr. Mercola thinks of a fast as a "free stem cell transplant"...16:45 Different varieties of fasting: Intermittent (the foundation) Dr. Satchin Panda found that 90% of people don't do this (listen to my podcast with Dr. Panda) You need more than intermittent to get the max effect of autophagy Fasting mimicking diet, water diet Hybrid of the two, minimize the harmful effects Autophagy: 3 types Micro Macro Chaperone mediated You activate autophagy with the keto fast Dr. Mercola does not recommend a long-term water fast Free stem cell transplant is what happens during the regeneration phase, after the autophagy phase The magic happens during the refeed and strength rebuilding; similar to a growth hormone injection Do a 42 hour fast, in which you eat 300-500 calories 2x per week -How fasting affects intestinal stem cell function...24:20 Extended fasting helps reduce gut permeability by stimulating brain/gut pathways Consider fasting before other treatments or supplements for repairing the gut Certain supplements will inhibit autophagy: colostrum, B12 AMP-k and mTOR It's your friend; The higher the better A nutrient sensor Puts your body in "repair mode" See Saw: AMP-k up, mTOR down, vice versa -What nutrients you need to optimize autophagy...34:08 Berberine ECGC from green tea and European wild apples Pomegranate peel powder Urolithin A Pomegranate Pulled Apart podcast from ATP Science Dr. Mercola’s “autophagy tea” before my nightly fast to also limit mTor activation and increase autophagy: 1 tsp Pau d’ Arco powdered tea ½ tsp hydroxycitrate and garcinia (HCA/Garcinia powder) ½ tsp quercetin powder ½ tsp glycine powder ½ teaspoon chamomile powder Lakanto monkfruit sweetener to taste You don't want to take exogenous ketones when you want to activate autophagy while fasting -How ketones protect the brain excess hydrogen peroxide...46:00 Fats and carbs are fuel sources; broken down by enzymes Oxygen receives electrons from the food you're digesting in the form of hydrogen (which is converted to water) Most people are metabolically inflexible; can't burn much fat for fuel Ketones increase Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (nADPH) -Why Dr. Mercola changed his mind about the power of water fasting as a metabolic intervention...50:55 We in the 21st century are exposed to chemical and industrial toxins not historically known to humans Toxins are stored in our fat When you fast, you release these toxins Cause unpleasant side effects and symptoms 2 phases: Convert fat soluble to water soluble (not a problem) Attach molecules to the toxin You need frequent refeeds to fuel the process of eliminating the toxins and enhancing detox pathways A keto fast (42 hours, 300-500 calories) 2x/week is far more powerful than an occasional multi-day water fast or even fast mimicking diet -What Dr. Mercola views as the "dark side of fasting"...55:00 Detoxification impairment Compliance: people just won't do it How Dr. Mercola recommends Ben improve his own fasting strategy: Ben takes essential amino acids for protein during extended fasts Don't eat meat protein (branch chain amino acids) Take collagen protein Drawbacks to long-term ketosis Requires significant calorie restriction Women can develop thyroid impairment You simply weren't designed to do it Fasting primes your body for improvement; the real magic happens in the refeeds -What is "keto fasting," and how cyclical ketosis addresses the above issues...1:00:13 You must be metabolically flexible Eat in a 4-6 hour window per day for 4 weeks Branch chain aminos: lucine, isoleucine, valine Eat these on the refeed, not during the keto fast Don't activate mTor along with autophagy Cyclical approach: Keto fast 2x/week Every day intermittent fast Strategies to deal with hunger or appetite cravings: Vast majority of metabolically flexible people won't feel hungry Coconut oil, MCT oil, aloe gel Nicotine gum and sparkling water -How sauna use supports a fasting protocol, an ideal sauna setup, and sauna do's and don't's...1:07:45 Brian Richards' Sauna Space Near infrared is the best 40% of energy from the sun is infrared Near infrared heats you up very quickly Penetrates much more of the body than far infrared Book: Sauna Therapy for Detoxification and Healing Compounds prior to sauna use: Niacin (small doses) Use low EMF -And much more! Resources from this episode:  -My previous episodes with Dr. Mercola: Killing Fat Cells, Fixing Mitochondria, Growing Superfoods & More: The Official, Much-Anticipated, Mind-Blowing, Geeked-Out Podcast With Dr. Mercola High-Fat Fudge Balls, The Best Fruits For Blood Sugar, Egg Allergies & More With “Fat For Fuel” How To Reverse The Damage From Cell Phone Radiation, Hidden Sources Of EMF, The Best Way To Measure Your EMF Exposure & Much More -KetoFast: Rejuvenate Your Health with a Step-by-Step Guide to Timing Your Ketogenic Meals -Meta.org for research studies -Ben's Switzerland healing retreat at Paracelsus -The Complete Guide To Fasting by Jason Fung -TrueNorth Health Center -My interview with Dr. Satchin Panda -SEED Probiotic blend -ATP science -Dr. Mercola’s “autophagy tea” before my nightly fast to also limit mTor activation and increase autophagy: 1 tsp Pau d’ Arco powdered tea ½ tsp hydroxycitrate and garcinia (HCA/Garcinia powder) ½ tsp quercetin powder ½ tsp glycine powder ½ teaspoon chamomile powder Lakanto monkfruit sweetener to taste -Pomegranate Pulled Apart podcast from ATPScience -HVMN Ketones -"The Longevity Diet" by Dr. Valter Longo -Kion Aminos -Kettle & Fire Bone Broth -Aloe Gel -Lucy Nicotine gum -Saunaspace sauna -Near infrared bulbs -Dr. Lawrence Wilson's book "Sauna Therapy For Detoxification & Healing" Episode Sponsors: -Kion: My personal playground for new supplement formulations. Ben Greenfield Fitness listeners receive a 10% discount off your entire order when you use discount “bgf10”. https://getkion.com  -Trusii: Contains a host of anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, and anti-allergy benefits. For this reason, I have decided to now make consumption of hydrogen-rich water an important part of my daily nutritional routine...and I highly recommend it! Enter code “ben” at checkout and get 30% off your order! trusiih2.com/ben  -Clearlight Saunas: You can be sure that I researched all the saunas before I bought mine and Clearlight was the one that stood out from all the rest because of their EMF and ELF Shielding and their Lifetime Warranty. Use discount code “bengreenfield” to get $500 off your sauna and a free bonus gift! https://healwithheat.com  -FitVine Wine: Don’t let the word “less” fool you – FitVine wines offer rich flavor profiles and the alcohol content (13.4 - 13.9% alcohol) you’d expect from a fine wine. Use discount code “greenfield10” for 10% off your order. https://fitvinewine.com  Do you have questions, thoughts or feedback for Dr. Mercola or me? Leave your comments below and one of us will reply!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.