THE 5-DAY FAST 😇
To repair our bodies and brains to live longer and better, little can beat it. BUT is it tolerable? I tried the Buchinger Wilhelmi home fasting kit...
I learnt on a medical course I attended the other day that UK women have a life expectancy of 83 years, and men, 79.
That means, that if I’m fortunate enough to get to that age (and there’s no guarantee), I have 25 summers left and my husband has 20.
So what’s the most impactful and simplest way to help raise one’s chances of making that, or beyond?
Fasting.
Humans are naturally programmed to go through times of feast and famine.
But the problem is that most of us are feasting too much.
The content of what I eat, like many of you, is nutritious. However, I am aware that I eat more frequently than is healthy or necessary and I’m often snacking mindlessly.
Eg Cheese! Dark chocolate! Nuts!. Honestly, you can overeat even healthy foods. I have what scientists call multiple “eating events” daily. Sometimes 9 instead of 2-3. I’m aware this means insulin levels stay continuously high and so does inflammation - which is behind almost every ageing disease there is.
To rebalance, I practice mini-fasting overnight usually at least 12 hours, sometimes 14, and try to eat earlier in the day whenever possible. I even wrote a book on it HERE called The 10-Hour Diet, and it definitely is a tool in your health and ageing toolbox.
But I’ve always wondered about those longer fasts and their potential bigger impact on longevity especially in later years.
The 5-day ones that some medics recommend doing every six months once you get over the age of 40 or so.
These longer fasts are considered a complete spring clean of the body.