Listen to the full episode here https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/ketofast 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 am