August 31, 2021 11:44 PM

My experience with L-Nutra's 5 Day ProLon Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD)

From the time I had control over my food choices until the the age of 33 I ate like crap. I didn't know it. I, like most people, had no idea that what I put in my mouth, for the most part, has a direct correlation of the state of my health. With a scattering of stupid dieting tactics and the all too often preservative and chemical-laden frozen meals, my eating habits were nothing short of horrendous. Only wanting to remain thin, the thought of being healthy took second fiddle.

Then, after a noble fight, cancer overcame my dad and we lost him. 10 Weeks later an aggressive type of cancer showed up in me and I was able to stop it in its tracks. Through many twists and turns I finally connected the dots and realized perhaps it was the food - the fuel, the very thing that sustains us, that might have something to do with our fate. I got to work. STLVegGirl was eventually born and "being skinny" was no longer the goal.

Though I had experienced some major hurdles, I am generally a very happy person; the glass is always half full. However, I realized that continuing to eat the way I was, my cheery outlook might eventually fade as I was feeding myself into potential chronic illness. After MUCH research I adopted a plant-based (healthy vegan) diet and as a dear friend of mine likes to say, I am now not only adding years to my life, but also life to my years.

There's a new topic gaining a lot of speed in the health and wellness arena- fasting. Actually, it's an ancient practice and probably not one that was happily welcomed by our paleolithic roamers before then. But, what's old is new again and researchers are experiencing some really incredible outcomes with fasting- I am especially intrigued by autophagy, which is the sweeping out of old cells. This housekeeping, if you will, done by the body during autophagy, destroys old and worn out cells and replace with new ones. Here's more on that.

As an enthusiast on all things plant-based nutrition and now my attention progressing somewhat into the healthy-aging realm as well, I have become a quick and devoted follower of Dr. Rhonda Patrick who is a brilliant biochemist and expert on all things nutrition, cancer and fitness. Many times I find myself forgoing my playlists at the gym in order to listen to her latest podcast. Please check her out. Late last year she sat down with Italian-American biogerontologist and cell biologist, Dr. Valter Longo. Dr. Longo teaches and conducts his research at USC-Davis School of Gerontology and runs the USC Longevity Institute. The one hour and 20-ish minute interview is absolutely fascinating (I think I've listened to it 7 times now). In it they talk about all things fasting and in particular Dr. Longo mentions his ProLon Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD). They both go into great detail on the science behind it and he speaks extensively on the findings.

ProLon is a natural, gluten-free, plant-based meal program that can be taken for five-days per month. It aims to nourish the body while convincing it that it is fasting. It aims to induce the body to protect itself and rejuvenate in response to five consecutive days of fasting.

Dr. Longo mentions that his ProLon FMD was created to help people get the results of a water fast by actually eating. After figuring out how a fast can help the body heal to support the body's health, in so many different ways and keep it robust, he knew he needed to create a way for people to yield the results in a more attainable fashion. Clearly stated, water fasting can be too difficult for many.

Listening to one of Dr. Longo's many interviews, he said he teamed up with a chef to create meals that met the nutritional benchmarks needed to achieve traditional fasting results. Sure, this could have been diet full of smoothies, but I have a feeling his Italian heritage led him to infuse just a hint of his historical culinary lineage. Only speculating here. In any case, thank you Dr. Longo.

Below is a video journal of my 5-day FMD experience followed by other resources.

Here's how you can order your own 5-day FMD box.

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