Now we know the broad strokes from the previous post about “breaking” a fast. 

Now we can get into what occurs with the fasting metabolism from our efforts with fasting.

The healing and health benefits specifically come from the activation and overall efficiency of our innate recycling system called autophagy. 

During recycling, the body drives garbage trucks to pick up each cell’s used, broken, or obsolete parts. 

This junk then gets recycled into raw materials for reuse, and the cells all get some new upgrades allowing them to work better, more efficiently, and behave, well, younger.

The body’s natural process of recycling looks differently throughout the body:

• Skin cell recycling makes us look younger. 
• Recycling in our liver cells heals fatty liver.
• Pancreatic recycling reverses insulin resistance (over time and multiple fasts). 
• Our brain clears out plaque deposits that can lead to Alzheimer’s 
• and Parkinson’s through this same recycling process.

The cycle of fasting and the recycling system of our body completely regenerates our immune system after just 72 hours of fasting.

Without this recycling, cellular debris (junk) accumulation leads cells to continue working past their genetically predetermined expiration date, called senescent cells.

The increase of senescent cells causes a steep decline in cellular efficiency, forcing nearby cells to pick up the slack and stressing the entire system, tissue, or organ. 

Bioaccumulation or build-up of cellular waste products causes oxidative stress, inflammation, and eventually, tissue damage leading to chronic disease.

This critical recycling process only activates while in the fasted metabolic state of repair. 

When started, the recycling and repair cycles reset the genetic timeclocks within each cell, signaling any older cells functioning past their expiration date to retire peacefully. 

When inefficient expired cells retire, the cellular vacancies left behind stimulate new cells created from stem cells and food when we break our fast correctly.

This stem cell genesis and regeneration mark the fourth and final phase of the complete fasting cycle, the ”Reinforcement” phase.

These new stem cells and their new youthful genes and energy get sent out to different tissues, organs, and structures indicated by the body during fasting and recycling. 

The repopulation and replacement of needed cells as we heal occur once we end our fast and start eating again. 

New stem cells are assigned jobs in different tissues and organs where indicated, and if they are not accepted and nurtured at the new workplace, over 95% of our new stem cells will quit and become recycled themselves. 

The body’s natural recycling and repair system called “Autophagy” doesn’t technically involve “killing” or destroying our cells but instead assists in working more efficiently and staying within their capacity and autonomy.

Each fast I plan and execute supports all 4 phases of the complete fasting cycle and schedules multiple fasts in a progressive Fasting Rotation Calendar over a minimum of 6 months in my hormonal enhancement programs and over 18 months in my advanced metabolic health lifestyle integrations.

More information and strategies to optimally support all 4 phases of the complete fasting cycle are coming up soon, be ready. 

Until then, I hope this sheds more light on how a simple question of “Does this break my fast” isn’t as simple to answer as one might think.

Keep following, join “Insulin Friendly Fasting Secrets,” and message me for a free consult to see if my programs are a good fit for your needs and goals. 

We can do better!

Dr. Don