For many reasons, fasting is a top-notch debate in health and fitness issues. We all know how strong it’s linked with number of health benefits ranging from weight loss to getting in shape and long life. You might have familiar with many fasting types like “intermittent fasting” and “water fasting”. In this article, I am going to introduce you to a new fasting method: ProLon fasting mimicking diet! And how does it work?
What is ProLon Fasting Mimicking Diet?
Fasting mimicking diet (FMD) is a refined form of regular fasting. ProLon FMD was founded by Dr. Valter Longo, an Italian researcher, and biologist. It holds the specialty of being the first and only diet plan that has gone through laboratory tests at the University of Southern California. He developed a technique in which instead of refraining from food thoroughly like a traditional fast, you can still take small amounts of food in a way that provides the therapeutic advantages of fasting.
Dr. Valter made sure that the FMD is based on regular researches, including many laboratory studies. This plan lasts for five days and follows a healthful routine that is low in protein, calories, and carbs but rich in fat. Calories are retained at about 40% of regular intake but still getting the same advantages.
Dr. Valter sells a 5-day weight loss plan called the ProLon Fasting Mimicking Diet or FMD through L-Nutra Inc., a nutrition technology firm that he inaugurated.
How does it work?
As mentioned above, FMD is a 5-day dieting program and it contains prepacked meal kits. All the ingredients are derived from whole-foods and based on plants. These meal kits are low in protein and carbs but high in rich fats like olives and linseed. It is also recommended that all the consumers should consult a medical expert such as a doctor or certified dietitian before starting the 5-day fast plan.
In the complete process of the five days, fasters only consume what’s included within the meal kit. The first day of the diet gives roughly 1,090 kcal that includes:
- 10% protein
- 56% fat
- 34% carbs
From the second day to last (fifth) day, it only provides 725 kcal including:
- 9% protein
- 44% fat
- 47% carbs
In scientific terms, this process is called gluconeogenesis in which the low-calorie, high-fat, low-carb ingredients of the meals provokes your body to produce energy from noncarbohydrate reservoirs after glycogen reserves are consumed.
What ProLon Fasting Mimicking Diet kit includes?
The ProLon FMD meal kit is divided into five different boxes and the plan is; one box per day. It also contains a chart with instructions on what foods to eat and the directions in which to eat them. FMD kit comprises:
- Nut bars: Meals made from macadamia nut butter, honey, linseed, almond, and coconut.
- Algal oil: It is a vegetarian-based meal that caters fasters with 200 mg of the omega-3 fatty acid (DHA).
- Soup blends:Â Mixture of soups like minestrone, mushroom, and tomato soup.
- Herbal tea: It contains Spearmint, hibiscus, and lemon-spearmint tea.
- Dark chocolate crisp bar:Â A sweet meal made with cocoa powder, almonds, chocolate chips, and linseed.
- Kale crackers: Mixture of constituents including linseeds, nutritional yeast, kale, herbs, and pumpkin seeds.
- Olives:Â These are added as a high-fat meal. One pack is given on day one, while two packs are given from second to last (fifth) day.
Benefits of FMD
As mentioned above, FMD is gone through proper research and laboratory tests, unlike traditional diet plans. You can now buy ProLon FMD with free shipping. The health benefit includes:
Weight Loss
A research directed by Dr. Valter matched people who performed three cycles of the ProLon FMD over three months to a control group.
Members in the fasting group shed an average of 6 pounds (2.7 kg) and underwent more losses in belly fat than the control group.
Blood Sugar and Cholesterol Levels
In a similar study directed by Dr. Valter that compared FMD to fat loss also noted that the FMD members experienced a notable drop in diabetes and cholesterol levels.
Cholesterol was decreased to 20 mg/dl in those with high cholesterol levels, while blood sugar levels dropped into the average range in members who had high levels of blood sugar at the start of the research.
Anti-aging
The most profound reason Dr. Valter developed the FMD was to slow down the aging process and danger of several diseases by supporting the body’s ability to self-repair through a process called cellular regeneration.
New and strong cells are generated from old and damaged ones through a process called “Autophagy.”
Limitations of ProLon FMD
The most significant limitation of ProLon FMD is cost. A meal kit currently sells for $249 per box when buying up to two boxes. The price ranges $225 when buying three or more boxes.
ProLon does not suggest its fasting plan to certain groups, such as pregnant or breastfeeding women and those who are underweight. Also, people who are allergic to nuts, soy, oats or sesame should avoid the ProLon FMD as it includes these elements.
Learn more at: Intermittent Fasting Calculator
