How to Use the Fasting Mimicking Diet to Get the Benefits of Fasting (Without Skipping Food!)

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Wellness Mama » Blog » Health » How to Use the Fasting Mimicking Diet to Get the Benefits of Fasting (Without Skipping Food!)

I’ve been interested in fasting and related concepts for a long time because of the potential for major health improvement. Research continues to show promising benefits. For years I’ve been fascinated by the work of Dr. Valter Longo on the topic of fasting and how to use it to increase our odds of a long, healthy life.

I had the honor of interviewing him on the Wellness Mama podcast (listen here), so today I thought I’d share all I’ve learned about his method of fasting called the Fasting Mimicking Diet.

His approach allows you to get the benefits of fasting, without skipping meals. Interested? Read on!

Dr. Valter Longo and the Fasting Mimicking Diet

Dr. Longo is the Director of the Longevity Institute and a professor who studies how aging affects the body and biological sciences at the University of Southern California. His research has focused on longevity, fasting, aging, and metabolic disease. Based on his extensive research, he created a protocol known as the Fasting Mimicking Diet or FMD. Today we’re going to discuss what it is and the benefits it might have to offer you.

The Fasting Mimicking Diet came out of Dr. Longo’s research of nearly two decades. The diet focuses first on the genes that control how the body ages and responds to disease. The concept is that lifespan and healthspan can be increased by supporting the expression of these genes.

First, let’s review some of the different types of fasting before we try to understand how FMD works and why it is different.

Different Types of Fasting: The Basics

There is a lot of misinformation on the internet and elsewhere about fasting: what it is, what it isn’t, and how to go about it. As fasting has gained popularity, it has also become less correctly understood. Dr. Longo is one of the world’s top experts on the subject of fasting.

Dr. Longo’s biggest fasting truth is that “fasting” in and of itself doesn’t mean anything. You can say “eating” and it doesn’t actually tell anyone anything about your diet. The same is true for fasting because there are so many different ways and types to go about it.

Fasting in many forms almost always means calorie restriction in some way. Many types of fasting will induce ketosis due to lower caloric intake and often lower carbohydrates.

Some types of fasting include:

  • Water fasting: the name pretty much says it all… you just drink water for a period of time. You can read about my experience (and cautions) about water fasting here.
  • Alternate day fasting: not eating any food every other day (but still drinking water)
  • 16/8: time-restricted fasting: eating is limited to only 8 hours during the day, sometimes known as intermittent fasting
  • 5:2 fasting: a fasting approach where 2 days a week only 500 calories are consumed
  • Fasting mimicking diets: a protocol where, for 3-7 days, anywhere from 300 to 1,100 calories are eaten on a specific protocol to mimic the benefits of fasting without total deprivation

Dr. Longo explains that, as with many things, there are positives and negatives about all types of fasting. Not all types are good for everyone, so it’s never a good idea to just do something on your own without personalized advice from your healthcare provider.

Note: Lengthy water fasts should only ever be done under clinical supervision and have more serious risks. Even under clinical supervision, water fasting can still produce strong symptoms. These can include fatigue, gastrointestinal symptoms, thyroid problems, and glucose imbalances, not to mention more serious issues like infection or inflammatory problems. Please do your own research and only do one under the guidance of your doctor.

Why Fasting Mimicking?

Dr. Longo’s research focuses on Fasting Mimicking plans because, unlike water fasting, they’re broadly safer and can be as effective without the risks or deprivation.

I personally find Fasting Mimicking to be fascinating. Total deprivation from food sounds like torture to many people (although I’ve had positive experiences, and it sounds worse than it really is). Still, a protocol that accomplishes many of the same benefits without having to completely skip food can be a great starting point for many people.

Enter the Fasting Mimicking Diet. But how does it work?

FMD provides guidance on macronutrients, like protein, because it contains amino acids. Amino acids are known as the building blocks of protein, and it’s how the body literally repairs and restores cells and tissues. They also control growth hormone levels and insulin-like growth factor 1, both of which are highly involved in the speed at which the body ages and develops disease processes.

FMD also modulates sugar intake to support blood glucose, because that controls another gene known as PKA, which influences aging and disease, too.

Health Benefits of a Fasting Mimicking Diet

Fasting Mimicking can influence genes in a powerful way by providing the fuel and conditions the body needs to implement some protective changes. It’s so impactful that it has an influence on gene expression long after the Fasting Mimicking Diet has ended. After just five days of FMD, protective benefits can be shown for months afterward.

These are the demonstrated benefits of following an FMD, according to research.

Cell Protection with Autophagy

Autophagy is the body’s internal protective mechanism for getting rid of cells that are broken or damaged. Cells replicate at different rates, depending on where they are in the body. Skin cells are replaced every 2 weeks, while red blood cells are replaced every 2.5 to 4 months. The epithelial cells that line the intestinal walls are replaced every 5 days.

Cells are always replicating. In that process, they transfer DNA. Sometimes information gets lost or cells are damaged. If the body is allowed to continue with broken or damaged cells, or ones missing crucial information, the body would rapidly deteriorate! Autophagy is the body’s built-in system for cleaning house of broken, damaged, or old cells with bad information.

A study by Dr. Longo and colleagues from 2015 showed that the FMD plan helped to optimize the process of autophagy. As a result, it has a protective effect on cells and may even help to slow cellular degeneration and aging. Autophagy is also shown to ramp up in nerve cells in response to short-term fasting.

Cancer and Chemotherapy

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States (behind heart disease). While chemotherapy has been able to treat and bring many types into remission, the immune suppression of chemotherapy presents a danger in and of itself. Immune system malfunction is also a trigger of cancer, when the body fails to destroy damaged cells through autophagy.

A 2015 study in mice showed that prolonged fasting could increase stress resistance in cells, as well as the ability for them to renew and regenerate. Multiple rounds of fasting were also able to decrease immune suppression and mortality associated with chemotherapy.

A 2018 review found that FMD, when paired with chemotherapy or immunotherapy, was able to increase how well the treatments worked while reducing side effects.

Cardiovascular Health

There are many factors that affect heart health. In a 2019 randomized trial of 100 subjects, those who followed the Fasting Mimicking Diet compared to a normal diet experienced weight loss, fat loss, decreased blood pressure, and lower levels of fasting blood sugar, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, and C-reactive protein (an inflammatory marker).

This beneficial picture of FMD on factors that can influence heart health demonstrates the positive effects it can have on people at risk for diseases related to inflammation and aging.

Body Weight

In the same trial of 100 randomized subjects who followed either a normal food plan or the Fasting Mimicking Diet for three months (3 different 5-day FMD cycles), those who were on the FMD plan lost weight and body fat. Having excessive body weight can increase the risk of many types of chronic and age-related diseases, so finding a method to support ongoing and extended healthy weight is essential.

Autoimmunity

The benefits of Fasting Mimicking also extend to autoimmune conditions like multiple sclerosis and irritable bowel disease (IBD) like Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological degenerative disease with roots in autoimmunity. Past research has shown that, overall, specific diets haven’t been very successful at treating or reversing MS symptoms.

Animal research from 2016 showed that periodic 3-day cycles of the Fasting Mimicking Diet were able to address the root cause of MS—attack on the myelin sheath of the spinal cord by the immune system. FMD was able to reduce the severity of the condition in all mice and was even able to reverse symptoms in 20 percent of those studied. A Fasting Mimicking Diet can promote immune system balance as well as help to repair the myelin sheath. FMD is found to be safe and effective for treating relapsing remitting MS.

In animal studies, FMD was also able to reduce inflammation in the intestines and increase the amount of protective good bacteria in the gut. Three rounds of FMD was able to lower systemic inflammation and improve immune and stem cell levels, showing potential for eliminating IBD inflammation.

Who Can Follow a Fasting Mimicking Diet Plan?

It’s clear that a Fasting Mimicking Diet has a lot of potential benefits! Whether or not it is right for you depends on several factors. Checking with your personal healthcare provider is step one.

If your doctor gives the all-clear, following a Fasting Mimicking diet plan might help:

  • Lose weight
  • Reduce risk for heart disease, diabetes, autoimmunity, or other chronic health problems
  • Manage a condition that FMD has been shown to be helpful for
  • Live a long life and promoting healthy aging

A Fasting Mimicking Diet is more of a lifestyle shift with two parts: the 3-7 day fasts where you’re taking in fewer calories for a set amount of time, and the other days where you should be eating with health in mind.

Dr. Longo isn’t a legalist when it comes to this. As he explains, it’s about the majority of what you’re doing. If you want a small bit of sugar in your coffee, it’s such a small amount that it’s not going to rewrite your genetic code. But the cumulative effect of several sugary sodas, desserts, and high-carb, refined foods on a daily basis—those will add up to negatively impact the longevity of your genes.

Learn more from 466: Cynthia Thurlow on What Makes Fasting Unique for Women in this podcast episode.

How to Follow a Fasting Mimicking Diet Plan

One of the main principles of an FMD plan is to eat low protein and high unsaturated fat, and then reduce calories during the fasting period. The average FMD plan will include around 1,100 calories the first day, and just 800 or less the next few days.

Protein restriction combined with the fasting-mimicking protocol is what gives the diet plan its beneficial effects. So, no, you can’t just eat high-protein (or whatever you want) for your allotted calories during the fast. Healthy fats are also important for the diet’s benefits.

How to start? Read Dr. Longo’s book The Longevity Diet for the official full plan and everything you need to start. Dr. Longo says that the FMD can be done anywhere from a few times a year to once a month, depending on your current state of health and age.

Example Meal Plan (Note: Not Dr. Longo Approved – Read the book for that!)

If you want to do a DIY Fasting Mimicking Diet, it’s wise to consult a nutrition professional for a personalized plan. The following meal plan should only be used to give you an idea of what you might expect to eat on a five-day FMD plan:

Wellness Mama “Fast Latte” Recipe

Instructions: Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth and frothy.

Here’s your sample meal plan:

Day 1 — 1,100 Calories
Morning: 1 Fast Latte, and water or herbal tea = 250 calories
Midday: 3 cups vegetable soup, homemade, plus ½ tbsp of chopped almonds = 310 calories
Afternoon: 1 Fast Latte and water or herbal tea = 250 calories
Evening: 3 cups vegetable soup, homemade = 290 calories

Day 2 — 800 Calories
Morning: 1 Fast Latte and water or herbal tea = 250 calories
Midday: 1 cup tomato soup, homemade, and 20 blueberries = 150 calories
Afternoon: 3 cups bone broth and 2 cups raw spinach wilted in a ½ tbsp olive oil = 200 calories
Evening: 1 cup vegetable bean soup, homemade, and 1 tbsp chopped almonds = 200 calories

Day 3 — 800 Calories
Morning: 1 Fast Latte and water or herbal tea = 250 calories
Midday: 1 cup tomato soup, homemade, and ½ large cucumber = 150 calories
Afternoon: 1 Fast Latte and water or herbal tea = 250 calories
Evening: 2 cups bone broth and ¼ cup lentils, cooked = 150 calories

Day 4 — 800 Calories
Morning: 1 Fast Latte and water or herbal tea = 250 calories
Midday: 2 cups of bone broth and 10 green olives = 135 calories
Afternoon: 2 cups vegetable soup, homemade, and 1 cup of raw carrots = 250 calories
Evening: 1 cup vegetable bean soup and 20 fresh blueberries = 165 calories

Day 5 — 800 Calories
Morning: 1 Fast Latte and water or herbal tea = 250 calories
Midday: 1 cup tomato soup, homemade, and 20 blueberries = 150 calories
Afternoon: 1 Fast Latte and herbal tea or water = 250 calories
Evening: 1 cup vegetable bean soup, homemade = 150 calories

If you do follow a Fasting Mimicking Diet, make sure that you follow proper refeeding techniques at the end. Breaking a fast by rushing headlong into eating high-calorie, high-carb, and high-fat meals will make you feel sick and can be dangerous.

This article was medically reviewed by Dr. Shani Muhammad, MD, board certified in family medicine and has been practicing for over ten years. As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor or work with a doctor at SteadyMD.

Have you ever tried a Fasting Mimicking Diet? If you have, share in the comments how it went. If you haven’t, what drawbacks or questions do you still have?

Sources
  1. Finnell, J. S., Saul, B. C., Goldhamer, A. C., & Myers, T. R. (2018). Is fasting safe? A chart review of adverse events during medically supervised, water-only fasting. BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 18(1), 67. https://bmccomplementmedtherapies.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12906-018-2136-6
  2. Brandhorst, S., Choi, I. Y., Wei, M., Cheng, C. W., Sedrakyan, S., Navarrete, G., Dubeau, L., Yap, L. P., Park, R., Vinciguerra, M., Di Biase, S., Mirzaei, H., Mirisola, M. G., Childress, P., Ji, L., Groshen, S., Penna, F., Odetti, P., Perin, L., Conti, P. S., … Longo, V. D. (2015). A Periodic Diet that Mimics Fasting Promotes Multi-System Regeneration, Enhanced Cognitive Performance, and Healthspan. Cell metabolism, 22(1), 86–99. https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(15)00224-7
  3. Alirezaei, M., Kemball, C. C., Flynn, C. T., Wood, M. R., Whitton, J. L., & Kiosses, W. B. (2010). Short-term fasting induces profound neuronal autophagy. Autophagy, 6(6), 702–710. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.4161/auto.6.6.12376
  4. Cheng, C. W., Adams, G. B., Perin, L., Wei, M., Zhou, X., Lam, B. S., Da Sacco, S., Mirisola, M., Quinn, D. I., Dorff, T. B., Kopchick, J. J., & Longo, V. D. (2014). Prolonged fasting reduces IGF-1/PKA to promote hematopoietic-stem-cell-based regeneration and reverse immunosuppression. Cell stem cell, 14(6), 810–823. https://www.cell.com/cell-stem-cell/fulltext/S1934-5909(14)00151-9
  5. Nencioni, A., Caffa, I., Cortellino, S., & Longo, V. D. (2018). Fasting and cancer: molecular mechanisms and clinical application. Nature reviews. Cancer, 18(11), 707–719. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41568-018-0061-0
  6. Wei, M., Brandhorst, S., Shelehchi, M., Mirzaei, H., Cheng, C. W., Budniak, J., Groshen, S., Mack, W. J., Guen, E., Di Biase, S., Cohen, P., Morgan, T. E., Dorff, T., Hong, K., Michalsen, A., Laviano, A., & Longo, V. D. (2017). Fasting-mimicking diet and markers/risk factors for aging, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Science translational medicine, 9(377), eaai8700. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.aai8700
  7. Bagur, M. J., Murcia, M. A., Jiménez-Monreal, A. M., Tur, J. A., Bibiloni, M. M., Alonso, G. L., & Martínez-Tomé, M. (2017). Influence of Diet in Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review. Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.), 8(3), 463–472. https://academic.oup.com/advances/article/8/3/463/4558092
  8. Choi, I. Y., Piccio, L., Childress, P., Bollman, B., Ghosh, A., Brandhorst, S., Suarez, J., Michalsen, A., Cross, A. H., Morgan, T. E., Wei, M., Paul, F., Bock, M., & Longo, V. D. (2016). A Diet Mimicking Fasting Promotes Regeneration and Reduces Autoimmunity and Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms. Cell reports, 15(10), 2136–2146. https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(16)30576-9
  9. Rangan, P., Choi, I., Wei, M., Navarrete, G., Guen, E., Brandhorst, S., Enyati, N., Pasia, G., Maesincee, D., Ocon, V., Abdulridha, M., & Longo, V. D. (2019). Fasting-Mimicking Diet Modulates Microbiota and Promotes Intestinal Regeneration to Reduce Inflammatory Bowel Disease Pathology. Cell reports, 26(10), 2704–2719.e6. https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(19)30181-0
  10. Brandhorst, S., & Longo, V. D. (2019). Protein Quantity and Source, Fasting-Mimicking Diets, and Longevity. Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.), 10(Suppl_4), S340–S350. https://academic.oup.com/advances/article/10/Supplement_4/S340/5624067

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Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

11 responses to “How to Use the Fasting Mimicking Diet to Get the Benefits of Fasting (Without Skipping Food!)”

  1. Aimee Avatar

    Hi, Katie!

    I don’t have any MCT oil on hand. Should I just use extra coconut oil? Thank you for this meal plan! I did not have the extra $ to spend on the Prolon system. Thank you again!

    1. Jamie Larrison Avatar

      MCT oil has a different chemical composition so it’s better for boosting metabolism and ketone production than coconut oil. You could just use coconut oil, but the results might not be the same.

  2. Misa Avatar

    I find this to be very confusing. We are told not to starve ourselves when we diet. It will ruin our metabolism. I have a tendency to severely restrict my calories when I am stressed and or, the only way I am able to lose weight at my age is to severely limit my calorie intake. Everyone that I know schools me and lectures me that I have ruined, am ruining my metabolism.
    What is the difference between dieting and fasting other than the word?
    Thank you!

    1. Katie Wells Avatar

      From my understanding, it depends a lot on what you do during the non-fasting periods. For instance, I don’t undereat when I’m not fasting and make sure to spike calories, carbs and protein at different times so that my body doesn’t get the signal that it is starving. I find that to lose weight, one can eat less, or just eat less often, and I personally do better eating enough food, but eating in smaller windows. It is definitely a very individualized thing though and worth experimenting and working with a qualified pracitoner.

  3. Sara H Avatar

    Katie-Thank you for the information and link to the book. I was casually fasting from Summer to Fall and loved it and really felt good! I wasn’t following a plan but would just not eat until around 3 pm and then eat within a 4 hour window. about 3 -4 x a week. I have MS but have never taken drugs for it except for LDN and I have recently been having trouble with histamine issues. I really blew my low sugar lifestyle over the holidays (though I am always gluten-free and low dairy) and my histamine issues have skyrocketed and I really want to get back to the fasting. My body is finicky so I always go into things slowly and carefully especially mindful to get my blood sugar under control first so that I don’t throw myself into something too fast and end up with severe migraines., The FMD is exactly what I was looking for! I had heard of it but didn’t really understand it until reading this-so thank you for the information and I’ll be sure to order the book so that I thoroughly understand it.

  4. Heide L Horeth Avatar
    Heide L Horeth

    My husband and I have been following the 5/2 fasting program for 6 years. My husband’s cholesterol went down 50 points in 6 weeks and our doctor was so surprised he tested his blood twice! I had read a lot about it from books, but really loved the PGS special with Michael Mosely. Fasting is respected and done all over the world and not a new fad. I have never been on a diet, but strongly believe in this lifestyle change. Restricted food is not only good physically, but mentally as well. The other part I love is that when I tell folks I am abstaining from food because I’m fasting, it is respected! Unlike if you say “diet” people want to tempt you anyway. The best part is there are so many ways to do a fast that one will suit you.

  5. Ashleigh Stevens Avatar
    Ashleigh Stevens

    Have any of the studies bifurcated between men and women? I believe fasting has different effects on women, especially those of child bearing age but studies showing this are rare. Have you found any?

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