#204 (Keto): All About Fasting

The Primal Kitchen Podcast

Host Brad Kearns talks about one of his recent favorite subjects, exploring the long scientifically validated benefits of fasting. We know that your body works more efficiently and burns fuel more cleanly (less production of free radicals than when you are glucose burner) when in a fasted state, but that long-term extreme calorie restriction is not a viable option in daily life. By eating in a ketogenic pattern, you can enjoy fasting-like benefits while enjoying nutrient-dense, high satiety, high fat meals. You can also improve your metabolic fitness through keto such that you can fast more frequently, for longer periods, while enjoying peak cognitive and physical function and not suffering from hunger.

Fasting and ketogenic eating helps upregulate fat metabolism and free you from carbohydrate dependency that is endemic to the modern diet. Fasting also stimulates autophagy, the natural cellular detoxification process that promotes longevity and disease protection, and apoptosis, the programmed death of dysfunctional cells that can nip cancer in the bud before it spreads. Athletes who develop excellent metabolic fitness can combine strenuous workouts to accelerate progress and “violently rewire appetite hormones” away from carb dependency. A great way to get started with fasting is to become fat-adapted through primal/paleo/ancestral style eating, then wait until you experience true sensations of hunger before consuming your first calories in the morning. Brad discusses his 140-day experiment with nutritional ketosis and how he landed on a long-term routine of a morning fast until midday as a foundational lifestyle pattern.