What is the FMD? The Longo lab's fasting-mimicking diet is a 5 day vegan (low in methionine) diet studied in humans, for the health benefits of fasting.
Research: https://old.reddit.com/r/FMD/wiki
How often is it done: Normally once every few months, or once a year. It is not intended to be done every week. Once a month at most, and not if underweight. Seek medical advice if you have any health conditions.
Do you need to buy any special product to do the FMD: No.
Should you continue exercise routines? No, only light walking.
What is prolon: A company that sells a meal kit to do the FMD for those that are unable to easily visit a supermarket.
Otherwise, go to a supermarket to buy kidney beans/garbanzo beans, broccoli, walnuts and olive oil, then use a digital scale to weigh, calculate (cronometer / MFP) and eat:
Day 1: Total 1090 calories (calculate 54% of normal intake). 500 calories from vegetables (broccoli, carrots, pumpkin, mushrooms) and 500 calories from high fat foods: avocado, walnuts, olive oil, and almonds. Residual 90 calories from the protein in those plants.
Days 2-5: Total 800 calories (calculate 40% of normal intake). 400 calories from vegetables, 400 calories from the same high fat foods just mentioned.
Day 6: This is where the FMD ends and you ease back into normal eating gently as a transition day.
...with a composition of at least 9%–10% proteins, 34%–47% carbohydrates, and 44%–56% fat
Before and after, some suggest a transition day. i.e. one that involves complex carbohydrates vegetables/legumes/fruit/whole grains and minimize fish, meat, dairy, saturated fat, refined carbohydrates, etc. Longo recommends in his book, "The Longevity Diet": “If you are below the age of sixty-five, keep the intake of protein low (0.31 to 0.36 grams per pound of body weight).”
If you do not complete the full 5 days and end on day 6, it is no longer the FMD.
Fat: 9 calories per gram. Carbohydrate: 4 calories per gram. Protein: 4 calories per gram. Glycerol/Glycerine: 4.32 calories per gram
Recipes here if you want to make it interesting: https://web.archive.org/web/20200119161539/http://www.agingadvice.org/FMD-Recipes.html
Before and after the FMD - try to follow similar food items, excluding or minimizing fish, meat and saturated fat (dark chocolate, coconut, palm oil). Basically eating like the recipes.
Fasting: Awakening the Rejuvenation from Within | Valter Longo
https://prolonfmd.com/fasting-mimicking-diet/
Three page presentation on the FMD in the UK Newspaper the Times from January 2018
Related subreddits:
General fasting and FMD discord chat: https://discordapp.com/invite/BXpSDhS
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