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Grain-Free Zucchini Muffins

Zucchini Muffins

  • 2 cups blanched almond flour
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup grapeseed oil
  • 1/4 cup xylitol
  • 1 tsp. stevia
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup grated zucchini
  • 1/2 cup pecans coarsely chopped
  • 1/4 cup of dried currants
  1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
  2. Grease 1 muffin pan with grapeseed oil and dust with almond flour.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, stevia and xylitol.
  4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the grapeseed oil and eggs.
  5. Blend the almond mixture into the wet ingredients until thoroughly combined, then fold the zucchini, pecans and currants (or pumpkin pie spice).
  6. Bake for 50-60 minutes on the bottom rack of the oven.
  7. Let bread cool for 1 hour then serve.

Grain-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Grain-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • 2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 10 tablespoons melted raw butter
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup xylitol
  • 1 teaspoon stevia
  • 3 tablespoons of coconut flour
  • 1 tablespoon of grapeseed oil
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

  1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl
  2. Slowly melt butter with stevia and xylitol
  3. Stir together wet ingredients in a smaller bowl
  4. Mix wet ingredients into dry
  5. Form 1” balls and press onto a parchment lined baking sheet
  6. Bake for 7-10 minutes
  7. Let cookies cool for 1 hour then serve.

Faith’s Favorite Kombucha

Faith's Favorite Kombucha

  • 3 organic black tea bags
  • 3 organic green tea bags
  • 2 cups of raw, organic cane sugar
  • 2 galled of filtered or Reverse Osmosis water
  • SCOBY starter
  1. Place all ingredients in a stainless stell or clear glass pot.
  2. Bring to a roaring boil on the stove.
  3. Once noiling, turn off the burner, cover and let stand for 15 minutes (for stronger tea flavor, let steep together)
  4. In a seperate 2 gallon glass container put 2 cups sugar
  5. Stir with a wooden spoon (NO metal or plastic)
  6. Let mixture stand until it reaches room temperature
  7. Once at room temperature, add SCOBY starter.
  8. Cover container with a piece of 100% organic cotton and secure
  9. Let mixture ferment for 7 to 10 days; the longer it ferments, the less sweet the kombucha.

For more information on this recipe and more, click here.

Kombucha Chia Jigglers

Kombucha Jello

  • 16 oz. of kombucha
  • 3-4 tablespoons chia seeds
  • 3 tablespoons grass-fed gelatin
  • Coconut oil
  1. In a stainless steel pan, pour 8 oz. of kombucha. Set remaining 8 oz. aside.
  2. Whisk in gelatin and stir until dissolved. Add chia seeds.
  3. Heat mixture on low setting to preserve beneficial bacteria in kombucha.
  4. Remove from heat.
  5. Pour mixture into bowl and incorporate remaining kombucha.
  6. Pour into coconut oil-greased pan or molds and refrigerate at least 2 hours or until set.
  7. Enjoy!

Can I Drink Coffee While Fasting?

Can I Drink Coffee While Fasting?

When it comes to taking care of our bodies and maintaining good health, one of the best things we can do is intermittent fast, but can drinking coffee while fasting go hand in hand? 

It sounds complicated, but intermittent fasting is actually a very simple concept. The idea is to do a short daily fast, only eating during certain hours of the day. For example, food for that day is consumed between the hours of 2 and 8 pm. As you grow accustomed to intermittent fasting, you can push that window of time to be even more compressed. Some prefer to eat earlier in the day instead of the evening hours, i.e. 9 am to 3 pm, and that works too. The key is consistency and finding what works for your schedule and lifestyle. Fasting is a simple concept, but a question I get often is about coffee while fasting: “Can I have coffee while fasting?” The short answer is “maybe.”  Pure water, organic coffee, tea, and other non-sugary drinks are perfectly acceptable. However, today let’s focus on coffee.

Some people are not willing to give up that morning cup of coffee. I can appreciate this! See if it works for you. For some people, caffeine increases cortisol, which in turn affects glucose. For others, they are not affected. Have your coffee ½ hour after testing your first glucose in the morning. Then test it again after your coffee. If your glucose goes up? Sorry to say this, but consuming coffee while fasting is not a good combination for you. If your glucose remains the same or goes down? You get the green light for coffee! This goes for tea as well. What about cream in your coffee? Test this as well. Sometimes black coffee on a fast is best for people, some people test better with cream in their coffee. Test your glucose 30 min after your cup of coffee, and see.

What are the Health Benefits of Drinking Coffee While Fasting?

cup of coffee with smile

Coffee is a controversial subject. Some tout the health benefits while others are not a fan of daily consumption. I am convinced that coffee qualifies as a health food. There have been over 19,000 studies on coffee, evidencing that it is in a class by itself when it comes to health and wellness.

Here are some of the stats on health benefits of 3-5 cups of coffee per day, courtesy of Purity Coffee:

  • 40% reduced risk of liver disease
  • 30% reduced risk of congestive heart failure
  • 24-40% reduced risk of Type 2 Diabetes
  • 30% reduced risk of Parkinson’s Disease
  • 22-25% reduced risk of stroke
  • 15% reduced risk of prostate cancer
  • 65% reduced risk of Alzheimer’s Disease

One studies found that coffee improves focus and another study found that high decaffeinated coffee consumption was found to be associated with a lower risk of death.1

The health benefits don’t stop there.

Drinking coffee while fasting could positively affects mental and physical performance. Many people are hesitant to exercise while fasting, but coffee on a fast may be helpful here as well. Zach Bitter, an ultramarathon runner, and coach at Zach Bitter Running is a fat adapted athlete who has competed in over 40 ultramarathon competitions. One of his notable accomplishments includes running 100 miles in an American record of 11 hours, 40 minutes and 55 seconds.

During a recent interview with me, Zach admitted he doesn’t like to eat when training. He prefers to work out in the morning, and instead of eating, will have coffee on a fast with coconut or almond milk, and a bit of raw honey. He goes on to say:

“Then I’ll go out, and I’ll train hard for a couple hours, sometimes over three hours. At that point, if I slept eight, nine, ten hours the night before and ate dinner at a normal time, by the time I could get back, I’ve metabolized enough calories to almost put together a fast of over 24 hours. I think just by that lifestyle, you get really fat adapted.”

Not All Coffee is Created Equal

As we can see, coffee on a fast has many amazing benefits, but, there’s one small problem: not all coffee is created equal. Many brands are actually toxic.

Many mass produced and imported coffees (even fancy brands) contain mycotoxins, which have a negative impact on our health. These toxins are created through the way the coffee is roasted and produced (we have very low standards for accepting coffee into the US).

A shocking 95% of these mass produced coffees are heavily treated with pesticides. Over-roasting or under-roasting coffee also produces negative compounds that impact our healing while drinking coffee while fasting. Finally, if you are consuming coffee that is more than 15 days old, the lipids in the coffee can begin to turn rancid, which can contribute to inflammation in the body.

There are several toxins that are found in mass-produced coffee that everyone should be aware of:

Ochratoxin A. Ochratoxin A3 is a naturally occurring foodborne mycotoxin. OTA has been shown to be toxic and carcinogenic in animals.

Acrylamide. Acrylamide is a naturally occurring chemical, found in coffee, which has been shown to cause several types of cancers in animals. Acrylamide occurs based on poor roasting practices.

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAH’s are found during roasting and brewing, typically when high temperature roasting for darker roasts. PAH’s are suspected to be carcinogenic and mutagenic.

Pesticides. Pesticides (also known carcinogens) may be present in many coffee brands.

Our best efforts to be health conscious can be derailed by consuming the wrong foods. That also applies to drinking coffee. While it has many benefits, the key is to only consume the organic varieties.

We must remember that not all coffees are not created equal. It is all in the proper processing, sourcing, and production of the roasted coffee beans. Of course, certain folks are caffeine/coffee sensitive, and if that’s you, please listen to your body. Also, it’s not generally recommended for pregnant women to consume coffee.

Coffee While Fasting: Sweeteners

Personally, I will use pure a little Stevia extract. However, I also enjoy drinking coffee without anything sweet in it. When I taste a black coffee, I taste a lot of the coffee. When I put the real raw cream in it, it brings on a whole other characteristic of it, and I love it that way as well. However, I am one of those people who can drink coffee while fasting, as it doesn't impact my glucose. Other great sweeteners are butter, MCT oil or coconut oil. Again, if drinking coffee while fasting, you want to test your glucose before and after having any cream, MCT oil, coconut, or natural sweeteners to see how your glucose levels respond. Keep in mind we all respond differently. 

As responsible adults, it is up to us to figure out whether we can benefit from clean, health-conscious coffee consumption while fasting. We must also know our limits, and not to overdo it. Listen to your body. If you’re getting that jittery feeling, you’ve probably overdone it. If your glucose is rising, coffee is affecting your ability to reach ketosis. 

Intermittent fasting is not starvation, nor deprivation.

You’re not eating less, you’re eating less often.

When you do eat, you eat delicious, healthy foods until you feel satisfied. You won’t have to fear healthy fats, grass-fed meats, organic vegetables, or strategic amounts of healthy carbs. You hold off eating to allow your body to burn its own fat, and then eat until you are full.  See how your body responds to coffee while fasting, and test your glucose before and after. If your body responds positively, enjoy that cup of coffee!

 

Reference:

  1. Coffee consumption and total mortality: a meta-analysis of twenty prospective cohort studies. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24279995

Don’t Eat Less, Eat Less Often and Live Longer

When it comes to combating the obesity epidemic, the entire premise of treatment is incorrect. Modern medicine attempts to cure various ailments of today using an outdated approach:

In the 19th and 20th centuries, infectious diseases like cholera, smallpox and yellow fever were the major threats to people’s health. In order to combat these illnesses, antibiotics and penicillin were administered to needy patients. This was the beginning of the “one disease, one drug” treatment philosophy.

While giving someone a drug to cure them may have worked in the past, it is not as effective when dealing with diseases like obesity, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and others in the 21st century. These are dietary diseases, and the best form of treatment is getting to the root of the problem (R1). In other words, instead of looking for the latest drug, the best form of treatment is to fix cellular dysfunction and incorporate ancient healing strategies such as fasting.

The Real Cause of Obesity

According to the CDC, more than 34% or 78 million of U.S. adults are obese, with obesity being a major factor in diseases various diseases, including heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes and some cancers.1 Worldwide, obesity rates have increased as well: A study led by Professor Emmanuela Gakidou of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington found that obesity among adults increased 27.5% while obesity rates for children and adolescents increased by 47.1%2

In today’s society, consuming too many calories is believed to be the cause of obesity. People are advised to eat a low fat, low calorie diet and replace healthy fats with man-made fats and artificial sweeteners to maintain a healthy weight. Ironically, counting calories and eating a low fat diet was unheard of 200 years ago, and obesity was practically nonexistent as well.

While many believe the inability to lose weight or sudden weight gain is due to an excessive amount of calories, that’s just a symptom of the problem. In order to fully understand weight gain, it’s important to get to the root causes:

Insulin. Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that allows the body to use sugar from the carbs in food for energy. It is also thought to be the major driver of obesity. If a person is insulin resistant, the cells in the body are resistant to insulin and are unable to use it effectively, which can lead to high blood sugar. The pancreas will then increase the production of insulin, which can lead to Type 2 diabetes.

When people are prescribed insulin, they may gain anywhere from ten to thirty pounds as an unwanted side effect. Doctors advise patients to lose weight to get their diabetes under control, but the insulin makes them gain weight. As a person continues to take insulin, their body begins to resist it even more, which in turn means they will have to take more and more over time. Similar reactions occur when a person takes alcohol, nicotine, marijuana, pain pills and other medications: if a person takes these drugs on a regular basis, they will have to gradually increase the dosage to get the same effect as when they first started taking the drug.

Their body is building a resistance or tolerance to the drug the same way a person will increase their resistance to insulin. The pancreas will produce less and less insulin, prompting a person to increase the amount of insulin they have to take, causing them to gain even more weight.

The current treatment of Type 2 diabetes focuses on lowering blood sugar by administering insulin, which just treats the symptom. In actuality, Type 2 diabetes is a disease of insulin resistance. Instead of making things better, this method of treatment causes the disease to get worse.

Calorie restriction. In today’s society, the widespread belief is calories cause weight gain, and if a person limits their calories, weight loss will occur. While a person may lose weight initially, it is estimated these diets have a nearly 98% failure rate. When a person attempts to cut calories, the following pattern tends to emerge:

  • Individual loses 10 pounds. While they are happy with their results, they don’t realize this is mostly water weight and small amounts of fat or muscle.
  • Hormonal metabolism starts to decrease. As a person cuts calories, their metabolism starts to decrease, matching their caloric intake. For example, if a person started out eating 2000 calories per day and reduced it to 1500, the body would simply reduce its caloric expenditure to 1500 calories.
  • Weight loss begins to plateau at 6 months. According to Dr. Jason Fung in CHTV Episode 112, author of The Obesity Code, studies have repeatedly shown that weight loss begins to plateau approximately 6 months from the start of a diet.
  • Weight gain resumes. Once the weight loss has reached a plateau, most people begin to gain weight.
  • Individual attempts to cut calories further. Once weight gain is noticed, many people will double their efforts by cutting even more calories. This will result in a few additional pounds being shed.
  • Weight loss reaches another plateau 2 to 3 months later. The weight loss is short-lived as the body adjusts again and weight gain resumes.
  • Individual feels frustrated and resumes pre-diet eating habits. As the body reaches another plateau, a person may become demoralized and feel the reason they can’t keep the weight off is because they aren’t trying hard enough. As a result, they get frustrated and give up.
  • Weight is slowly regained. Once they resume their old eating habits, the weight they lost comes back, oftentimes with additional weight gained.

Countless studies indicate these types of diets tend to fail over time:

  • A study in the New England Journal of Medicine studied 811 overweight adults, placing them into four groups, each following various calorie restricted diets. The calorie restriction diets worked initially, but by the second year, the majority of participants were eating more calories than the plan allowed. By the third year, the majority of participants in each group regained all the weight they originally lost.3
  • UCLA researchers conclude that a person may lose 5 to 10 percent of weight via calorie restricted diets, but the majority of the weight comes back. According to Traci Mann, UCLA Associate professor of psychology: “We found that the majority of people regained all the weight, plus more. Sustained weight loss was found only in a small minority of participants, while complete weight regain was found in the majority. Diets do not lead to sustained weight loss or health benefits for the majority of people.”4
  • Leptin: the hunger hormone. Another cause of obesity is leptin, the hunger hormone. Leptin is produced by fat cells and released into the bloodstream as you eat. When working properly, leptin tells the brain you’re full and to stop eating, but overweight people can produce too much leptin. As a result, the brain is tricked into thinking it is still hungry even after eating meals.

Weight loss resistance is not a calorie problem as we’ve been led to believe. Once a person understands that the issues described above are hormonal, they can begin to look for ways to decrease the resistance to insulin, NOT cut calories. And one of the most effective ways to lower insulin is by fasting.

The History of Fasting

Fasting has been used since ancient times for a variety of reasons, ranging from improved physical health, mourning, spiritual vision, to prevent or break the habits of gluttony, and purification of the body and mind. In other instances, fasting was simply a way of life. Previous generations did not have access to food as easily as current generations and often didn’t have the option of eating. Food was gathered by hunting, and that meant possibly eating just once or twice per day.

While modern medicine hasn’t embraced fasting as a viable health option (yet), the practice has been around since the beginning of time. Fasting is known to rejuvenate and revitalize the body. Even animals will fast when they are stressed, ill or feel unease. The refusal to eat is a form of self-preservation to remove waste products and promote healing of the body.

Hippocrates, Plato, Socrates, Galen and Aristotle all praised the benefits of fasting. Paracelsus, one of the original fathers of Western medicine once said “fasting is the greatest remedy–the physician within.”5 The ancient Egyptians also understood how excessive eating causes disease. An Egyptian pyramid has the inscription “humans live on one quarter of what they eat; on the other three-quarters lives their doctor.”6

The following religious and spiritual groups use fasting as part of their practices:

Buddhism. In Buddhism, fasting is considered essential for discipline and self-control.5

Christianity. Both old and new testaments in the Bible mention fasting, and notes it’s not “if” we fast, but “when” we fast:

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Matthew 6:16-18

Hinduism. Ancient Hinduism tradition calls for fasting once a week, consuming only water until the afternoon.7

Islam. Islam calls for fasting during the entire month of Ramadan before the break of dawn until sunset.8

Judaism. Yom Kipper and Tisha B’Av are two major fasts of Judaism. Fasting is designed to help reflect on human frailty.

Native American Indians. Fasting was described by a Cherokee priest as “a means to spiritualize the human nature and quicken the spiritual vision by abstinence from earthly food.9

Health Benefits of Fasting

Today, the philosophy on eating is the polar opposite of the ancient practice of fasting: We have gone from an average of eating three meals a (day, breakfast, lunch and dinner) to eating five to six meals a day: breakfast, a snack, lunch, snack, dinner, and another snack. A recent study showed more than half of the adults eat for 15 hours or longer every day!1

The basic food pyramid suggests eating bread, refined grains such as pasta and a minimal amount of fat. For some, “snacks” may consist of cookies, donuts and other sugary, processed foods. This type of eating clearly increases risk of developing insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes.

Fasting will help eliminate these problems and has many other health benefits as well:

Decreased risk of diabetes. Many studies show fasting helps reduce Type 2 diabetes.

  • In 2014, Medical News Today reported a study that suggests fasting on water one day a week reduced the risk of diabetes among people high at risk.10
  • A scientific review in the British Journal of Diabetes and vascular Disease suggests fasting diets may help those with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and weight loss. The study concludes that fasting bodies change how it selects which fuel to burn, which leads to an improved metabolism and reduced oxidative stress.11

Decreased inflammation. Chronic inflammation (R4) can be the result of poor lifestyle choices. Too much sugar, processed food and gut issues can cause chronic inflammation. Studies show intermittent fasting helps alleviate these symptoms:

  • Researchers at the Yale School of Medicine describe how the body produces the compound β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) when fasting, doing high intensity exercise (burst training) or on a low carbohydrate, ketogenic diet. BHB inhibits the production of of NLRP3, a set of proteins called inflammasome. Inflammasome is the catalyst for many auto inflammatory disorders and diseases such as Alzheimer’s, atherosclerosis, and Type 2 diabetes. 12
  • Two separate studies on Ramadan fasting found that individuals who fasted had noticeable reductions in the inflammation markers interleukin-6, C-reactive protein and homocysteine.13

Fasting and aging. Vegetable oils, margarine, white bread and processed foods can cause premature aging. Many studies support claims that fasting can help slow aging:

  • A study conducted by Dr. Valter Longo at the University of California conducted fasting tests on mice and discovered that they had less fat around their organs, greater bone density at old age, and increased nerve cell development compared to non-fasting mice.14
  • Fasting increases the effect of autophagy, which allows cells to remove waste products and old cell components from the body. Eating glucose and insulin can decrease the effectiveness of autophagy.

Fasting and human growth hormone (HGH). HGH is a hormone that’s produced by the anterior pituitary gland that promotes growth in humans.

  • A study at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute found that men who fasted 24 hours had a 2000% increase in circulating HGH and women had a 1300% increase.15

Improved cardiovascular health. Studies indicate intermittent fasting can lead to decreased cholesterol levels:

  • Intermountain Medical Center Heart studies on intermittent fasting found that fasting individuals significantly reduced their triglycerides, boosted their LDL cholesterol and stabilized blood sugar.15

Fasting energy sources. Unlike chronic calorie reduction where a person’s metabolism slows down, a person becomes more energetic because the body switches its energy source from using glucose, which is stored in the liver to using the body’s own fat for fuel. The result is MORE energy, a revved up metabolism, and a higher resting metabolic rate. By using fat for energy, the muscles are preserved, and weight loss begins.

Fasting Tips

Fasting may be challenging in the beginning, especially if a person is used to eating many times per day. Here are some tips to make the transition to fasting as part of your lifestyle easier:

  • Be prepared for food withdrawals. Many processed foods and drinks are addictive so a person may experience withdrawal symptoms as they eliminate them from their diet. Instead of giving up, keep going! A person would not give up if they fell off a bike the first few times, or couldn’t play the piano after one or two lessons. The same rationale applies to fasting. In time cravings and withdrawals will subside.
  • Drink pure water. Water flushes out toxins and keeps a person energized and well hydrated. (dehydration can cause a person to feel tired and hungry.) Aim for eight-8 ounce glasses of water daily, but listen to your thirst too.
  • Don’t overexert. While fasting, keep strenuous exercise to a minimum. Removing toxins, and repairing damaged cells is a workout for your body. Getting plenty of rest is critical as the body restores.
  • Be prepared for potential side effects. When the body releases toxins, a person may experience the following symptoms:
    • Fatigue
    • Nausea
    • Vomiting
    • Diarrhea
    • Headaches
    • Lack of focus
    • Bad breath
    • Lethargy
    • Joint pain
    • Minor depression
    • These side effects are common as the body eliminates various toxins. Drinking water helps to alleviate some side effects and remove toxins faster.
  • Be prepared. Being mentally and physically prepared is essential. Remind yourself why you’re fasting, and make sure you have the supplies you need readily available for the fast. For example, if doing a bone broth fast, ensure you have all the ingredients needed and have the broth ready to go before you begin.
  • Try intermittent fasting (IF). Intermittent fasting is simply skipping meals or eating fewer calories for an average of fourteen to thirty hours at a time. A sample intermittent fast would be the following:
    • Eating dinner a few hours before bedtime (6-8PM)
    • Sleeping 7-9 hours
    • Skipping breakfast and drinking water (or organic coffee/tea with health fat like MCT oil)
    • Eating a late lunch (2-3PM)
    • In this example, a person can easily go 14-18 hours without eating. If waiting until dinner, one may go 24 hours between meals. Some people prefer to intermittent fast daily, myself included.
  • Plan meals wisely. Unlike calorie restriction diets, fasting allows a person to eat until full. This conditions the body to know food is coming soon and to not go into starvation mode. The key is to enjoy healthy, nutritious meals when food is eventually eaten. Avoiding sugar, processed and fast foods is essential to reaping the benefits of a fast.
  • Focus on the long term. It may take time to reap the benefits of fasting. Make fasting a part of your life, not a one-time event. Illness and weight gain doesn’t happen overnight, and that same rationale applies to reaping the benefits of fasting. Patience and dedication is key.
  • Break the fast carefully. When coming off a fast, slowly incorporate cellular healing foods back into the diet one at a time, like bone broth, poached eggs, and blended soups and smoothies. The body (especially the digestive tract) is extra sensitive after a fast, which makes it an ideal time to determine which foods a person may be allergic to. Depending on the length of the fast, it may take several days for the body to adjust.

As a person gets accustomed to fasting, the body gest more and more efficient with every subsequent fast. Fasting on a consistent basis can help restore many of the ailments in today’s society. Cells become more efficient at utilizing fat, which burns cleaner than glucose. Brain fog dissipates, weight loss is easier, and most hormonal problems such as those dealing with the thyroid and diabetes may be eliminated.

Conventional medicine has many benefits for acute health care, but fasting may offer one of the answers to many of today’s chronic inflammatory health problems.

  1. “Adult Obesity Facts.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html.
  2. Ng, Marie et al. “Global, regional, and national prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adults during 1980–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013.” The Lancet 384, no. 9945 (2014): 766 – 781. http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(14)60460-8/fulltext.
  3. Mozaffarian, Dariush, Tao Hao, Eric B. Rimm, Walter C. Willett, and Frank B. Hu. “Changes in Diet and Lifestyle and Long-Term Weight Gain in Women and Men.” New England Journal of Medicine 364, no. 25 (June 23, 2011): 2392-404. doi:10.1056/nejmoa1014296. http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1014296?query=TOC#t=articleTop.
  4. Mann, Traci, A. Janet Tomiyama, Erika Westling, Ann-Marie Lew, Barbra Samuels, and Jason Chatman. “Medicare's Search for Effective Obesity Treatments: Diets Are Not the Answer.” American Psychologist 62, no. 3 (April 2007): 220-33. doi:10.1037/0003-066x.62.3.220. http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/amp/62/3/220/.
  5. “History of Fasting.” All About Fasting: For Health and Healing. http://www.allaboutfasting.com/history-of-fasting.html.
  6. “Fasting for Health.” http://www.geocities.co.jp/Beautycare-Venus/2032/english/paper.html.
  7. “Fasting in Hinduism.” Hinduism Facts | Facts about Hindu Religion. http://hinduismfacts.org/fasting-in-hinduism/.
  8. El-Ashi, Arafat. “Fasting in Islam.” Islamic Society of Rutgers University. http://www.eden.rutgers.edu/~muslims/fasting.htm.
  9. “Native American Fasting.” Access Geneaology: A Free Genealogy Resource. https://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/native-american-fasting.htm.
  10. Whiteman, Honor. “Fasting: Health Benefits and Risks.” Medical News Today: Health News. July, 2015. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/295914.php
  11. Brown, J. E., M. Mosley, and S. Aldred. “Intermittent Fasting: A Dietary Intervention for Prevention of Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease?” The British Journal of Diabetes & Vascular Disease 13, no. 2 (March 1, 2013): 68–72. doi:10.1177/1474651413486496. http://dvd.sagepub.com/content/13/2/68.full.pdf+html.
  12. Youm, Yun-Hee, Kim Y Nguyen, Ryan W Grant, Emily L Goldberg, Monica Bodogai, Dongin Kim, Dominic D’Agostino, et al. “The Ketone Metabolite β-Hydroxybutyrate Blocks NLRP3 Inflammasome–mediated Inflammatory Disease.” Nature Medicine 21, no. 3 (February 16, 2015): 263–69. doi:10.1038/nm.3804.
  13. Aksungar, Fehime B., Aynur E. Topkaya, and Mahmut Akyildiz. “Interleukin-6, C-Reactive Protein and Biochemical Parameters During Prolonged Intermittent Fasting.” Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism 51, no. 1 (March 19, 2007): 88–95. doi:10.1159/000100954. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17374948.
  14. Brandhorst, Sebastian, In Young Choi, Min Wei, Chia Wei Cheng, Sargis Sedrakyan, Gerardo Navarrete, Louis Dubeau, et al. “A Periodic Diet That Mimics Fasting Promotes Multi-System Regeneration, Enhanced Cognitive Performance, and Healthspan.” Cell Metabolism: Clinical and Translational Report 22, no. 1 (July 2015): 86–99. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2015.05.012. http://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/pdfExtended/S1550-4131(15)00224-7
  15. Intermountain Medical Center. “Routine periodic fasting is good for your health, and your heart, study suggests.” ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110403090259.htm.