Ben Greenfield’s Fasting Protocol – 2 minute read

Welcome back to the What Supp Blog and the ‘what the experts say’ series. Today’s short read will be curtesy of fitness trainer and bio hacker supreme, Mr Ben Greenfield. This plan was discussed particularly with longevity in mind, trying to strike a balance with regular heavy training and the nutritional strategies that requires.

I’ve done a few tips from Ben, particularly how to cook the perfect steak, so have a look! (http://whatsuppblogblog.com/2018/11/24/ben-greenfields-recipe-for-cooking-the-perfect-steak/).

Right, so Ben is a serious proponent of intermittent fasting which has been seen to have a number of healthy effects on longevity. Here are the standout points from his weekly eating plan:

– A daily 12 to 16 hour fast. So this would include an overnight fast and could likely look something like stopping eating or drinking anything other than water after 8pm then breaking the fast anywhere between 8am and 12pm the following day.

– One 24 hour fast a week. He stated this will typically be Saturday after dinner in the evening to Sunday dinner time.

– Meatless Monday. So this is a pretty self explanatory one. Ben has discussed the reduction of protein reducing oxidative damage thus improving longer term cellar health. He also has spoken about reducing protein on low training volume days to 0.5 grams per pound of body weight (around 1.1 grams per kg of bw) as well as cutting it out one day a week.

Ben has also previously advised, in regards to protein intake, 0.7/0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight (or around 1.4/1.7 g/kg of bw) for active people when training hard. Highlighting research saying that there’s not much effect from having over this.

on a more general note, from what I’ve heard and read from bed he essentially follows a “paleo” type diet with focus on whole foods, grass fed/wild caught fish & meats, offfal, fermented foods and plenty of veg, particularly cruciferous vegetables. He doesn’t exclude carbs and even enjoys homemade sourdough bread!

Ok, hope this helps! Please like, share and leave a comment.