COURSE IV: Fasting

In the introduction we first acknowledge the profound elemental nature of what we call nutrition; through death, life is nourished. Something as simple as knowing what as humans we are to eat, has become a fraught arena of conflicting ideologies, investments, biases, misinformation and marketing. In this confusion we review different frameworks for understanding what ‘is’ and reorientate to the ‘scientific method’. The invitation here is to bring awareness and curiosity to each of our biases, keeping heart and mind open to learning. We then shift the the focus is the art of fasting, and its important role in maintaining human health. Fasting shifts the body into nutritional ketosis and engages the clearing and renewal of the proteome through autophagy. We look at the mechanisms of these cellular and physiological processes and contemplate their benefits. Fasting is compared with calorie restriction, and different approaches to abstaining from eating are considered, as well as care that needs to be taken, and contraindications.

The focus of the next lesson is the art of fasting, and its important role in maintaining human health. Fasting shifts the body into nutritional ketosis and engages the clearing and renewal of the proteome through autophagy. We look at the mechanisms of these cellular and physiological processes and contemplate their benefits. Fasting is compared with calorie restriction, and different approaches to abstaining from eating are considered, as well as care that needs to be taken, and contraindications.