One of the benefits of working for yourself is that you can listen to whatever you want when you want. My routine revolves around Chris Evans’ morning radio show, podcasts in the warehouse, and classical music at the desk so as not to get distracted!

As we approach the first anniversary of Ready Sweat Go’s launch, a reoccurring message has emerged from all the podcasts I’ve listened to over the past year. It may not be for everyone, and it might sound extreme or unusual at first, but bear with it, and maybe we can change your mind to a new way of thinking.

Actually, two main themes are jumping out at me, in the health and wellness space. I think the first one will come as less of a shock to you, and that is that we seem to be eating a lot more highly processed foods than we realise.

The second is that we are eating it more often than we should, not always too much food, just too often. That could be the key.

I say not always too much food, just maybe too often, because even when you’re in control of your portion sizes and exercise, you might still not be aware of what you’re eating. Then, one day, you end up in hospital with a heart attack, or two (Myocardial Infarctions, actually) and are found to have blood fat through the roof, like I did, and wonder what's going on?

Listening to all this, it would seem that we could all benefit from watching what we eat, even when we think we’re making good choices and eating less often.

Did you know that in 2016, Japanese Micro-Biologist Yoshinori Ohsumi won the Nobel Prize for Medicine for discovering, essentially, that if you fast for long enough (between 12 and 24 hours), your body will go into a state called ‘Autophagy’? I'll not pretend that I know exactly what it is, but from what I've learned, Autophagy is when your body takes the old and damaged cells, packages them up and recycles them into new ones. Yes, your body can heal itself. Why hasn’t everyone heard about it? Do you still think breakfast is the most important meal of the day? Maybe it’s time to think again.

Again, I must highlight that I am not qualified to discuss this. All information here is given only for informational purposes and is seen through my lens. The truth is, I find this very exciting. I know many people who have given their health over to others in the hope of being cured. Only to find, years down the line, that the symptoms are being treated, not the cause of the problem.

I include myself here, too. However, the tidal wave of information that presents itself, from all the medical people below (yes, I took notes!) makes me think that sometimes prevention is better than cure.

The movement has started, to get us to eat less processed food, and all food less often!

Leading the way is:

Dr Tim Spector: Professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London and the author of Spoon-Fed. He discusses the importance of gut health and microbiome diversity in metabolic health, including how fasting impacts these systems.

Dr Satchin Panda: A professor of circadian biology, Dr. Panda focuses on time-restricted eating and how aligning eating patterns with circadian rhythms can improve metabolic health. His work is closely related to the benefits of fasting.

Dr Rhonda Patrick: A biomedical scientist who often discusses fasting, longevity, and the impact of diet on health on her podcast FoundMyFitness. She dives deep into autophagy, mitochondrial health, and how fasting can impact disease prevention, a subject that’ll come up in the next few weeks.

Dr David Sinclair: Harvard professor Dr Sinclair is one of the leading experts in ageing research and longevity. He’s spoken widely about the benefits of intermittent fasting and caloric restriction, which can extend lifespans and promote cellular health.

Dr Mindy Pelz: A functional health expert specialising in fasting for women, particularly around hormonal cycles. She advocates intermittent fasting and other lifestyle changes to improve metabolic health, longevity, and balance hormones. Dr. Pelz is known for her approachable style and focus on how fasting should differ for men and women.

Dr Thomas Seyfried: A professor of biology at Boston College, Seyfried is renowned for his work on cancer as a metabolic disease. He advocates the use of fasting and ketogenic diets as therapeutic tools for preventing and treating cancer by starving cancer cells of glucose. His research focuses heavily on the metabolic theory of cancer, contrasting with the genetic theory.

Dr Valter Longo: A biogerontologist and one of the leading researchers on longevity. He’s best known for his work on fasting-mimicking diets (FMD) and caloric restriction to promote longevity and reduce age-related diseases. His book The Longevity Diet outlines his research on how specific fasting protocols can extend lifespan and improve health. I’ve read it; it’s very insightful!

Dr Chris Van Tulleken: A British doctor and TV presenter, Van Tulleken focuses on the health risks associated with processed foods and ultra-processed diets. His BBC documentaries, such as What Are We Feeding Our Kids? have brought attention to the impact of poor diet on health. He also discusses the science of fasting and other dietary interventions for better metabolic health. His books are more about diet than fasting, but his book Ultra Processed People is hugely informative.

Dr Alan Goldhammer: A chiropractor and co-founder of the TrueNorth Health Center, Goldhammer advocates water-only fasting and plant-based diets for treating chronic illnesses. His work focuses on using medically supervised fasting for therapeutic purposes, especially concerning reducing inflammation and improving metabolic health. He’s a strong advocate for natural healing approaches through fasting. I feel Dr Goldhammer is at the extreme end of fasting, not intermittent, but some of his results at his clinic are astonishing.

Dr Peter Attia: A physician focusing on longevity, metabolic health, and nutrition. He’s a proponent of fasting and the ketogenic diet. His podcast, The Drive, often goes in-depth with discussions on metabolic health.

Dr Jason Fung: A nephrologist and author of books like The Obesity Code and The Complete Guide to Fasting, Dr Fung is well-known for his work on fasting, particularly in treating type 2 diabetes and obesity through intermittent fasting.

Hopefully that will give you enough references should you want to delve a bit deeper.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll create as many insightful articles as possible on intermittent fasting.

And if you have gotten this far, thanks for reading.

Tony