Mens Health Australia May 2017

BROWN BREAD

20G

PRAWNS

48G

TUNA

32G

PASTA

14G

BROWN RICE

RED CHILLI

125G

19G

SLICE

PIZZA

1/6

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

T H E R E ’ S SO M U C H M O R E TO F O O D T H A N K I LO J O U LES , B U T I F YO U A R E

P L A N N I N G A FAS T, YO U N E E D TO K N OW W H AT A K I LO J O U LE LO O KS L I K E.

E AC H O F T H ES E S TAC KS R E P R ES E N TS 20 0 K J. A I M F O R A TOTA L O F 25 0 0

• 3 3 5 0 A DAY, P I L I N G F O O D O N TO YO U R P L AT E AC C O R D I N G LY

A DEXA scan is a device that
measures muscle, fat and bone
weight. It shows I’ve lost half a
kilo of fat, which I’m told is the
upper limit for just five days and
an extreme result. It brings me
to 10.3 per cent body fat. Who
wouldn’t be happy with that?
But to my horror I’ve lost 2 kg of
hard-won muscle. I’m told this
was due to the high state of stress
my body was in due to the fast.
But of most interest is what
happened on a cellular level in
my blood. Each one of the vials
was sent to a special lab in the
US by refrigerated courier. What
they found was nothing short
of astonishing.
A high white blood cell count
is a sign of trouble in the human
body. The lab found mine had
decreased by 20 per cent, a clear
indication that huge amounts of
slow moving and damaged cells
were cannibalised by my starving
body as it cut down to stay alive.
IGF-1, a hormone linked to
prostate and colon cancer went
from a high 28-point reading, to
a healthy 22. My cholesterol level
was also reduced by 10 per cent.
Then the big one. Stem cells. The
origin of every human cell and
the elixir that desperate people
seek in the backyard clinics of
third world countries. My stem
cells had increased by a massive
60 per cent, meaning I was
growing again. Brand new human
cells replacing the ones I had lost.
I am practically superhuman.
Okay, I added the last part, but
the news is definitely super.
As the months go by, I
realise I no longer need allergy
medication. And I’m now in
control of my hunger. Previously
my life revolved around where
my next meal was coming from.
Now, I’ve dropped a daily meal
but with healthy snacks at the
ready I’m okay with feeling a
little hungry. When I start to feel
that panic, I know it’s a mental
battle I’m equipped to win.
Longo believes fasting could
not only help prevent a host of
diseases, but also be the secret
to longevity. How ironic that
to advance as a species we may
need to go backwards? To forget
our technology and creature
comforts and regulate the one
thing we can truly control: what
we put in our mouths.

92 MAY 2017

BOCOLI

146 G TOMM ESESESES

AM DS

9 G

NNA

14G (^1) BUGU WHEAT
SS
13 G
GARLIC
34 G
LENTILS
14 G
CH EDS
275 G
UUTERTERTERERER
7 G HH ARARARAR
13 G
DARKKCHOCOLATE
8 G
62 G
GOAT’SCHEEHEE
19G
9G
BULGURWHEAT
9G
B
13 g
OLIVEOIL
6ML6ML
ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: HEARST STUDIOS | FOOD STYLIST: TAMARA VOS