Autophagy is a process where your body hunts down the old and malfunctioned components and replaces them with the newly built and robust. But ironically, this process is not stimulated by eating more of certain superfoods, but the contrary. It is when you are deprived of foods (fasting) that autophagy is significantly triggered and boosted.
Fasting is truly a unique “diet” in such regard – it is not about what to eat, but about what not to eat (or not to eat as a whole). Most diets focus on a shift from a subset of foods to another subset, say less sugars, less bad fats or more vegetables. But as long as you are not (sharply) reducing your intake, research has shown it is unlikely autophagy can be boosted in your body.
Viewed another way, autophagy essentially is a self-repairing mechanism and a privilege we human have always had, from the moment we were born till this very day. We have always been taught to be healthy the path to go is being picky about what to eat more. But we never knew inside every one of us there is already a path built in and by eating less we will be healthy.
Considering we now live in a world of abundance, fasting is truly a best-kept secret.
