It’s not always about eating. Sometimes it’s about not eating.
What is this big word, autophagy?

Autophagy and fasting are other components of detoxification. I recently read Siim Land’s book Metabolic Autophagy. Autophagy is the time to repair, regenerate and recycle the remnants of internal bodily operations that are byproducts of daily operation. Fasting is part of autophagy. The Guide to Fasting by Jason Fung MD and Jimmy Moore is an excellent primer on fasting and can get you started.

The dietary advice to have 5-6 small meals a day (not)
The encouragement of eating ‘small meals’ like 5-6 feedings during waking hours has reduced the body’s ability to detoxify. One has to stop eating long enough to allow the eliminatory, recycling, and restoring cycles of detoxification to occur. We call this autophagy. The 5-6 daily feedings is a cover up for hypoglycemia and unhealthy fluctuating levels of insulin and glucose that processed foods create.

Autophagy is an evolutionary self-preservation mechanism through which the body can remove the dysfunctional cells and recycle parts of them toward cellular repair and cleaning, according to board-certified cardiologist, Dr. Luiza Petre. https://luizapetremd.com/ The purpose of autophagy is to remove debris and self-regulate back to optimal smooth function.
Autophagy is the body’s natural way of cleaning out damaged cells, in order to regenerate newer, healthier cells. “It is recycling and cleaning at the same time, just like hitting a reset button to your body. Plus, it promotes survival and adaptation as a response to various stressors and toxins accumulated in our cells,” she adds.

What triggers autophagy?

• intermittent fasting and ketogenic diets
• fasting is most effective way to trigger autophagy (Petre)
• low insulin and high glucagon level
• low glucose wakes up survival repairing mode
• exercise. According to one animal study physical exercise may induce autophagy in organs that are part of metabolic regulation, processes that can include muscle, liver, pancreas, and adipose tissue. Latest research indicates that exercise accelerates the number and health of the mitochondria within our cells. Mitochondria are the organelles that convert our food to energy and successful metabolic processes

Autophagy relates to circadian rhythm. We have natural rhythms in nature: light and dark, rest and movement, nutrition and fasting. Part of successful autophagy implies that one is following natural laws of fasting and resting and sunlight daily in accordance with circadian pattern. Detox allows us to live more in natural circadian cycles, removing interferences as we restore and rebuild ourselves. We become part of the cycles of nature.
Detox means that we have internal and natural methods of cleansing and rebuilding ourselves endogenously, within ourselves.

Detox means that we can enhance our detox through utilizing exogenous or external methods, such as colon hydrotherapy, herbs, supplements, castor oil packs, fasting, and movement. Fasting is our natural state. In following natural principles we move toward being more natural. We are not eating all the time!

Benefits of autophagy at cellular level

• removing toxic proteins from the cells that are attributed to neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease
• recycling residual proteins
• providing energy and building blocks for cells that could still benefit from repair
• prompts regeneration and healthy cells

Intermittent Fasting

A major guideline is to create a window in which you do not eat, say from 7pm in the evening to 7am in the morning. That’s a 12-hour window. Some experts feel the goal is the 16-hour window. Needless to say, the idea is to give your gut and body a break so that it may repair and regenerate.