by Dave Asprey
Daily dose: 1 to 2 120,000 SU serrapeptase capsules and/or 1 to 2 2000 FU nattokinase capsules; 1 to 2 proteolytic enzyme capsules such as Wobenzym or BiOptimizers Masszymes.
ADAPTOGENS AND MUSHROOMS
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These can help you power through stress responses. Adaptogens are powerful herbs that originated in China and Russia. They were originally used by the military because of their ability to help manage the body’s stress response. They make it easy for you to turn on your stress response and then easy for you to turn it off when you don’t need it anymore. Otherwise, once your stress response is turned on, it tends to stay on for long periods of time. This was an advantage for soldiers who needed to be able to run into combat and then rest afterward. You’re probably not going into combat, but you do experience stress. The ability to turn your stress response on and off quickly is something that can help you live longer. It can help you fast, too.
It’s not uncommon to get hypoglycemia when you start fasting, especially when you don’t yet have ketones present (either from natural ketosis or from MCT oil). If this is your first time fasting—and especially if you didn’t ramp up slowly from just skipping breakfast but instead jumped right in and attempted a weekend fast and exercise at the same time—it’s going to be a bit tough. You’re probably going to get slightly dizzy. You might experience brain fog and headaches; you might get supercranky; you might start sleeping less. It might seem as though your spouse or partner has suddenly turned into a total jerk. In fact, if you notice that everyone around you has suddenly become stupid, it’s a pretty good sign that your blood sugar is low.
These feelings will go away once you teach your metabolism to behave itself. By far the easiest way to do this is to start your first few fasts with Bulletproof Coffee. I’m not saying this to get you to buy Bulletproof Coffee—people have had about 200 million cups of Bulletproof Coffee so far, and the company is doing just fine, thank you. I’m saying it because it will make your entry into fasting painless, and I don’t like pain unless it serves a purpose.
The other way to make your fasts less painful and more effective is to allow your body to produce cortisol when it needs to raise your blood sugar and then to stop producing it when your blood sugar returns to normal. This is a function of your adrenal glands, and it is totally normal. Adaptogenic herbs make that process work better. The main adaptogenic herbs are ashwagandha, rhodiola, holy basil, ginseng, and the mushrooms cordyceps, reishi, and lion’s mane. Ashwagandha and rhodiola are classic stress-modulating adaptogens. Holy basil and ginseng are also anti-inflammatory, as are adaptogenic cordyceps. Reishi is particularly relaxing; lion’s mane aids nerve regeneration. I’ve had my best results with the Australian species of these mushrooms, but you should experiment to see what works best for you.
If you’re a masochist, you can make adaptogen or mushroom tea or coffee. Expect a bitter, earthy flavor. But there’s no reason to choke down mushroom tea; you can take adaptogenic mushrooms as capsules or liquid droppersful. Powdered mushrooms are not as strong as a high-quality extract, and I’ve never experienced any benefit from taking them in that form. There’s a reason for that: some compounds in mushrooms can be extracted only with hot water, others only by alcohol. If you’re going to all the trouble of buying adaptogen mushrooms, I would highly encourage you to go for the liquid extracts. Pro tip: putting mushroom powder into your coffee is a terrible idea because it tastes nasty, and there’s no benefit to polluting the taste of your coffee anyway. The best mushroom extracts are dual-extracted with alcohol and hot water, then bottled in glass bottles with droppers. The flavor is mild (you can put it into your coffee without ruining it) and the effect is dramatic.
Daily dose: Adaptogens come in different strengths of extraction and in different combinations, so follow what the label says. Most companies suggest the smallest dose because of labeling requirements. I usually find that I do well by adding 50 percent to the label dose. You should experiment to see what works best for you.
STRESSORS
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You also might want to increase the stress on your body during your fast. Sounds weird, I know—I was just telling you how to decrease stress with adaptogens. That is adrenal stress. Oxidative stress is another type of stress that comes from your metabolism. You can do some very good things to your biology if you mildly stress your cells in a precise way to promote autophagy and to create better cellular antioxidant response. The simple way to do that is to cut back on some of the antioxidant supplements you might already be taking, especially coenzyme Q10 and vitamin C. Doing so will allow more oxidative stress, which will create a response that helps your cells become better at manufacturing their own on-board antioxidants, which then can bump up your rate of autophagy. What’s happening is that your body is saying, “Oh, man, I’m really struggling here. I’m going to break down those old parts of the cells to have energy for making new cells.” It’s a way of prompting your body to switch into renewal mode. I usually take these supplements as I’m ending an intermittent fast (normally, I have them with dinner).
Daily dose: My dosing advice for stressors mirrors my advice for vitamins and minerals, below.
WATER-SOLUBLE VITAMINS
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Everyone knows the value of taking vitamins. It’s right there in the name: “vitamin” is a contraction of “vital amines,” a name given to them by the Polish chemist Casimir Funk in 1912. Funk discovered a group of chemicals called amines that he determined were essential for human health. Today, we know that not all vitamins fit into that one chemical family, but he got the idea right—you really do need these compounds. To get the most out of them, you need to know what the various vitamins do, how much of them you need, and—especially if you are fasting—when to take them.
You can process water-soluble vitamins just fine even if you haven’t eaten in a while. Actually, you’ll get the most benefit from taking these vitamins and supplements on an empty stomach, because they are best absorbed that way. Spread them out during your fasting period to reduce the potential for stomach upset. Then if one of them makes you feel sick, you can easily pinpoint the culprit.
Daily dose: For vitamins and minerals, I recommend taking twice as much as the recommended daily allowance (RDA), unless your lab tests show that you need a lot more or that you have too much of something. Vitamin C requires much higher doses. I take 2 grams per day unless I’m sick or stressed, in which case I take even more.
B vitamins and folate (also known as vitamin B9): You can take B vitamins during a fasting period, though as I warned you earlier, taking them on an empty stomach could make you feel nauseated. If that happens to you, try taking B vitamins after a cup of Bulletproof Coffee (the quality fats may help prevent stomach upset). Or just take these vitamins when you break your fast. Vitamin B12 can protect against dementia, increase immune function, maintain nerves, and regenerate cells. It also protects you from atherosclerosis and maintains the chemical reactions that repair DNA and prevent cancer. One of the most crucial areas in which B12 operates is the brain. Folate and B12 are both required for optimal mental function; a deficiency in one produces a deficiency in the other, but folate will not correct a B12 deficiency in the brain. Folate also supports a healthy heart and nervous system. Beware: if you make the mistake of treating B12 deficiency without folate, you can potentially suffer permanent brain damage. Likewise, taking high amounts of folate without also getting adequate B12 can cause neurological conditions. To be safe, I always take them together. For most people, methylcobalamin and hydroxycobalamin are the best forms of B12, and folate is superior to folic acid.
Vitamin C: Like the B vitamins, you can take vitamin C with water during a fasting period. It is usually easy on an empty stomach if you don’t have reflux, and overall it is one of the safest, most effective supplements you can take. Vitamin C is needed for collagen and connective tissue formation. It’s used to manufacture glutathione, one of the most powerful antioxidan
ts in the body. Studies indicate that vitamin C can enhance your immune system and can help quench the aging-related molecular fragments known as free radicals. Even quite high doses are safe. When you’re fasting, 500 milligrams to 1 gram twice a day is a good idea for basic support. If you are doing more intensive healing or battling a virus or infection, the protocol for vitamin C is to take increasing doses of it until you get loose stools, then back off a little bit. When you’re sick, your body can oftentimes absorb 20 or 30 grams orally before you hit that limit. When you are well, the limit might be 3 or 4 grams. A startling 30 percent of Americans are deficient in vitamin C.3 I am ambivalent about vitamin C when I fast and take it sometimes and not others. It lasts in the body for only about eight hours, so divided doses are better.
FAT-SOLUBLE VITAMINS
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Vitamins A, D, E, and K dissolve in fat, not in water, so it’s best to take them during your eating window. If you’re doing Bulletproof Intermittent Fasting, you can take fat-soluble vitamins with your Bulletproof Coffee, which contains fats such as grass-fed butter and Brain Octane C8 MCT oil. Since I have that most mornings during my fast, I take vitamins A, D, and K at the same time.
Vitamin A supports the proper functioning of the heart, lungs, kidneys, and immune system. You want that, right? But a quarter of Americans consume less than half the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin A, which is already set too low by the US Food and Drug Administration. Many people mistakenly believe that they can get vitamin A from eating plants, especially carrots. Sorry, Bugs Bunny, but that’s not how it works. Plants don’t contain vitamin A; they contain beta-carotene, and the body is not very good at converting beta-carotene into vitamin A. The result is that some people develop vitamin A deficiency even while consuming far more beta-carotene than they require. Unless you eat a lot of liver or oysters, taking real, preformed vitamin A is a good idea, whether you are fasting or not. It can improve your immunity and even your sleep. I prefer 10,000 IU per day. It’s okay to take it when most convenient for you, but bedtime is the ideal time.
Vitamin D is a superbiohack that fights the aging process and enhances performance. It facilitates the movement of hormones around the body and adjusts the action of more than one thousand genes. It moderates immune function and inflammation and aids in calcium metabolism and bone formation. I’m a fan: I found that I got sick far less often once I began taking vitamin D supplements, and there are now hundreds of scientific studies showing that it makes you more metabolically resilient. Your body can make this vitamin on its own from sunlight and cholesterol, but unless you live near the equator or run around without any clothes most of the time, you probably aren’t making enough of it. This is one of the supplements you ought to be taking most of the time for the rest of your life unless a blood test says you have high levels. It’s even more important if your skin is dark. Take this one in the morning. Because blood levels vary widely when people take the same amount of D3, it’s best to get a blood test to ensure your vitamin D3 levels are between 60 and 90 ng/ml. An average person will require about 1,000 IU of vitamin D3 for every 25 pounds of body weight, although blood tests showed me that I require twice that amount. Get tested, seriously!
Vitamin E protects the fats in your cell membranes from destructive oxidation. It plays an important role in protecting your skin from damage and aging caused by the troublesome free radicals (charged molecules) that form when you’re exposed to the ultraviolet rays of the sun. There are eight forms of vitamin E, and you want a supplement that has mixed tocopherols and tocotrienols and the gamma and delta forms. Avoid synthetic vitamin E; it is bad for you. If you have been vegan, you’ll require a lot more vitamin E than normal to repair your cells. For most people, 400 IU per day with other fats in any meal or beverage is enough.
Vitamin K is a stealth nutrient. People think they can get it from eating vegetables, but there are two types of vitamin K: K1 and K2. Unless you grew up eating only grass-fed meat and raw milk, you’re probably deficient in vitamin K2. It is a fat-soluble vitamin that helps with calcium metabolism. When it isn’t processed properly by your body, excess calcium is deposited in your arteries, leading to calcification and stiffening. This is why vitamin K2 helps prevent atherosclerosis and heart attacks while strengthening your bones. Since vitamin D helps metabolize calcium, vitamins D and K2 work together synergistically. There are two forms that matter, called MK-4 and MK-7. Take your K2 with vitamin D3 in the morning. In the formulation I put together for Bulletproof, I included 1500 mg of MK-4 and 300 mcg of MK-7. It is safe to take higher doses of K2 if you have calcification problems, however.
MINERALS
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These are also highly recommended during a fast, with a caveat: it is possible that taking large amounts of zinc, chromium, or vanadium while fasting can drop your blood sugar level even more than normal. If you find that you’re hitting really low blood sugar levels after taking minerals, you might need to make adjustments.
Iodine: For maximum absorption, take kelp powder or potassium iodide capsules with food. Pass on iodized table salt: common iodized table salt is mixed with anticaking agents and other unwanted compounds and is chemically bleached. Iodine is very helpful for keeping your thyroid working well while you’re fasting. It also enhances immune function, prevents brain damage, and overall helps maintain a healthy metabolism. Iodine deficiency is widespread, so taking a supplement is a good idea. Physically active people are at especially high risk of iodine deficiency because they lose iodine through sweat. Supplement ranges vary widely, from 150 mcg in kelp, all the way up to several milligrams per day. Take it in the morning.
Magnesium: When beginning a magnesium supplement routine, some people report getting what you might delicately call “disaster pants” (loose stool or worse). If you have a sensitive stomach, you should seriously consider taking your magnesium with food! That will reduce the likelihood of negative effects. If you’re taking magnesium to help you sleep, take it after your last meal of the day. However, since your body level of magnesium is at its highest at noon, I take half of mine in the morning and half at bedtime. The body uses magnesium in more than three hundred different enzymatic processes, including all of those involved in ATP (energy) production in your mitochondria. Magnesium is also vital for proper transcription of DNA and RNA—an essential process every time your body creates a new cell. Almost all Americans are deficient in magnesium. The majority don’t consume the RDA, and many studies show that the RDA levels are already set too low.4 Due to soil depletion and overintensive modern farming practices, it’s almost impossible to get enough magnesium from your regular diet. Without a doubt, everyone should supplement with magnesium. Take at least 800 mg per day, and up to 2 grams if it doesn’t cause disaster pants. (Magnesium has a laxative effect.)
Potassium and sodium: Both potassium and sodium (which you get from good old-fashioned sea salt) are important supplements, doing jobs that complement the work of magnesium in your body. When your mitochondria are working on restoring themselves, they need magnesium and potassium. They rely on these minerals whether they’re stressed or not, but the need is more acute when they’re stressed. You can’t get one of these minerals into your cells without the other. You therefore want to take magnesium and potassium together when you’re fasting. Don’t overdo potassium, because a very small percentage of people get heart arrhythmias from potassium overdoses. Your body requires a couple grams per day from all sources, and many people are deficient. You can get potassium in powdered form as potassium bicarbonate, which is similar to baking soda. It works really well. Most people can handle a couple hundred milligrams daily. When you’re fasting, if you’re drinking only water and also if you’re in ketosis, you need even more of these minerals. Take some sea salt for sodium as well, so that your potassium and sodium don’t get out of balance. Just don’t be stupid and chow down on lots of potassium powder, because it can dysregulate the electrical flow in your body. A lot of pe
ople do very well by taking regular sodium bicarbonate. It is literally baking soda! It increases the alkalinity of the body, which is beneficial to your mitochondria. Personally, I take both potassium bicarbonate and a little bit of sodium bicarbonate, which aids in antiaging and longevity. Take them before bed, at least 200 mg, but at doses safe for your own risk factors.
Chromium and vanadium: These minerals modulate your insulin levels and can improve your weight loss during fasting. If you overdo it, though, they can drop your blood sugar level too low. If your insulin levels dip, you run the risk of hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. Even a small bout of hypoglycemia can lead to problems adjusting and managing your moods. Take these supplements when you break your fast. I prefer 200 to 400 mg of chromium polynicotinate with 2 mg of vanadyl sulfate.
Zinc and copper: These two minerals work better together, so you’ll often see them combined in pill form. They perform hundreds of critical health tasks. Combined, they can form a powerful antioxidant called copper-zinc superoxide dismutase, or CuZnSOD. It is one of your body’s most potent natural defense mechanisms against aging and molecular damage. Zinc is a key mineral in the support of healthy immune function, energy production, and mood. It can be tough to get enough from food, and your body doesn’t store it, meaning you need to replenish it each day. You need copper to work in conjunction with zinc and for proper vascular and heart function. I take them together, because too much zinc can decrease the copper level in your body. The best form I have found is zinc and copper orotate, which is used in the formula I created for Bulletproof: 15 mg zinc orotate and 2 mg copper orotate, taken with food.