Medium-chain omega-3 fatty acids such as alpha-linolenic acid are found in flaxseed and flaxseed oil, canola oil, walnuts, soybean oil, wheat germ oil, leafy greens, and grasses. Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are also known as marine omega fatty acids or fish oil.

When grazing livestock are kept in their natural environment and able to consume mainly grass and hay, their milk and meat end up being rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

Our body has the ability to produce EPA from plant-based alpha-linolenic acid, but not in a ratio of one to one. We need a significantly larger amount of alpha-linolenic acid to produce the corresponding amount of EPA.

In order for our metabolic processes to run optimally, our blood should have a pH value of 7.4. The pH value is the measure of the acidity of a solution. Depending on what we eat, our acid-based balance can be unsettled. Bases can buffer acids, but when the body's buffer systems are overwhelmed—for example, by an intake of too much acid—the body mobilizes minerals such as calcium from the bones to restore balance. But this process facilitates osteoporosis. This in turn affects the connective tissues, which become more pain-sensitive when exposed to too much acid. Furthermore, an acid-rich diet promotes kidney stones and muscle loss in old age. Patients with kidney disease are more likely to be affected by this, since the acid load affects the kidneys directly. When we eat foods that are rich in acid, the kidneys produce ammonia, a base, which neutralizes the acid. In the long run, however, ammonia damages the kidneys because it is a cytotoxin.

Animal proteins—meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products such as cheese (particularly processed cheese)—have an especially negative effect on our acid-base balance. Canned tuna is very acidic, while soft drinks such as cola, grain products, and bread are slightly acidic (fortunately, pasta isn't). It's the phosphorus in the grain that has a chemically acidic effect.

Research on animals has shown that milk and its proteins can promote premature aging and cancer growth.

Excessive milk consumption causes bones to become more brittle. Apparently, the benefit of calcium is negated by posphoproteins and the sulfurous acids methionine and cysteine, which are also contained in milk. These proteins have an inflammatory and chemical effect like an acid. The body tries to buffer this acid load with calcium, which is mobilized from the bones.

Seventy percent of all chronic diseases today are caused by a poor diet.

No event changes the microstructure of the metabolism as extraordinarily as fasting, not even pregnancy or the most difficult heart surgery.

From a physiological standpoint, the amount of weight we can lose during fasting is predetermined: The body breaks down fat to make energy available. One gram of body fat provides roughly 9 kcal of energy. We normally burn 2,000 to 3,000 kcal a day, depending on our activity; women generally burn about 400 kcal less than men. This means that on average we burn 300 to 400 grams of fat per day of fasting. More is not possible.

Depending on their basal metabolic rate and physical activity, everybody loses between four and seven pounds of fat per week. No more.

All three of these—insulin, salt-hormone metabolism, and fatty liver—can radically recover within a few days of fasting. In several studies I carried out with my team, I was able to show that after seven days of therapeutic fasting, the cells become sensitive to insulin once again, and that blood pressure drops quickly.

Dewey formulated another intelligent dietary principle: You shouldn't eat when you are tired—instead, you should rest. You've probably experienced this before. You arrive home exhausted, from a long day of work or some sort of strenuous activity. That's when you might feel a sensation of hunger, so you eat voraciously and end up eating way too much. I second Dewey's advise. Rest for twenty minutes after you get home. Eat afterward, and make sure to eat slowly. Once you've tried this, you'll notice that you'll eat in a more relaxed manner and therefore eat less.

In the 1930s and 1940s, animal researchers made a spectacular observation: All living beings they examined—whether it was roundworms, mice, rats, or dogs—lived significantly healthier and longer if they did not receive food regularly and if they did not receive a lot of food (their feed quantity was reduced by 20 to 30 percent).

Based on these discoveries, Longo began to suspect that we could slow down the aging process by avoiding the two large food groups that boost the adverse growth factors and genes responsible for premature aging: animal proteins and sugar. Animal proteins heighten the concentration of the growth hormone IGF-1 and mTOR, while sugar elevates RAS and PKA. Many of the animal proteins we consume come from milk, which is why I constantly advise switching to plant-based milks.

Fat doesn't just lie around idly in the body; it releases substances into the body that trigger inflammation and metabolic disorders.

He only ever eats between five and eight p.m. In this short time, however, he eats whatever he wants until he is full. According to Madeo, the human body activates autophagy, the process by which old and damaged cell components are removed and replaced, after fourteen to sixteen hours without food.

One of the key experiments on intermittent fasting was conducted by Satchidananda Panda. He fed two groups of mice the same amount of food and calories. Half the mice had 24-7 access to their feeding bowls. The other half was forced to take a sixteen-hour break from feeding. Up until now, one incontrovertible rule of research on nutrition and weight research had been: Whether someone is thin or large depends solely on the number of calories they consume. In Panda's experiments, however, something entirely different began to take place: The mice in the first group became overweight, developed fatty livers, inflammation, and diabetes, and became exceedingly lethargic. The mice in the second group (who fasted for sixteen hours) maintained a normal weight and stayed healthy and energetic despite the identical type of food and number of calories consumed. Their livers were healthy, there was less inflammation in the body, the amount of bile ensured perfect digestion, and their cholesterol levels sank. The mice who fasted also appeared to be livelier and more dynamic—in other words, younger. It's clear that what is important is not the overall number of calories consumed, but the fasting period!