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Have you ever thought about how not eating could actually help your body heal and strengthen your bones? In this episode of the Stronger Bones Lifestyle Podcast, I sit down with Ashley Bizzell, a registered dietitian and metabolic health specialist, to uncover the surprising science behind fasting, metabolic balance, and bone health.
Fasting is not just about losing weight — it’s about giving your body the time and space it needs to clean up, renew, and rebuild. Ashley explains how fasting and autophagy — your body’s natural cellular cleanup process — can help reduce inflammation, improve blood sugar balance, and even support stronger bones from the inside out.
From Sick Care to Self Care
Like many experts who’ve stepped away from the traditional “disease management” system, Ashley saw firsthand how overmedication and polypharmacy keep people stuck in poor health. Instead of treating symptoms, she focuses on restoring the body’s metabolic balance — the core of true healing.
Metabolism isn’t just about burning calories; it’s about how your body uses energy at the cellular level. When your metabolism is healthy, your bones, muscles, hormones, and immune system all function better. When it’s not, you move toward inflammation, insulin resistance, and diseases like osteoporosis, diabetes, and obesity — all of which are interconnected.
The Power of Fasting and Autophagy
Fasting gives your body the gift of rest and repair. During periods without food, your cells begin to clear away waste and damaged proteins — a process called autophagy, which literally means “self-eating.”
This cleanup process helps your body:
- Remove old or damaged cells
- Reduce inflammation
- Improve insulin sensitivity
- Renew healthier, stronger tissues
When done safely, fasting can boost your metabolism, promote bone remodeling, and support a stronger immune system. Ashley explains that autophagy typically begins around day three of a prolonged fast, allowing the body to rejuvenate at a deep, cellular level.
A Nourished Fast: The Fasting Mimicking Diet
Ashley also introduced me to the Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD) — a research-backed approach developed by Dr. Valter Longo at USC. This five-day “nourished fast” provides specific plant-based nutrients that keep your body in fasting mode while still offering nourishment.
Unlike traditional fasting, which can be difficult or unsafe for some people, this program allows you to access the benefits of autophagy without complete deprivation. It supports:
- Visceral fat loss while maintaining muscle mass
- Improved insulin resistance and blood sugar regulation
- Reduced inflammation and oxidative stress
- Stronger, healthier bones
Ashley shared that more than 48 clinical studies have confirmed its safety and effectiveness — including research showing improvements in biological age and metabolic markers after just a few cycles per year.
How Fasting Supports Bone Health
Your bones aren’t just mineral structures — they’re living, dynamic tissue that constantly rebuilds. Fasting helps by:
- Reducing chronic inflammation that dissolves bone
- Supporting lean muscle, which protects against falls and fractures
- Balancing hormones and insulin to reduce bone loss
- Allowing your body’s repair systems to work efficiently
Fasting, paired with a clean, nutrient-dense diet rich in plant-based fats (like avocado, flax, and olives), gives your body everything it needs to build and sustain strong bones.
Actionable Tips
- Start slow — try a 12–14 hour overnight fast and build from there.
- Hydrate well — drink plenty of water and avoid caffeine that dehydrates.
- Focus on clean foods — eat real, unprocessed, plant-rich meals.
- Support your gut — a healthy gut improves nutrient absorption for stronger bones.
- Consider guided fasting — if you’re new to fasting, work with a trained professional or try a fasting-mimicking program like ProLon.
Resources & Links
Resources & Links- Learn more about ProLon and the Fasting Mimicking Diet: prolonlife.com
- Explore Elra Health and L-Nutra Health: lnutrahealth.com
Debi’s Takeaway
Debi’s TakeawayTrue bone health is about balance — metabolic, emotional, and energetic.
Fasting isn’t about restriction — it’s about restoration. When you give your body time to rest, it rewards you with renewed energy, resilience, and cellular vitality.
Your bones are living proof of your inner health. Feed them, move them, and give them space to heal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Autophagy is the body’s natural cellular cleanup and repair process. Supporting autophagy may improve metabolic function, reduce inflammation, and help your body regenerate healthy bone tissue.
Fasting can reduce inflammation, improve insulin sensitivity, and activate cellular repair pathways that support healthy bone remodeling.
Many women can fast safely with a gentle, personalized approach that protects blood sugar stability and supports nutrient intake.
Your metabolism affects nutrient absorption, inflammation, and hormone balance, all of which influence bone density.
A healthy gut improves digestion, nutrient absorption, and inflammation control, all essential for strong bones.
Ashley Bizzell is a registered dietitian specializing in functional nutrition and metabolic health. She provides expert insight into fasting, autophagy, and longevity.
Yes. Autophagy clears damaged cells that trigger inflammation. Lower inflammation supports healthier bone remodeling.
Common signs include bloating, constipation, fatigue after meals, cravings, and unstable blood sugar.
Gentle approaches such as overnight fasting, meal spacing, and circadian rhythm fasting are ideal for beginners.
You can support autophagy with better sleep, stress reduction, nutrient dense food, and gentle breaks between meals.
Podcast Subscribe Links - Reversing Osteoporosis
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Oxalates, also known as oxalic acid, are naturally occurring compounds found in many plants, vegetables, and fruits. They are part of a plant’s defense mechanism against predators and can be found in high concentrations in foods like spinach, rhubarb, beets, nuts, chocolate, tea, and certain beans.
Regarding bone health, oxalates can bind to minerals such as calcium in the gut, forming calcium oxalate. This compound is not easily absorbed by the body, meaning the calcium that could have been utilized for bone strengthening is instead excreted. This process can potentially lead to lower calcium availability for bone health, which can be particularly concerning for individuals at risk of osteoporosis or other bone-related issues.
However, for most women, dietary oxalates do not pose a significant threat to bone health, especially if their diet is balanced with enough calcium and they do not have a history of kidney stones.
Your gut is crucial for stronger bones for several reasons:
- Nutrient Absorption: The gut is where most nutrient absorption occurs. For bones to be healthy and strong, they need a variety of nutrients, particularly calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and vitamin D. A healthy gut efficiently absorbs these essential nutrients from your diet and facilitates their transportation to the bones.
- Gut Microbiome and Bone Health: Research has shown that the gut microbiome (the community of bacteria living in your intestines) can influence bone density. Certain gut bacteria help in producing short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate, which have been shown to promote bone health. SCFAs can enhance the absorption of minerals necessary for bone strength and play a role in reducing inflammation, which can negatively affect bone health.
- Hormone Regulation: The gut helps regulate hormones that are involved in bone metabolism, including insulin, thyroid hormones, and sex hormones like estrogen. For example, estrogen is vital for bone density, and gut health can influence estrogen levels through the enterohepatic circulation, where estrogens are processed in the liver and intestines.
- Reducing Inflammation: Chronic inflammation, which can stem from poor gut health, is linked to many conditions that compromise bone strength, such as osteoporosis. A healthy gut helps to reduce systemic inflammation, protecting bones from inflammatory damage.
- Immune System Modulation: The majority of the immune system is located in the gut. An imbalance in the immune system can lead to autoimmune conditions, some of which affect the bones. Maintaining gut health helps to ensure the immune system works correctly, protecting against autoimmune reactions that could impact bone health.
In essence, maintaining a healthy gut contributes significantly to stronger bones by ensuring the effective absorption of vital nutrients, regulating hormones, reducing inflammation, and supporting a healthy immune system. Therefore, a diet rich in bone-healthy nutrients, prebiotics, and probiotics, along with lifestyle factors that promote gut health, is key to maintaining strong bones.