THE 17 HOUR FAST Reviewed by Stefania Nuzzolo
Stefania was born and raised in Naples, Italy. She is married and has two young sons. After earning an associate degree in business management, she obtained a personal training certification and a certification in aroma touch technique. She enjoys training her clients, teaching exercise classes, and sharing her knowledge about fitness and essential oils. She likes spending time outdoors with her family, especially going on camping trips, hiking, and relaxing at the beach. She also volunteers at Superior Nursing Home and at her sons’ school.
As a personal trainer and wellness advocate, I believe in preventive care. So, when I learned of the release of the book, “The 17 Hour Fast: Reset Your Eating to Revitalize Your Life” (2018), by Dr. Frank Merritt and Phil White, I immediately ordered a copy.
Dr. Merritt, an emergency room doctor, was inspired to write this book after the loss of a dear friend to brain cancer. When his friend was given a diagnosis of just six months to live, Dr. Merritt helped devise a fasting program that surely contributed to extending his friend’s life by six more years. Dr. Merritt explains how this short fasting protocol promotes great health benefits such as improved sleep, weight loss, lower level of stress, and improved quality of life. He offers advice on how to get started and how to succeed by providing useful resources and encouraging readers to make adjustments to fit their personal needs. Using principles from the book, I discovered how simple and relatively easy this once-a-week 17-hour fast can be. The book clearly breaks the fasting into phases (pre-fast meals, vacation night, ketotic sleep, spa morning, and post-fast meals) and suggests how to make personalized adjustments. For example, knowing the macronutrient breakdown of the pre- and post-fast meals and the optimum time frame in which the meals should be eaten facilitates planning and maximizes the nutritional benefits. Another example is the vacation night which is about destressing, relaxing, reconnecting, and being present. During this phase, Dr. Merritt explains how to disconnect from sources of stress and reconnect with your surroundings, especially family and nature. In my case, I decided to fast on a Friday as our family usually spends Friday evenings with friends at the pool or the beach relaxing, reconnecting, and enjoying our surroundings. Saturday mornings are laid-back for our family, so I thought adding the fast during this time of the week would be the least difficult. To help keep my mind off eating breakfast, I kept busy with activities I enjoy, such as biking, reading, and gardening, while drinking lots of water. Planning and adding the fast to our normal weekend routine made it easy. This book has given me a great amount of useful information and has inspired me to be more present and intentional in my everyday life. If you believe in preventive care or are searching for information to get you started on a healthier lifestyle, I highly recommend this book.