The EDIFYING economic biohack (that you may not be getting right...)

I’ve been fasting for years; in fact, it’s a major economic lifehack, so I decided to read Dave Asprey’s recent deep-dive book on the topic, Fast This Way. The book is a bit of a memoir, actually; it’s punctuated by vignettes from a grueling (and transformative) 4-day fast that the author did alone in a cave in the Arizona desert.
Why does fasting work?
How can fasting do so many good things for you? The answer is simple: your body is already packed full of repair and rejuvenation mechanisms. Thousands of years—no, millions of years—no, billions of years of evolution have shaped them inside of us. Your ancestors have run the gauntlet of death and extinction. You and I are the survivors of an inconceivably brutal winnowing process. We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t have all of those health-preserving cells and molecules. All that fasting does is remove the dietary impediments we put in our own way and allows us to take maximal advantage of the gifts evolution has given us. Fasting puts us in control of a 4-billion-year-old evolutionary process. (pp. 97-98)
there’s a fundamental difference between hunger and craving. Hunger is a biological message, and it is something that you can control. Craving is a psychological psychological need, and it is something that tries to control you. The truth is, you can go a long time without eating, and you won’t suffer for it. In fact, you will thrive. (p. 4)
Fasting is an amygdala hack
But as essential as the amygdala may be, it can also be a source of irrational, destructive fear. It’s a major contributor to that voice in your head that says you might just die if you do something you’re afraid of—such as going on a job interview, ending a bad relationship, speaking in public, or simply skipping a few meals. Intermittent fasting enables you to put the amygdala and the whole reptilian part of your brain in its place, so that you can be more fully human, more fully yourself, less burned by your fears. (p. 7)
Fasting is really the best spice!
When you end a fast from anything, it makes that substance or that experience much more appreciated. It causes heightened pleasure and brings easy gratitude into your life. (p. 13)
I’ll second this! Fasting is reliably a hedonism hack; before I eat a meal I know I’ll love, I’ll fast to multiply the pleasure.
Fasting for COVID resilience
Adrienne Barnosky, an endocrinologist at Duke University School of Medicine, and her colleagues confirmed that intermittent fasting helps prevent insulin resistance. (p. 16)
As explained in Dr. Mercola’s recent book, insulin resistance is a major risk factor that puts you in danger of a catastrophic case of the wu-flu.
Bulletproof coffee is recommended relentlessly throughout the book...
Which I don’t have a problem with; it can be a game-changer for fasting. I drink Bulletproof-style coffee almost every day, and it powers me through my intermittent fast.
Wake up in the morning and drink a cup of Bulletproof Coffee: black coffee, a dollop of…