Dr. Kara Fitzgerald’s work shows that you can reverse biological age with targeted nutrition. The Younger You Meal Plan is based upon Dr. Fitzgerald’s groundbreaking study that reversed biological age in study participants by 3 years in just 8 weeks! The Younger You meal plan is specifically designed to turn on genes associated with longevity and health and inhibit genes associated with inflammation and disease. Bio age reversal may help you avoid, lessen, or reverse the many related diseases of aging + it will help you feel and look amazing in the process.
Our genes are NOT our destiny. With targeted nutrition, we can decide whether we are living our best life: Whether we’re turning our best genes ON and our worst genes off.
It’s that simple. And the choice is entirely ours. But most of us DON’T take control over our longevity, our healthspan. In the US, most people spend the last 16 years of their lives (16 years!!) with multiple chronic diseases and on multiple medications. In that time, we turn over our hard-earned money to drug companies, hospitals, and extended care facilities so that we can “live” but not really participate in life. It doesn’t have to be this way.
You can live better for longer by turning our best genes ON and our worst genes OFF. This is the science of epigenetics. (epi- above, genetics – our genes) Specifically, we do this by packing each fork full of food with “epinutrients”. These are nutrients that support optimal gene expression via a process called DNA methylation.
The Dynamic Dozen
Focus on Epinutrients; The Younger You Meal Plan specifically prioritizes foods that modulate DNA methylation patterns to change the expression of your genes. Simply put, the diet aims to turn off bad genes (like genes associated with cancer or even inflammation) and turn on good ones.
There are many, many fabulous epinutrients that are packed into the Younger You plan. But we really lean into our favorites, called The Dynamic Dozen
The Younger You Meal Plan is not just macro optimized, it’s built around the Dynamic Dozen; the top twelve foods that get your DNA methylation machinery humming. These foods are longevity-promoting, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anticancer, and in many cases, antiviral and antimicrobial. And remember, some of them are both methyl donor nutrients (meaning they increase overall DNA methylation) and DNA methylation adaptogens (meaning they direct where DNA methylation is happening, so we’re really turning on the right genes and turning off the wrong ones). Cruciferous veggies are a beautiful example of nutrients that do BOTH these specialized tasks, we can think of them as offering Double the benefits to bio age.
Order Below
This Weeks Menu
week of November 14th
“Finally a well-explained, dynamic, science-backed guide to optimizing your health by affecting the core of what makes all of us tick—our genes. I’ve been using Dr. Fitzgerald’s program in my practice for years and I’m so pleased this information is now accessible to all.”
Mark Hyman, MD
Fourteen-time New York Times bestselling author and founder and director of The UltraWellness Center
“A lifestyle program has never been more worthwhile or more revolutionary than Dr. Fitzgerald’s in Younger You. She shows how the simple things like nutrition, exercise, and daily routines can profoundly affect your quality of life—and that it’s never too early or too late for the whole family to start thinking about optimizing their epigenetic expression.”
Sara Gottfried, MD
New York Times bestselling author of The Hormone Cure
“Dr. Fitzgerald has published groundbreaking research that proves that we can change the aging of our body through a specific lifestyle intervention program. Now she has made this program available for all of us to benefit from in this extraordinary book. This is a ‘must’ for anyone interested in what they can do in slowing the aging process naturally.”
Dr. Jeffrey Bland
President, Personalized Lifestyle Medicine Institute
Frequently Asked Questions
Is coffee allowed on the YY program?
Coffee is a methylation adaptogen, thanks to two amazing polyphenols it contains: caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid. Looking at the research, it seems like you could consume quite a bit of coffee without negative effects and probably some good benefits. The tricky part is that for most of us, the caffeine content in both green tea and coffee comes at the cost of lost sleep, or poor-quality sleep, which is definitely damaging to our DNA methylation and gene expression in the brain. Here’s what we recommend for coffee lovers:
Go organic
Limit to one or at most two cups
Finish your last cup before noon
Drink it black and unsweetened, or with MCT oil for an extra serving of healthy fat
I’m already leading a healthy lifestyle, would I see any additional benefits?
This is a good question since our patients may already be avoiding gluten, dairy, nightshades, red meat, processed food, sugar, refined carbs, as well as exercise daily, meditate daily, and get 7+ hours sleep. It is still possible to see additional benefits—remember we’re leaning specifically on adding in methyl donors and adaptogens. These nutrients are not focused on in any diet protocol that I am aware of in quite the same way that we are doing here.
What sweeteners are allowed on the YY Intensive?
On the Intensive version MINIMAL amounts of natural no-calorie sweeteners that don’t impact blood sugar, including erythritol, inulin, monkfruit, and stevia are okay.
Why are legumes and beans not part of the YY Intensive?
Legumes, while generally a very healthy source of protein and fiber, are higher in carbs and, for a small subset of folks, might cause indigestion and even be pro-inflammatory. Because high blood sugar directly damages DNA methylation, Younger You is designed to be low glycemic and that means legumes aren’t included in the Intensive program, except for vegetarians and vegans.
Does tea or coffee with fat (MCT oil) break my fast?
There are differing opinions on this. Traditionally and strictly speaking anything over 5 kcal is considered breaking a fast. And then there is a more flexible approach which claims that fat disrupts a lot less the cleanup and repair benefits of fasting compared to proteins and carbohydrates. Therefore coffee or tea (2-4 calories) with MCT oil (healthy fat) may not completely halt the cleanup and repair process of fasting.
Can I engage in intense exercise on the YY program?
If the patient is already doing it and it works, then that’s great. For people just starting out, we recommend starting with moderate exercise. Some say intense exercise (over 80% of max heart rate) can be inflammatory but the data is inconclusive as of now. The
most important takeaway is to keep moving, and move doing something you enjoy.
Need help?
Get in touch with us at info@dailydoselife.com and we’ll be happy to help guide you.
Dr. Kara Fitzgerald, is engaged in clinical research on DNA methylation using a diet and lifestyle intervention developed in her virtual and in-person Functional Medicine clinic. She is the author of Younger You: Reduce Your Bio Age and Live Longer, Better, a ground-breaking work detailing an 8-week study that resulted in a 3-year reversal of biological aging, and the step-by-step program that will help you live better and longer. In her quest for personalized health care for all, she leads clients through her Younger You Program and has as a Younger You companion cookbook, Better Broths and Healing Tonics.
Dr. Fitzgerald is on faculty at the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM), and is an IFM Certified Practitioner. She regularly lectures internationally and hosts the podcast New Frontiers in Functional Medicine. She received her doctorate in naturopathic medicine from the National University of Natural Medicine in Oregon and is in private practice in Sandy Hook, Connecticut. more