Prolon Review (From a Plant-Based Nutrition Coach)

I recently wrapped up my second round of Prolon’s Nutrition Program, also known as the “fast-mimicking” diet. I really believe in the science behind this program, and wanted to pull together an honest Prolon review for my readers. The TL;DR: I highly recommend the program for its overall health, longevity, and metabolism boosting benefits.

If you’re wanting to try out the program or their other amazing products, use code VEGANANJ for 15% off your order! Bonus: Prolon is currently offering a free gift with subscription, including their incredible fasting bars, shakes, and BPA-free water bottle (a $31 value).

Without further ado, let’s dig into my Prolon review (see what I did there)?

What is Prolon?

Developed by one of the world’s leading longevity researchers Dr. Valter Longo, Prolon is a nutrition program that puts your body into a state of fasting while still nourishing your body both essential nutrients.

Benefits of Prolon’s Nutrition Program

The program was designed and clinically tested by 14 universities around the world to ensure the program’s efficacy. The nutrition program is designed to spur metabolic, cellular, and even psychological benefits that come with prolonged fasting. The beauty of Prolon is that while your body is being put into a fasting state – which comes with a slew of positive health impacts – you’re still fueling your body with essential nutrients and not truly starving yourself, as with other fasts; so it’s much more manageable and sustainable. Because the program kickstarts the cellular rejuvenation process of autophagy (a process that was awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Medicine), this program can literally decrease your “bioaging score,” which is very cool.

Prolon’s health benefits:

• Healthy aging + longevity boosting
• Cellular rejuvenation
• Metabolic support
• Lean muscle mass protection and fat loss
• Improvements with food cravings and gut health
• Increased energy and mental clarity
• Rejuvenated skin

What the 5 Day Prolon Nutrition Program includes

One of the many things I love about Prolon is how incredibly easy and convenient they make everything. For each day of your fast, there’s a box labeled with the day, and it contains all of the food and drinks you’ll be eating that day. Each day, you’ll be eating one (very tasty) nut bar from breakfast, one soup for lunch and one soup for dinner, delicious olives and/or kale and flaxseed crackers for your snack, and lots of herbal teas; and on a few of the days you even get dessert with a delicious “choco crisp’ bar. For days 2-5 you’re also drinking something called an “l-drink” throughout the day, that’s designed to fuel and protect lean muscle mass as your body burns fat. You also receive a daily dietary supplement that’s packed with multivitamins, amino acids, minerals and omegas to give your body all the nutrients it needs to thrive throughout the program.

Below is a breakdown of what’s happening to your body on days 1-5 of the Prolon program:

• Day 1: Transitioning to a fasting state – your body is shifting into fat-burning mode and begins preparing for cellular clean-up.
• Day 2: Fat burning & ketogenesis – fat-burning ramps up, contributing to the initiation of ketogenesis (ketone production). By the end of this day, ketosis may occur. When your body reaches ketosis, it switches from burning glucose (from carbohydrates) to burning fat for energy, producing ketones as a byproduct, which can be used as an alternative fuel source. This can lead to fat loss, appetite recalibration, and a variety of other benefits.
• Day 3: Autophagy – cellular clean-up, fat-burning and ketone production/utilization continues and increases.
• Day 4: Cellular rejuvenation – cellular cleaning/renewal and fat-burning continues.
• Day 5: Renewal & change: once you complete day five, cellular renewal continues (and you’ll continue to experience all of the benefits in the days post-cleanse.

Of note: Prolon also offers a “reset” which is only a one-day fast-mimicking kit versus five days – and there are certainly benefits to adding these shorter bursts of fast-mimicking into your wellness and nutrition regimen, as well!

My honest Prolon review: what to expect and pro tips

Prolon is a fantastic program, and I highly, highly recommend it. I often will incorporate a Prolon cleanse into my clients’ holistic nutrition plans, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a health reset. It’s great if you’ve been struggling with sugar cravings, brain fog, low energy, or bloating/gut issues.

Pro tip: if you work a typical Monday-Friday job, I actually recommend starting your cleanse on a Friday. I did this the second time around and really preferred it. This way, you’re easing into the cleanse on your last workday of the week, and that’s the day that you’re consuming the most calories (day 1 has about 1100 calories, while days 2-5 have between 700 and 800 calories per day). For myself, and others I’ve spoken to, days 2 and 3 are often the most challenging because your body is adjusting to the reduced calories – and because calories can help with brain power, I like to have those more challenging days of the cleanse coincide with my days off, when I’m not needing as much fuel to power me through my workday. By the time you get to days 4 and 5, your body has become pretty accustomed to eating less, and I was able to get through busy work days on Monday and Tuesday with ease.

Another pro tip: have a Prolon buddy! This time around, I did the program with a friend, and it was a game-changer to have someone that can encourage you, hold you accountable, and even enjoy some soups and olives with!

Final pro tip: have your post-cleanse meals ready to go for days 6 and 7 so you’re set up for success as you transition out of the program. It’s best to keep things light and nourishing – I had ingredients prepped for simple, light meals including smoothies, miso soup with tofu and veggies, and grain bowls with quinoa, greens, and beans ready to go when hit day 6 (the first day off the program).

Can you work out while doing Prolon?

Regarding exercise: you’ll need to avoid strenuous physical activity during the five day cleanse. Because your body isn’t getting as many calories as it typically would, you simply don’t have as much energy to expend; so it’s important to keep physical activity light during this period.

Gentle walks and light yoga/stretching are fine, but harder workouts should be avoided during the duration of program. Your body is already going to be working hard during this cleanse, so consider this a great time to rest and reset from your workout routine.

Does the food taste good? My honest Prolon review for food taste and quality.

I find the food to be quite tasty, particularly with this second go-around! I most recently opted for the ‘Expanded Variety’ and liked that best when compared to their “Original.’ The breakfast nut bars are quite good, I loved the delicious olives and flax crackers, and the soups have really nice flavor – plus, you’ll get incredible extra virgin olive oil to add to the soups, which really give it some more flavor and richness. You can also add your own spices to jazz things up a bit – I would often add a little squeeze of lemon, or some dried herbs like parsley or basil to my soups.

That being said, I have not yet tried Prolon’s ‘Next Gen‘ line, which was released immediately after I finished my last program. Instead of the soups coming in powders that you add hot water to, they’re ready-made. I’m excited to try those next and see how they compare. But, overall, Prolon does a great job at making their food enjoyable and something you look forward to eating over the course of the 5-day program.

Does Prolon help you lose weight?

While I prefer to view weight loss as a secondary benefit to all the immense overall health and longevity benefits you get with Prolon, yes – most people lose around 5 lb. on average after completing the 5-day program. And, I can confirm that to be true, personally – I lost about 5 lb. when I first did the program in 2023, and again lost about 5 lb. when I did it last month.

More importantly – I felt fantastic after completing the cleanse. The most noticeable difference was in my improved energy levels, reduced bloating and food cravings.

Looking for plant-based nutrition coaching?

I’m here to support anyone looking to dial-in their nutrition using the power of plants. If you’re seeking guidance in this realm – for fueling your athletic goals, leveling up your protein, kickstarting a sustainable weight loss plan, improving your gut health, or just looking to make small tweaks that pay huge dividends in your health, energy, and overall well-being – check out my holistic health and nutrition coaching offering, or send me a note here or at anjelica@vegananj.com. I’d love to support you in whatever your goals are, using my education from T. Colin Campbell’s Plant-Based Nutrition Program.

Have you tried Prolon or are curious to give it a go?

I hope this Prolon review was helpful, but I also want to hear about your experience if you have tried it; and am here to answer your questions if you’re curious about giving it a try! Just drop me a line in the comments – and, thanks as always for reading along.

If you’re amped up and ready to give the program a shot after reading my Prolon review, be sure to use code VEGANANJ for 15% off your order! As a reminder, Prolon is currently doing a free gift with subscription, including their incredible fasting bars, shakes, and BPA-free water bottle (a $31 value).

Note that there are affiliate links in this article that will enable you to get a discount on products while I’ll earn a small commission. I only work with brands that I have personally vetted, and this Prolon review is 100% honest and based upon my own experience and and research. These collaborations allow me to run this blog and keep my in-depth content free of charge and ad-free for readers like you who want to learn more about plant-based living and eating 🙂