Originally shared on the Best Life podcast. This post covers everything we discussed, for those who want to go deeper.
People ask me about my daily routine more than almost anything else. What do you take? How do you fast? What did you do about hormones? I understand the impulse. When someone who has spent decades studying biochemistry and aging tells you she feels better in her sixties than she did in her forties, you want to know the specifics.
So here they are. Not as a prescription, because your body keeps its own counsel and what works for me may need to be adapted for you, but as an honest account of what I do, why I do it, and what the science actually says.
The Foundation: Whole-Food Supplementation
I am not interested in supplements that isolate a single molecule and deliver it in a capsule divorced from any biological context. The body does not work that way. It works as an ecosystem, and I try to feed it accordingly.
My daily foundation is the JP+ Mind + Body Wellness Duo, which combines Superfood Powder with Luminate. Together they deliver polyphenols, adaptogens, and nootropics in a form the body recognizes, supporting whole-body nutrition while also giving me the mental clarity I want to sustain all day. Alongside this I take JP+ Super-Biome, a prebiotic and probiotic combination, because gut health is not a trend. It is the upstream condition that determines nearly everything downstream, from immunity to mood to metabolic function.
For those who prefer capsules, the JP+ Essentials Bundle covers the same plant omega and plant polyphenol bases. If you prefer powders, the JP+ Superfood + Omega Bundle is the equivalent. I take an extra dose of the JP+ capsules on top of my powders, because I have come to understand through years of working with this research that the density of plant nutrition most of us need exceeds what any single product delivers. I also take Thorne Vitamin D3 year-round, because the evidence for vitamin D’s role in bone density, immunity, mood, and heart function is not emerging. It is settled.
If you want my full longevity stack beyond these fundamentals, the best way to reach me is at support@drmitraray.com. My Must-Haves page is at drmitraray.com/offerings and product links are at linktr.ee/drmitra.
Collagen: What Type Matters, and What Collagen Cannot Do Alone
I started taking collagen for my joints. That is still the primary reason. Type II collagen, derived from chicken cartilage, is particularly well-studied for joint health, and I noticed a real difference when I added it consistently.
Type I collagen is a different story. It makes up roughly 90% of the body’s total collagen, and its sources are bovine, marine, and eggshell. It is the structural protein behind your skin, bones, tendons, ligaments, and teeth. When menopause arrived and I noticed my face beginning to change in ways I had not anticipated, I started paying closer attention to collagen and what actually governs it.
Here is what I want you to understand: collagen peptides alone may not be enough. I kept returning to this point in my own research. The peptides provide raw material, but the body needs the right cofactors to build and maintain collagen effectively. That is why I also drink living silica with horsetail extract and rosemary, a plant-based approach that supplies the amino acids, phytonutrients, and minerals that stimulate the body’s own collagen synthesis. Some people call this category “vegan collagen,” not because it contains collagen itself, but because it provides what the body needs to grow its own.
My recommendation: look for a collagen product that includes at least Types I, II, and III, and pair it with something that supports your body’s production capacity, not just its supply.
Hormones: What I Do and Why I Am Not Quiet About It
I take DHEA at 25 mg daily. I use estradiol patches, which have been genuinely helpful for hot flashes and carry the full range of long-term health benefits that estrogen provides for bones, cardiovascular function, cognition, and mood. For progesterone and testosterone, I work with compounded pharmacies for bioidentical hormone creams, and I rotate application sites throughout the week.
One thing I am glad to share for those in the United States: bioidentical estriol is now available without a prescription. I use it on different areas of the body throughout the week, for vaginal health, for facial skin, and for joints that need a little extra support. It is a gentler estrogen and one more tool that more women should know exists.
I have written several articles on this on The Elder’s Evolution, and I will write more. If you want to go deep on the science, that is the place: eldersevolution.substack.com.
A note worth stating plainly: hormone therapy is highly personal. What I describe here is my own protocol, arrived at with careful attention and professional guidance. Please work with your physician to determine what is right for you.
Intermittent Fasting: How to Start, and How to Extend It
You are already doing intermittent fasting. Every night while you sleep, your body enters a fasted state. The question is simply how long you let it run.
I use the 16:8 model as my minimum, meaning a 16-hour fast with an 8-hour eating window. If you stop eating around 6 or 7 in the evening, you are most of the way there by the time you wake up. The window that actually requires intention is roughly 10 to 11 am, because that is when the body begins shifting into higher ketone production and the cellular repair process known as autophagy deepens. That is the window where most people reach for breakfast out of habit rather than genuine hunger, and where the fast can be strategically extended.
The tools I use for this are what I call fast-extenders: foods and drinks that provide fat for fuel without triggering the insulin response that would interrupt the fast. Half an avocado, a single egg with just salt and pepper, or MCT oil stirred into black coffee (decaf works just as well) are all options that keep you in a fasted metabolic state while taking the edge off. JP+ Luminate, Superfood Powder, and Super-Biome fall into this category as well and are ones I reach for regularly.
The deeper practice is to gradually extend the window over time, at whatever pace your body accepts. The benefits accumulate as the fast lengthens: more robust autophagy, greater metabolic flexibility, and the kind of cellular housekeeping that the research increasingly connects to longevity. Even pushing your first real meal from 10 am to noon makes a meaningful difference. Start with 16:8. Pay close attention to how you feel. Build from there.
Links Mentioned
Must-Haves: drmitraray.com/offerings
Product links: linktr.ee/drmitra
Substack: eldersevolution.substack.com
Full longevity stack: support@drmitraray.com
Dr. Mindy Pelz (fasting resource): drmindypelz.com
The later chapters are not decline. They are refinement. Welcome to The Elder’s Evolution.
