Eastover Estate and Eco-Village is now offering a five-day, scientific fasting and meditation retreat every Sunday through Friday. Yingxing Wang, co-founder of Eastover Estate and Eco-Village, the 600-acre retreat sanctuary in the heart of the Berkshires, recently returned from Las Vegas, where she attended the A4M conference on functional medicine. What she learned about the benefits of monthly fasting convinced her to offer a five-day, nutrient-packed fast as a standard retreat option at Eastover all year round.

“This is the third year I’ve attended A4M, and it’s always packed with new research about cancer, chronic disease and memory loss,” Wang says. “There is a lot of science supporting the self-care practice of taking five days each month for a nutritious low-calorie, low-protein, low-fat fast. More than 20 years of research at USC has shown that such prolonged fasting is superior to calorie restriction, one- or two-day intermittent fasting or skip-a-day fasting.”

In addition to enjoying chef-prepared meals, participants will learn to replicate those meals at home in order to continue their fasting practice. They will also learn from a variety of special guests, such as experts in memory loss, macrobiotics, nutrition, qigong and tai chi.

Cost: Less than $200/day all-inclusive. Location: 430 East St., Lenox. For more information, call 631-680-7573 or visit Eastover.com.