By now, you’ve heard my ranting and raving about Bulletproof coffee, so it will come as no surprise to you that I’m a huge fan of both it and Dave Asprey, the creator of Bulletproof coffee and the voice behind the popular Bulletproof Radio podcast. Dave has recently published The Bulletproof Diet, which is a full diet approach to “upgrading your life” with a unique approach to nutrition: embracing healthy fats so as to lose weight, gain energy and focus, and feel awesome every day.
I just completed the book and I have to say, the BPD is something that will definitely push me out of my comfort zone a bit. As you might already know, Chris and I changed our diet over 2 years ago when we completed the Beachbody Ultimate Reset, which helped us truly see how food affects the way we feel. By transitioning from a pure crap diet (think pizza Fridays, hot wing Sundays, and Ortega taco Tuesdays) into a whole-food, plant-based diet, the Reset revolutionized the way we eat. Over the course of first 3 months upon doing the Reset, we lost a combined 55 lbs. and lowered our cholesterol tremendously. We were able to finally connect the food we were eating with the way we were feeling, and we fell in love with proper nutrition.
Fast forward from then, living a much more sedentary lifestyle, working corporate jobs and exercising only 30-60 minutes per day, to now, where we own a gym, teach classes every day, fit our own workout in, and rarely sit. Our lifestyle, and the energy required, has changed, which means it’s only natural that we adjust our nutrition accordingly.
So you might be asking, “But you’re not overweight! Why are you doing a DIET?” So let me clarify. The Bulletproof Diet is truly a lifestyle and a belief in a particular way of eating, not necessarily the 1980’s definition of a true “diet,” that makes you think of calorie restriction.
The Bulletproof Diet can be summarized in this way:
* Animal products contain unique sources of healthy fats not found elsewhere. These fats serve your body in ways of metabolism boosting, fat burning, and an overall balance of hormones. Animal products, especially grass-fed and grass-finished beef and lamb, are considered Bulletproof foods, along with grass-fed butter. (Next in line is low mercury fish, typically wild caught, followed by organic poultry).
* Bulletproof Coffee is intended once per day, either alone early morning during intermittent fasting or in addition to protein. BP coffee is simply 32 oz. of hot brewed Bulletproof coffee, blended with 2 Tbsp. grass-fed butter and 1 Tbsp. Bulletproof MCT Oil. Delicious!
* There are “Bulletproof” foods identified throughout the book, along with “Kryptonite” foods. For the most part, “Kryptonite” foods are most fruits (aside from berries), unhealthy starches, all dairy aside from grass-fed butter and ghee, GMOs, high fructose corn syrup, most cooking oils, nuts/legumes (aside from coconut), most grains, and refined sugars. These foods are meant to be avoided entirely.
* Sleep hacks to help you get to sleep more quickly, get into a deep sleep, and reboot your system effectively.
* The fitness concept is to keep moderately active daily, with short bursts of high intensity workouts 3 times per week.
All of these points are reasons why I’ve chosen to give this lifestyle a try. While I love the way I feel eating my plant-based, whole foods diet, since starting the gym, I’ve noticed a bit more physical fatigue with workouts than before. While I used to be able to teach 3 classes per day, I find myself struggling a bit more and I know the primary reason is a lack of abundant healthy fats in my diet. Coconut oil, MCT oil, Brain Octane oil, and butter will be my new best friend, and I’m excited to see how it changes my energy. As Dave says in the book, consuming grass-fed, grass-finished beef IS maintaining that plant-based diet.
For the most part, the Kryptonite foods outlined by the BPD I already avoid, with the exception of nuts/legumes/grains and apples. Trust me, it will be tough to let go of my daily snack on fruit and nuts!
I’ve been a faithful BP coffee drinker for several months and can tell you, without a doubt, it has enhanced my mental clarity and focus as well as productivity. When I drink other types of coffee, no matter how delicious, I find myself with a headache or brain fog by mid-afternoon, and in some cases, vertigo. With BP coffee, no such problem.
So why did I share all this? Because I have a feeling some of you may be in the same boat… You may feel sluggish mid-afternoon, you may hate the way traditional coffee makes you feel, and you just may be looking for a reason to eat butter. Ha! My dear friend Cheryl and I are co-leading a Bulletproof Facebook group for everyone looking to feel amazing in the new year. As avid Shakeology drinkers, we’re 100% sure that everyone who joins us for accountability via the group will benefit from everything there is to offer, which includes:
* a daily dose of dense nutrition in Shakeology
* the mental clarity and focus from Bulletproof Coffee/MCT oil
* the ketosis-enabling effects of the BP diet
* moving daily
If this is something you or someone you know might be interested in, let me know. There’s no better time than the present to become BULLETPROOF!