The Bulletproof Diet is a high-fat low-carb diet. The Bulletproof Diet shares many similarities with the Paleo Diet. You can view the Bulletproof Diet as an upgraded version of the Paleo Diet. We have further elaborated on the difference between the Bulletproof Diet and the Paleo Diet in the article Bulletproof Diet is upgraded Paleo Diet.
The Bulletproof Diet focuses on food quality rather than quantity, which means there is no need for tedious calorie counting or food weighing. The diet offers anti-inflammatory benefits and improves your overall health. So how do you follow the diet? The principles are simple.
Eat:
- Healthy fats such as grass-fed butter, MCT oil or coconut oil.
- Many grass-fed types of meat such as beef and lamb.
- Eggs
- Some pork and poultry
- Fish and shellfish (seafood should be wild-caught)
- Organic vegetables and fruit
- Non-toxic food
- Drink organic coffee
Avoid:
- Sugar (including fruit juices, sports drinks, and honey)
- Gluten in all forms (bread, cornflakes, pasta) - but do not replace these with gluten-free 'junk' food!
- Grains and grain products
- Unstable polyunsaturated oils (corn, soy, rapeseed, walnut, peanut, linseed)
- All unnatural additives in food such as colorings and aromatic substances
- Legumes (beans, lentils, peanuts)
- Pasteurized, homogenized (by adding emulsifiers) and processed food
The Bulletproof Diet is a Ketogenic diet. A diet is ketogenic when the food consists primarily of fats and contains very few carbohydrates and proteins.
Carbohydrates
It is best to consume carbohydrates in the evening (such as rice, sweet potato and fruit)
Experts like Mark Sisson recommend a portion of no more than 75gr carbohydrates a day for fat burning. Dave Asprey’s advice is to eat no more than 30 grams of carbohydrates a day for optimum fat burning.
Not many people can sustain a low-carb diet for a longer period. This is why Dave Asprey recommends a weekly refeed, in which you eat extra carbohydrates (100 to 200 grams). The advantage is that you will be in a state of fat burning for most of the time and will get sufficient energy from the refeed. He recommends that women eat extra carbohydrates more often because they are more sensitive to the disadvantages of a ketogenic diet. It can cause sleeping problems, stress, and irregular menstruation. Athletes can also benefit from a greater carbohydrate intake, though there are some athletes that follow a strictly ketogenic diet. In short, it is up to the individual to adjust the intake based on his or her situation and needs.
Bulletproof Intermittent Fasting
During intermittent fasting, you limit your food intake to a period of six hours. You eat nothing for the other 18 hours. Intermittent fasting gives the body a signal to burn fat and build muscle. Not a lot of people enjoy eating nothing all morning. Bulletproof intermittent fasting provides the answer. In the morning you drink a cup of Bulletproof coffee for breakfast. The rationale behind this is that your body will still think you are fasting, while you will feel satisfied thanks to the MCT oil and butter. The MCT oil also raises your metabolism.
Bulletproof Protein Fasting
The Bulletproof Diet recommends a maximum of 15gr protein a day. It would be difficult to eat less than that because many vegetables contain protein. A drastic reduction in your protein intake results in autophagy. Autophagy occurs when your body burns toxins in your cells for energy. It is a natural cleansing process.
It is easiest to combine protein fasting with a carbohydrate refeed day.
Bulletproof Diet in practice
It doesn't matter if you occasionally divert from the principles mentioned above. The better you follow them, however, the better you will feel. Don't forget to check our list of ingredients to have in stock!
The Bulletproof Diet is 1 of the pillars of the Bulletproof Lifestyle. The other two pillars are exercise and sleep.