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| I use less butter and less oil (coconut for me) than "suggested" |
I posted about Bulletproof coffee in 2013. As a coffee lover
fanatic, I was intrigued by this new coffee concept and loved the taste of
Bulletproof (coffee blended with grass-fed butter and oil) coffee. Since then
Bulletproof coffee and the Bulletproof diet have taken off. Even the
New York Times covered it recently. But you know what happens? With
coverage come the haters. Even the nutritionist in the Times article said, “this is not the breakfast of champions.” I’m
curious what she thinks is because this concoction makes me feel pretty
well…bulletproof.
A friend posted the Times article and there were the
skeptics who couldn’t imagine butter in their coffee. I get that, it sounds
weird. What I don’t get is the fury that Dave Asprey was not a nutritionist
(if that’s the criteria then ignore 75% of the diet information you read) and
that he sells products. If you were on board with Bulletproof, wouldn’t you want the exact items
Asprey writes about? “Expensive products” people clarify as if Soul Cycle or
green juices are cheap.
It wasn’t until yesterday, when I saw this article (posted
by the same Facebook friend) that I realized something about this concept really polarizes people. This
writer takes issue with Asprey’s claims that he has “unlocked the answer” (want to read a book where someone starts with "I don't know the answer"?) and
dismisses the concept as a “fad diet”. She points out he references animal
studies. I'm sorry, find me any nutrition book that doesn't cite rodent
studies...we are not that different from these creatures, sorry to say. But
when I thought about where this hate could be coming from I think it’s the fact
that Asprey is in favor of (good) fats and using a whole lot of them (more than I suggest using). With the legacy
of fat phobia, this is far more than a fad. It’s saying that the very way many
Americans structure their diet is dead wrong.
I read everything that comes my way and most of it
starts to blur. There were explanations and points made in this book I had never
heard. A bit about Asprey, he comes from a technology background and was an
experienced and unsuccessful dieter. He used what he calls “bio hacking” which
apparently is a thing (though a new one to me) to “hack” his body the way
techies might a computer, to find the secrets. And yes, my first thought was
who’s to say what works for Asprey will work for us? As I read further I had a
list of points that couldn’t hurt to try.
I also couldn’t help but see an overlap in some of the ideas
in The Little Book of Thin.
Asprey advocates carbs (and only certain carbs) consumed at
night versus earlier in the day and takes an even harsher stance on fruit than
I do. Asprey wonders why we lump “fruit
and vegetables” together. I’m curious to
look into a mechanism I hadn’t heard that fruit can decrease leptin transport
(leptin is the hormone that makes us feel we’ve had enough to eat).
Asprey also has some interesting points on sleep. He
suggests taking both omega 3’s and vitamin D at night to help with sleep. He
also feels sleep is more important than exercise, important to keep in mind if you’re
chronically choosing the gym over the extra rest. On exercise, Asprey a veteran
of 90-minute workouts isn’t buying the “more is better” exercise messaging. He
believes in well spaced, intense workouts and my favorite quote, “go for a walk
but don’t fool yourself into thinking you exercised when all you did was walk.”
Aside from the coffee (and there’s great info about certain
types of coffee being less moldy and healthier), my favorite part of this
regime is that there is equal emphasis on how you feel as there is on what you
weigh. Feeling vibrant, invincible and productive…or “bulletproof” is something
to aspire to….unless hating is your thing.
Have you tried
Bulletproof coffee? Like it? Have you read Dave Asprey’s book or listened to
the podcasts? Are you intrigued or not buying it?
