Foodtrainers’ Favorites from the Bulletproof Conference

We’ve been busy. Yesterday, we launched our pretty, newonline shop. Unexpectedly, our curated products have become popular and so we needed to give them a spiffed-up home. There were no major tech issues and orders surpassed our predictions, phew.

And, over the weekend, Carolyn and I attended the Bulletproof Conference. We pride ourselves on being seekers or guinea pigs, if you’re a Bulletproofer it’s called biohacking. When we walked into the conference we felt as though we had found our people (“tribe” is so annoying but maybe it applies). If anything, these people made us look unaccomplished in our experimentation. There was some weird shit.

Clients and commenters were curious about some of the things we posted so I thought I’d do a round-up of top 10 things we learned or heard about:

Bulletproof coffee- this isn’t new to us but we were treated to Bulletproof coffee throughout the conference. The first morning’s coffee kept us focused and full for many hours despite a red eye the night before. If you haven’t tried it, Bulletproof coffee is coffee plus oil (MCTs or coconut oil) + grass-fed butter blended with collagen optional. We add cinnamon to ours as well.

 IV nutrition- Yes, this is controversial, yes you must be SUPER careful about who gives you needles and yes our client, an ER MD, doesn’t agree with me on this one but I’m a fan. It’s an efficient way to get a large dose of nutrients for immunity, energy and cognition. The speakers at Bulletproof got IV’s before their talks,

Dig Deeper-Mastin Kipp (one of the speakers) provided a good reminder that all of this biohacking is just busy work if we aren’t getting to the root of our pain, stressors etc. I emailed my therapist stat. 

The healthiest wine-I’m usually a mezcal/tequila girl, So, I’m not a big wine drinker but I am a drink-only-the-best-er. Dry Farm Wines was an exhibitor at Bulletproof and I just signed up for their healthy wine delivery. Low/no sulfites, organic and the “cleanest” wines I’ve found.

And from the sleep doc, red wine (not dry farm wines but the sulfitey kind) is worse for your sleep than white. If you’re on the fence about prioritizing sleep, Dr Mercola called it the #1 thing we can do for your health.

Cell phones are scary. I know he’s beloved but I didn’t enjoy Mercola’s talk simply because it terrified me. He focused on radiation from cell phones and Wi-Fi. There just aren’t many legit solutions. I mean, I told my kids not to put phones in their pockets/touching their bodies and they told me where to go (“so everyone in the world is going to get cancer then Mom”). One way to combat the damage to our cells from radiation is taking magnesium, a lot of magnesium One form I like is this. I have no suggestions for mitigating the damage of teenagers.

Molecular Hydrogen is something to keep an eye out for. I’m talking to one of the companies today, more on that soon but I think it’s going to be big.

Esther Perel. I really believe relationships and sex are the next frontier when it comes to our wellness. Check out Esther’s amazing podcast on audible or her books. I took copious notes at her talk but one thing that resonated was that people, entrepreneurs especially, often give their passion, love and energy to their work and then save “the crumbs” for their partners. I was guilty of this, when I opened, Foodtrainers. Marc has his own business too. I’m happy to report we give each other large crumbs, maybe bites, at this point.

It’s invigorating to learn new things. I seriously get a high from hearing about new ideas, technology and the such. Whatever you’re interested in, seek out information, preferably in person versus on the computer. “Gathering” is good for your health.

Malibu is worth it and Carolyn is the best. Our conference was in Pasadena, we took an Uber to Malibu (about an hour, female drivers both ways, go Cali). We sat at the bar at Nobu, looking out at the ocean, eating, drinking and catching up. Esther Perel said work partnerships were marriages. You need to think about them. Well we thought about it, over margaritas, and our “marriage” is solid.

If you have any questions about this list, comment below. Or, have you tried anything I mentioned?

What's with all the Bulletproof haters?

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?

You Should Drink Coffee and The Best Coffee to Drink

Bulletproof coffee photo via weightlossguru.com, keep forgetting to take my own

Saturday,  while getting a haircut, I flipped through a magazine. I wouldn’t suggest this diversion as a lot of cutting occurred as I read probably because I was annoyed with a certain article. Asked for her opinion of the Paleo diet an expert quoted offered “it’s never good to remove a whole category of food” a sentiment already filed in my collection of worthless diet advice. I’m not against category slashing. If there’s a reason to give up gluten or dairy or sugar that leaves you feeling better with improved digestion or more energy, breakups are fine. If you tell me you’re swearing off soda or icky sweeteners, cold cereal and “faux” whole wheat bread, I’m going to cheer you on versus hold you back. But if you tell me you’re giving up coffee, I’m going to ask why?

There is no problem with coffee, there’s a problem with too much coffee (over 2 cups) or what you put in your coffee. For example, that skim milk and Splenda should be at the top of your nutritional worry list. I’m not here to say “coffee in moderation is OK”. If you read regularly you know I’m not a fan of feeling “OK” or the useless word moderation. I’m here to say coffee can make you healthier.

Coffee may reduce your risk of type 2 Diabetes. With Parkinson’s, it lowers chances of both the disease and with some related movement symptoms as well. Coffee reduces the incidence of certain cancers such as bladder and kidney and impacts Alzheimer’s disease. Coffee is a well-established exercise helper or ergogenic aid. In fact, because tolerance increases I have athletes cut back (not cut out!) caffeine in the week leading up to an event so that they get the maximum effect on race day, sneaky. Interestingly coffee also affects GI flora. And Let’s not forget those Ikarians with the enviable life spans. “The Secret May Be in the Coffee”

There are a few coffee considerations. First, your cup of coffee (and maybe your second) should be consumed by lunchtime or right after. I don’t want to boost your health and disrupt your sleep. Even if you think “caffeine doesn’t bother you” it may affect the quality of your sleep. Speaking of quality, all coffee isn’t the same. Choose organic coffee (coffee is a pesticidey crop) and be careful not to brew it using bleached coffee filters.Yes you can roast your own coffee, there are only so many DIY projects I can handle so I don't roast but chime in if you do.

I’ve been a splash of grass-fed, organic half and half, in my coffee girl for some time.  During a twitter chat, someone suggested coconut oil in coffee. Soon after this mention I was fielding questions about  "Bulletproof Coffee" from clients. This concept is now all over the blogosphere. I was intrigued as I had never heard of it but also curious that this mixture combines two foods that conventional wisdom tells us are bad butter! and coffee.

Bulletproof Coffee was developed by Dave Asprey, an entrepreneur who has lost a tremendous amount of weight and was greatly affected by a cup of “butter tea” he had while traveling.  Dr Weil actually wrote that butter in teas has long history and via Google I learned butter is used in coffee in Ethiopia and parts of India. The Bulletproof recipe calls for MCT oil and unsalted butter blended with coffee. I thought this sounded weird and frankly vile until I realized butter is made from cream. Bulletproof coffee is said to increase alertness, more than black coffee, to keep hunger at bay until lunchtime and to urge the body to use fat for fuel.

I tried this with coconut oil (coconut oil contains MCTs or medium chain triglycerides) as I like the coconutty taste and Kerrygold unsalted butter. I used 1tsp of each for starters blended with 1 mug’s worth of coffee.  Asprey calls for more butter (1Tbs) and oil (1-2 Tbs) but "digestively" I would work your way up. You combine the butter, oil and freshly brewed coffee in a blender for approximately 10 seconds. I have experimented with a sprinkle of cinnamon and cardamom as well. You can stir the ingredients in your coffee, skipping the blending step, but it doesn’t incorporate well. When you blend it it froths up. Think of it as a coffee breakfast smoothie.

If you’re wondering how this works, coconut oil helps your body utilize fat for fuel, it’s also a natural immune booster. Grass fed butter is much higher in CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) which was a popular supplement a couple years back. CLA also helps reduce body fat, specifically abdominal fat. If you combine these two ingredients with coffee you have something that’s potentially life changing and “weight changing” as well. And if nothing else, it’s distracting me from my haircut.

Are you a coffee drinker? Have you ever tried to give up coffee? Why? Have you heard of Bulletproof coffee? Or encountered buttered tea or coffee in your travels?