Is the Bulletproof Diet Safe?

Are the Bulletproof Coffee and the Bulletproof Diet really safe ways to lose weight and increase energy? Do they offer any health benefits?

The much-buzzed-about Bulletproof Coffee and the Bulletproof Diet plan were started by Dave Asprey, an American technology entrepreneur who lost 100 pounds from his plan. The coffee is a blend of Bulletproof’s specially sourced ground “Upgraded Coffee,” unsalted grass-fed butter and a “Brain Octane” mix of palm kernel and coconut oils, which racks up approximately 500 calories and 55 grams of fat. The diet consists of a low-carb intermittent eating plan that cuts out gluten, grains, pasteurized dairy, sugar and legumes (except for sprouted or fermented beans), and allows very limited amounts of fruit. Foods that are allowed include grass-fed meat, wild seafood and organic fruits and vegetables.

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Followers of the diet are advised to eat only in the hours between 2 pm and 8 pm. The problem with these drastic weight-loss plans is that they are very difficult to stick with over time. For the Bulletproof Diet in particular, the quality of its scientific health claims are poor as most of the research has been done on rats and mice, while other studies cited were done on small groups of people. When searching for a safe way to lose weight and increase energy, put aside time to exercise and plan to cut just a few hundred calories from your daily clean-eating lifestyle.

See alsoHot Buttered Coffee.

Registered dietitians Tiffani Bachus and Erin Macdonald are the co-founders and creators of URockGirl.com, a website dedicated to promoting wellness and a healthy, balanced lifestyle.