What is a bulletproof diet?

Answer 1

This is a diet plan invented by Dave Asprey. It's not especially for weight loss, but most people do end up losing weight if they stick to it. It's very similar to a paleo diet in that you go for the most organic foods you can find - grass-fed beef and pork, free range chicken and eggs, grass-fed dairy products and organic veggies and coffee. The idea is to cut out everything with gluten or mold or chemical additives. Here's a link to a basic "roadmap" of the diet plan.

Answer 2

The Bulletproof Diet, described on this linked page, is just one more fad diet designed to create a money-making bestseller book, as were the Paleo diet and many others. Dietician Lynn Weaver criticized the Bulletproof Diet as being supported only by small studies not typically used by medical and nutritional professionals.

Here's what one commenter (on the above page) said:
"I am not so sure that I buy into what is being touted as 'plenty of evidence.' I come from poor immigrant stock and my parents and grandparents literally lived on beans (not fermented). They all lived VERY long lives with very few if any health problems, and kept all their teeth. I am sure if I spend a few minutes I could come up with evidence against this diet. Don't be so quick to buy into these fads; they may work but at what cost to you and your health long-term? I agree about getting rid of processed foods, sugar, etc. But dropping healthy foods like fruits and beans? Not so sure about that."

- And the same goes for dropping grains and legumes.

Also, anyone advising that you're able to lose a pound (1/2 kilo) per day is giving dangerous advice.

What, then, would be a sensible diet?

Doctors and dieticians recommend losing weight gradually, allowing a whole month for every 4 to 8 pounds you want to lose. A cycle of diminished physical fitness will happen if you diet too quickly (too drastically). As soon as you ease up on a drastic diet, your weight will balloon up once again.
Here's a program for the period in which you want to lose weight:
Try to get plenty of moderate aerobic exercise (intense exercise may damage your joints). It isn't essential to join a gym; you can do sit-ups, pushups, dumbbell-lifting, jumping-jacks, and many other basic exercises at home. Walk as much as possible. Bicycling and swimming are good too. Even for people who are not trying to lose weight, being active helps your digestion, your circulation, and other body processes, and will help improve your mood.

Even more important than exercise, is avoiding junk foods and sweetened drinks such as soda. Try to avoid refined flour and pasta, processed foods, fried foods, and fatty cuts of meat. Cut down on added sugar and added salt. Even for people who are not trying to lose weight, it is recommended to have no more than about 6 teaspoons of sugar per day (and many processed foods contain sugar, corn syrup or the like).

Our great-grandparents didn't have the epidemic of obesity we see today, because they had a less-sedentary lifestyle, a much more natural diet, and they ate reasonably-sized portions.

Eat 3 not-large-portioned meals per day; do not skip breakfast; and avoid sugary snacks. If you want a snack, try (for example) an apple or a handful of unsalted nuts.

Limit your calories (best to consult a doctor or nutritionist concerning the amount), and weigh yourself at the same time each day, 2-3 times per week. If you see your weight diminishing at a safe, reasonable rate (1-2 pounds/week), keep it up.

Once you've reached your goal, increase your calorie intake somewhat, so that you can maintain your present weight. And you can then have small amounts of sweetened foods or junk food on occasion (if at all), along with your regular healthy foods. But keep checking your weight 2-3 times/week.

Avoid crash-diets, fad diets, diet pills, etc. These may be harmful, and need not be considered by people who have adopted an otherwise healthy diet. Also, do not starve yourself, or skip meals, or try throwing up.

More guidelines:
Don't concentrate on specific foods so much as on a balanced, healthy diet plus exercise.

Healthy nutrition means eating what your body needs, while ingesting as few harmful things as possible. It has also been described as getting enough of each of the major food categories, in healthy forms (grains and legumes, fruits, vegetables, protein, dairy, etc.; plus plenty of water).

In general, an example of a healthy starting point could be a menu of whole-grain foods and bread, a good amount of vegetables, legumes, some fruits and nuts, fish, lean meats in not-large amounts, and some dairy. However, this may need adjusting according to one's lifestyle, age, health, weight and other factors at the outset; and also later, as one sees what works for him/her in particular.

Also...whenever you feel queasy, nauseous, constipated or otherwise not completely well, try to remember what you've eaten over the last several hours or the last day. This is one factor in adjusting one's food habits.

See also:

Could you describe a balanced diet?

What features would a good weight-loss program have?

Different types of fat - which are healthy?

Some healthy snacks

Is it possible to slim down in just one area of the body?

Disclaimer: Some people with complications such as glandular or other disorders, may find that they gain weight despite eating healthily. In such a case, professional advice may be needed.