The Bulletproof Diet was created by Dave Asprey. Asprey is the founder of the Bulletproof company, which was launched in 2013. Briefly, his story says that he had been very unhealthy and then started following a diet very different from the traditional weight loss strategy. This included melting butter into his morning coffee, among other changes.

That said, Asprey claims that following his Bulletproof diet helped him to lose 100 pounds of fat, eliminated the signs of six chronic diseases – which were not identified – experienced increased energy and productivity and he even claims that his IQ spiked by 20 points. To be clear, aside from the weight (not necessarily fat) loss, none of the additional claims are verifiable. Therefore, it’s very important for dieters to take a much closer look at this diet and to talk to their doctors before starting this type of dieting.

The Bulletproof Diet Rules

There are ten rules someone is supposed to follow if they are using the Bulletproof Diet to lose weight. They are mainly a matter of eliminating certain foods because they are “toxic” according to Asprey.

1. Cut out all sugar – This includes natural sweeteners like maple syrup and honey.
2. Replace any sugars with healthy fats – Therefore, where you’d usually eat sugar, honey or maple syrup, you should include grass fed butter or any of the pricy branded Bulletproof fat products.
3. Eliminate anything other than “clean” meats – Clean meats are grass fed meats and wild caught seafood. This will likely present a barrier to anyone whose grocery list is made on a budget.
4. Eliminate grains and gluten – Asprey believes that gluten has “many negative effects”. That said, most doctors disagree, and some studies show that people who eliminate gluten when they do not have celiac disease or another specific tolerance have an increased risk of heart disease.
5. Eliminate all artificial colorings, flavorings and other additives.
6. Eliminate all legumes except for sprouted legumes – Sprouted legumes are permitted, but only if you must have them. They’re best cut out as well, according to the Bulletproof Diet.
7. Eliminate all processed, pasteurized and homogenized dairy – Only full-fat raw dairy is permitted with the Bulletproof Diet. This will prove difficult for the millions of people living in areas where it is illegal to sell raw dairy to the consumer.
8. Switch to organic fruits and veggies.
9. Gently cook foods – Ideally, they should not be heated to more than 320ºF, should not be fried and should not be microwaved.
10. Eat only 1 to 2 servings of fruit per day – Ideally, fruits should be low-sugar options. The Bulletproof diet recommends berries and lemons.

The Bulletproof Diet is typically considered to be a form of extreme dieting.