If you have looked into other diet plans, you may notice that the Bulletproof Diet sounds similar to many others. What you may also notice is that the Bulletproof Diet provides very little statistics and research about the effectiveness. Aspery also lacks providing comparison to other diets. There are several other diets that can be much more effective, and Aspery does not address those.
If you are serious about improving your health, I encourage you to do some research of your own on various diet plans. From my own research, I have found that diet plans look different to each person, each body type and each genetic make-up.
In a study done by Jonny Bowden, a nationally known expert on weight loss, nutrition, and health, he compares low-carb diets to low-fat diets to see which one is truly the most effective. This is how the study was briefly explained:
"Researchers took 307 participants and randomly divided them into two groups. One group went on a low-carb diet, right out of the Atkins playbook. For three months these folks consumed no more than 20 grams of carbs a day from fibrous, low-glycemic vegetables. For each week after the initial three months, this group then added back in 5 grams per day of carbs and were told to keep doing this until their weight stabilized. Other than carbs, this first group had no restrictions and could eat all the protein and fat they wanted.
The second group went on a standard low-fat diet of between 1,200-1,500 calories a day (for women), and 1,500-1,800 calories a day (for men). The only restriction was to keep fat to 30 percent or less of calories (standard advice). They were told to stick to this plan for the entire two years. The researchers were interested in weight loss, which in research terminology was what was called the "primary outcome." In other words, weight loss was what they were primarily interested in measuring. The results? There was no difference in weight loss between the two groups."
(Healthy Solutions: Low Fat Vs. Low Carb Diets)
Bowden goes on to explain that low-carb diets have the reputation of being very effective, but only for a short amount of time. However, researchers became concerned about more than just weight loss. They wanted to consider the cardiovascular risk factors, such as heart disease, that may come from low-fat diets.
The results that were found from this study comparing low carb diets vs. low fat diets showed that both groups lost a significant amount of weight in the time of the study, and gained the same amount of weight after they went back to their old eating habits. So...what does this mean? If they both has the same results, which diet, low-carb or low-fat, truly improves overall health?
The difference between these groups is that the participants of the low-carb diet group began noticing significant changes in their cardiovascular health. "Six months into the study, however, the low-carb group had a significantly greater reduction in diastolic blood pressure, a significantly greater reduction in triglycerides, and significantly greater reduction in a particularly bad form of "bad" cholesterol called VLDL (very low-density-lipoproteins). In other words, markers for heart disease risk actually improved. A lot."
These results show that there are several diets out there that draw you in by their appeal of losing weight and losing it fast by simple instructions. Low carb diets are very effective, but only if they are consistent. The participants in this study done by Bowden were on this strict diet, trying to improve their overall health- not just simply trying to lose weight. It is proven by this study that it is not effective to participate in a low-carb diet, begin seeing significant results in overall health, and then return to your old eating habits after you lost the weight you wanted to lose. By doing this, you are moving backwards and not allowing your body to improve the way you want it to. If you want to improve your health, stick to a strict diet plan that is most beneficial for you and stick to it for a long period of time.
The advertisements of diets such as The Bulletproof Diet are appealing to us because we may just want to lose a few pounds and improve how we feel, but these diets can be very dangerous. I encourage you to do research and maybe even talk to a doctor or nutritionist about which of your eating habits need to change. I encourage you to then stick to it for a long period of time and not be discouraged when you may not be losing weight fast, like you may have in previous low-fat diets. If you want to improve your overall wellness, it requires a lot of commitment and consistency. Find what works for you, and change your lifestyle as your body begins to change and improve.
Sources:
Bowden, J. (2010). HEALTHY SOLUTIONS. LOW-FAT VS. LOW-CARB DIETS: THE REMATCH. Better Nutrition, 72(11), 28-29.
https://blog.bulletproof.com/start-the-bulletproof-diet/
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I like how you found the study and went into depth about it in your work, which only helps you and makes your take on it all seem more valid! Nice work!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteI, too, think you have presented some great information, but this may be difficult for readers to stay engaged with. I would encourage you to explore some alternative strategies to hone in on important concepts in a more visually appealing way.
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