BioHack Your Life with The 6th annual Biohacking Conference and Upgrade Experience at the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel

BioHack Your Life with The 6th annual Biohacking Conference and Upgrade Experience at the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel

By Omid Vojdani, Health and Wellness Editor, Edible Skinny

A few years back, I had the experience of a lifetime when I visited the flagship Upgrade Labs, the brainchild of Bulletproof founder, Dave Asprey, and the world's first Biohacking Health and Fitness facility, in Santa Monica, CA.  Amanda McVey, the VP of Upgrade Labs, and her expert team there treated me to almost every ‘biohack’ they had at their disposal so I could have the full experience of being upgraded by the cutting edge tech they had. After almost 4 hours I left with a level of energy that I can only describe as feeling like superman, but also a paradigm shifting sense of what is possible in the realms of human performance and health.

Since that experience, I dove head first into the world of biohacking in an attempt to feel that level of bionic energy as my new normal. Dave Asprey, the founder of Bulletproof, and a celebrity in the biohacking space, defines biohacking as “changing the environment outside of you and inside of you so you have full control of your biology, to allow you to upgrade your body, mind, and your life.” For example, most people know that when we get outside into nature and expose ourselves to healthy amounts of sunshine, we feel great and have replenished our vitamin D levels. Biohackers take that bit of knowledge and will use red light devices indoors to get all the same benefits (and then some) without having to leave the house. If I can get all the health benefits and save time and energy, I can use that savings for other things.

That is why I’m so excited about the 6th annual Biohacking Conference and Upgrade Experience that is taking place from April 5th through the 7th at the iconic Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel. Being in the health and wellness space myself, I knew a lot of the science of what I was going to go through at Labs years ago, but as they say, “words don’t change people, experiences do.” This is a chance for up to 1,200 people to experience the upper levels of human performance, and redefine what they want ‘normal health’ to mean.

This year, CEO Martin Tobias says, “We’ve totally overhauled this experience, making it more intimate and more interactive for attendees. People will walk away feeling better, looking better, and empowered and informed to live better.” Attendees will be treated to an Upgrade Labs approved menu of food prepared by the head chef and staff of the Beverly Hills Hilton, and if you choose to stay at the Hilton itself, in-room biohacks tailored towards combating the wear and tear of travel will be available. I’m looking forward to using the breath-EZ again; a little device that mists structured water that we breathe in to help restructure our cells from the inside out.

The speakers this year include, of course, Dave Asprey (the father of biohacking), as well as Arianna Huffington, Jim Kwik, Paralympian Amy Purdy, Dr Joseph Mercola, and many more. I’m most impressed with the wide variety of speaker topics this year, ranging from stem cells to the power of human connection to meditation and even spiritual awakening. I’m personally looking forward to Naveen Jain giving his talk about what he and his team are learning over at his gut microbiome company Viome. They’ve been collecting samples for years now, and I’d love to see the trends they’re discovering between our health and our gut bacteria.

I’m also looking forward to the tech playground this year more than others. Previously, there were almost too many venders and toys to play with, and I was left with the homework of trying to figure out which red light therapy company I wanted to go with. This year, the Upgrade Labs team has hand selected the best of the best in each category to be present aiming to create a much more streamlined experience for attendees to play with. Be sure to find the ‘cheat machine’ if you want to feel what a weightlifting workout SHOULD feel like.

My 4 hour upgrade experience left my life changed for the better; from making my workouts much more efficient, to improving my meditation game, to even redirecting my attention from what I thought was knee pain to instead focus on my lower back and kidneys. I can’t even imagine the changes that I’ll be able to make with 3 whole days of immersive biohacking and the new tools I’ll learn from speakers at the top of their industries. More importantly, I’m looking forward to shattering the upper limits of what my health can be.

If you’re interested in going to the event, purchase your tickets soon at  https://xp.upgradelabs.com/page/1375153/register, as space is limited and filling up fast. If you can’t make it, I highly recommend making a visit to either of the Upgrade Labs locations and treating yourself to the upgrade experience.

Omid Vojdani is the founder of Succeed With Omid, a program of complete personalized mind body health specializing in wellness, injury rehab, and relationship management. For more information check out succeedwithomid.com

Instamix: Bulletproof Coffee on the Go

Instamix: Bulletproof Coffee on the Go

By Omid Vojdani

Bulletproof  Coffee has changed my life. I mean that in every sense imaginable. Butter, mct oils and single sourced organic coffee mixed together gave me unbelievable energy, mental clarity, and even helped me shed some body fat along the way. Over the years since I discovered this miracle elixir I’ve explored much of what Dave Asprey has created for his Bulletproof brand, including the Upgraded Glutathione, Upgraded Activated Charcoal, and his Upgraded Collagen Protein, all which I believe are quality products that have made a positive impact on my life. 

To put it bluntly, I am a fanboy.

When Dave Asprey, founder of Bulletproof, announced his Instamix product, I couldn’t wait to try it. Dave has been working on Instamix for a little over three years, aiming to make a product for people who want their Bulletproof coffee while traveling, but don’t want to pack a blender, butter and oil. And while this product does exactly that, my first experience wasn’t was what I expecting. Spoiled by the frothy perfection of my at home BulletProof coffee, this tasted thick, a tad burnt and did not mix well. I did manage to finish the cup, and I was rewarded by all the normal effects: increased energy, mental clarity, and a curb in appetite for a few hours. 

But being the fanboy I am, I refused to believe that Bulletproof could put out a subpar product.  I decided to give Instamix a few more tries. I realized my error was trying to stir the product into the coffee with a spoon. For the second try, decided to mix it all inside my travel coffee tin, and shake the heck out of it for a full minute. What a difference! Still not the creamy and frothy mix you get after blending, but definitely a much more pleasant experience. 

This made me think about my expectations. I think as with anything in life there is  a small price to be paid for convenience. Instamix will never been my multi-step, full kitchen, frothy, homemade cup of Bulletproof coffee, but with Instamix now I can be Bulletproof no matter how far away I am from the comforts of my own home or kitchen appliances. 

14 individual pouches of Instamix retail for $29.99, and you can pick them up at Bulletproof Café if you’re in Santa Monica, CA, or at www.bulletproof.com/instamix. 

I highly recommend this to traveling Bulletproof Coffee addicts and fanboys/girls like me. Just keep in mind that to get all the same effects, we’re trading a little bit of comfort for convenience. 

Upgrade Yourself Science Wise with the Bulletproof Diet Cookbook

By Omid Vojdani
Edible Skinny Health and Wellness Editor

As a personal trainer who taught himself to cook, I understand nutrition now, but it wasn’t always that way. I spent the last five years going through many different diets and seeing what would work for me. Many of them were too strict, and others were just weird (I’m looking at you raw vegans). Some diets just plain made me feel low energy all the time, but were supposedly ‘healthy.’ 

Which means I get it when clients come to me confused, quoting conflicting news articles and way too much bro science about nutrition. How does anyone start to understand it all? Well, it all started for me when I came across a video of some silly guy putting butter in his coffee, promising unlimited energy, mental agility, and even a six pack without working out! Already having tried many diets and disliking most of them, I gave it a go, and became hooked on The Bulletproof Diet.

Pioneered by Dave Asprey (that silly guy in the video), the Bulletproof Diet focuses first and foremost on getting enough healthy fats into the body to not only help us lose weight and turn off food cravings, but also turn on our brain and mitochondria (what gives us energy through the day). On top of that, this diet also recommends a minimum of 6 servings of veggies a day, and upwards of 11 if you can. Dave believes that food should be something that not only tastes good, but also makes us feel the best that we can, not rob us of energy and give us crashes through the day. Through the last two years being Bulletproof, I’ve resorted to personal research, the Bulletproof Forums, and many failed experiments in the kitchen in attempts to feel like a million bucks. I quickly discovered that certain foods dubbed healthy by the American Medical Association (I’m looking at you, quinoa) led me to feeling lethargic and ‘hangry.’ After exhaustive online research and many a spreadsheet, I hit my stride, finding out that Dave Asprey really does deliver on all he promised with his revolutionary diet. I started leaning out without changing my workout regiment (hello abs without crunches), raising my mental clarity and even kicking my addiction to coffee (yup, one cup for all day energy).

In December, Dave Asprey finally released his Bulletproof Diet Cookbook. Now, I can tell my clients they can skip the five years of experimenting and exhaustive spreadsheets, and simply select any of the 125 Bulletproof recipes cleanly detailed out in the book. Recipes like: Steamed Artichokes with Salmon and Vinaigrette, or Cauliflower-Bacon Mash. Do you like rice, but always heard it’s too many carbs? There is a recipe and simple instructions to make low carb rice with honey. Like sweets? How about Bulletproof blueberry Gelato (only need a blender and an ice cube tray).

If you haven’t heard of the Bulletproof Diet before, or are new to nutrition, the first 50 pages of this cookbook is a beautifully written summary of how it works, and even tips for eating Bulletproof on the road. It gets scientific (yay science!), but Dave does a great job of boiling down the science into easy to understand and digest vocabulary and analogies. The book also has beautiful color picture of many of the 125 recipes.

I look forward to trying many of the recipes I haven’t had a chance to try yet, and if our readers would like, I can write up specific recipes with detailed pictures and grocery costs. But for now, just know that the Bulletproof Diet is all about using our food to make us perform better, kick more butt in life, and eliminate food cravings for good!

Apparently Oil and Water Do Mix as Bulletproof Announces The Creation of FATwater

For most people certain things are supposed to be separated: Solange and Jay Z, cats and dogs, oil and water… but for Biohacker, bestselling author and Bulletproof Coffee CEO Dave Asprey the last one on that list is up for debate with the launch today of FATwater, an oil water fusion to biohack the body’s hydration and power your day.  

Bulletproof proclaims FATwater as the next generation of energy drinks: caffeine free, no artificial sweeteners, and only 20 calories.  FATwater contains patented nanoparticles of Bulletproof XCT Oil™, the most valuable Medium Chain Triglyceride fats (MCTs) found in coconut oil.  Your body easily absorbs these XCT Oil nanoparticles, which efficiently escort water into your body so you can experience extreme hydration.

 

“If you’re wondering, the answer is YES: oil and water do mix,” says Asprey. “People have rejected the low-fat dogma of the 1980’s because it doesn’t work.  FATwater leverages the power of fat from coconuts to drive hydration in a new way and disrupt an industry addicted to sugary drinks.  When you take control of your hydration, you perform better.”

Today’s FATwater announcement was made simultaneous to the announcement that Bulletproof has raised $9 million from Trinity Ventures, an early Starbucks and Jamba Juice investor, with plans to further expand the company, bringing the benefits of the Bulletproof lifestyle to the masses.

Bottled FATwater is available in the flagship Bulletproof Coffee café in Santa Monica and at Erewhon Markets.  Erewhon, a leader in natural grocery since 1968 was the first Bulletproof retail outlet on the west coast and is the exclusive FATwater launch partner. FATwater concentrate is available nationwide at bulletproof.com.

Biohacking Life at the Bulletproof Coffee Shop and Café

Edible Skinny was lucky enough to attend the grand opening of the flagship Bulletproof Coffee Shop and Café in Santa Monica last week.  Biohacker, best selling author (The Bulletproof Diet), and Bulletproof Coffee creator Dave Asprey was on hand to marshal in the brand’s first brick and mortar!

Some call Bulletproof’s butter coffee lifestyle a cult, others the perfect solution for taking control of their life.  Asprey chose Los Angeles as the first location for his coffee shop based on readership of his Bulletproof blog.  Actor Brandon Routh, Late-night host Jimmy Fallon, Actress Shailene Woodley, and Music Producer Rick Rubin all follow Asprey’s Biohacking lifestyle.  Believers states this high-fat diet can lead to weight loss, an extra energy boost, avoiding that pesky afternoon crash, and keeping yourself mentally focused. 

The apex of techie coffee creations (Bulletproof’s drinks will be served in glass beakers), will use only butter from grass-fed, pastured cows (like Kerrygold), Brain Octane MCT oil, and single-origin, organic coffee that's grown, harvested and stored so as to be pesticide and toxin free, and less likely to cause inflammation in the body (like the Paleo diet any food that creates inflammation is a BIG no no).

 

The cafe will use a digitally controlled brewing system with metal filters that resemble the pour-over or French Press method, and a computer will precisely measure temperature, time, and pressure.  The baristas will be known as “coffee hackers.”

Since Bulletproof Coffee is meant to be a meal replacement, the cafe won’t serve breakfast, but options from its lunch and dinner menu were tray passed during the opening.  There were many carnivore delights (including the exotic lamb’s broth… but not for this Veg).   I mostly stuck to the dessert bar, which included Coconut Cream Semi Freddo and Chocolate Pudding with Coconut Whipped Cream and Raspberries.  Lots of sweetness and still Bulletproof friendly!

 

So if you’ve ever thought about jumping into the world of butter coffee, your chance to Biohack your morning Joe has just arrived!

The Bulletproof Coffee cafe and shop is opening soon (the date was unsure) at 3110 Main St. in Santa Monica, with hours of 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.