Here's why you should have coffee, dark chocolate and fat every day in 2017

Surprise -- you don't have to deprive yourself to get healthier this year

Here's why you should have coffee, dark chocolate and fat every day in 2017

Surprise -- you don't have to deprive yourself to get healthier this year

Those resolving to get healthier in 2017 don’t need to starve themselves or spend hours at the gym. In fact, the reason why most New Year's resolutions fail is because goal-setters aim for impossible objectives that are forgotten at the first misstep. “The biggest thing you can do is to not make a New Year’s resolution that requires perfection,” Dave Asprey, founder and CEO of nutrition company Bulletproof told us last week. Asprey is a technology entrepreneur, investor and New York Times best-selling author of “The Bulletproof Diet.” He has more than 700,000 followers on Facebook and Twitter combined. “The vast majority of people make resolutions and they’re done in two weeks. They say, ‘I’m not going to eat any junk food,’ or ‘I’m not going to eat any sugar.’ Then they have sugar one night and say, ‘I’ve already failed, therefore, I’m going to just load up on fast food,;” Asprey explained. “Then it’s a lost cause. Instead, set a resolution that’s behavior-based, but not perfection-based. Change the way you do things. Say, ‘I’m going to do at least one thing every day that supports my goal.’” Last week, behavioral scientist Dr. Sherri D. Pruitt echoed the idea that lasting change comes from a series of small steps and efforts. “Be thoughtful about what you can accomplish, be specific, and make your goal a behavior that you can measure,” Pruitt told Hearst Television Dec. 20. Asprey’s approach is a bit more unconventional – even leaning toward what some may call radical. The 43-year-old practices bio-hacking – biologically tweaking one’s body to meet extraordinary goals. Nutrition plays a major role in bio-hacking, and Asprey often uses unorthodox foods, supplements and methods as part of his Bulletproof lifestyle. He credits bio-hacking for his 100-pound weight loss, increase in IQ and improved sleep habits. “When you eat properly and sustainably for energy, weight loss and cognitive function, you’re eating food that’s delicious and incredibly satisfying. If you’re choosing foods that make you hungry a few hours after you eat them, you’re doing it wrong,” he explained. To improve one's health, the Wharton MBA grad doesn't recommend a low-calorie eating regimen that's nearly fat-free. Quite the opposite -- he insists that the often-demonized macronutrient is crucial for brain function and fat loss. Enter Asprey's 2009 creation - Bulletproof Coffee – a high-fat concoction made from grass-fed butter, a specialized medium-chain triglyceride oil, and black “upgraded” low-toxin coffee beans. He recommends drinking one to five cups a day, depending on one’s tolerance to caffeine. The formula has even attracted A-list fans like "Divergent" actress Shailene Woodley. Dark chocolate and green tea are also on Asprey's list of health-boosting superfoods. The sweet treat and ancient Chinese beverage are full of polyphenols - phytonutrients found in items like wine, extra virgin olive oil, fruits and chocolate. “There’s no need to eat raw kale, that will probably make you hungry. You don’t get to be a better person by denying yourself. The way you win is by reframing delicious foods that are healthy for you,” Asprey said. “You can hack your willpower by hacking your cells. You do that in large part by eating more polyphenols.” Adding polyphenol-rich foods and healthy fats to your diet will improve the way you look and feel, Asprey assured us. “By increasing the amount of antioxidants that you get from foods instead of other sources, you’re actually supporting energy production, which supports willpower, which supports goals, which supports your resolutions.” Eventually, healthy behaviors should become automatic. “Ideally, you’ll get to the one point where you do one thing that makes you better every day. It may not just be about your weight loss goal. For example, maybe one day you’ll meditate instead of working out," Asprey said. Continuously moving toward improvement – not perfection – is the best way to create lasting change, even if you make a few mistakes along the way. “The thing that most people don’t expect, when they’re dialed in right, when you do the things right that make you look good and that also support energy, all of a sudden you realize you’re thinking at a new level, and that your creativity and willpower went up.” Follow @theabigailelise on Twitter.

“The biggest thing you can do is to not make a New Year’s resolution that requires perfection,” Dave Asprey, founder and CEO of nutrition told us last week. Asprey is a technology entrepreneur, investor and New York Times best-selling author of “The Bulletproof Diet.” He has more than 700,000 followers on Facebook combined.

“The vast majority of people make resolutions and they’re done in two weeks. They say, ‘I’m not going to eat any junk food,’ or ‘I’m not going to eat any sugar.’ Then they have sugar one night and say, ‘I’ve already failed, therefore, I’m going to just load up on fast food,;” Asprey explained. “Then it’s a lost cause. Instead, set a resolution that’s behavior-based, but not perfection-based. Change the way you do things. Say, ‘I’m going to do at least one thing every day that supports my goal.’”

, behavioral scientist Dr. Sherri D. Pruitt echoed the idea that lasting change comes from a series of small steps and efforts.

“Be thoughtful about what you can accomplish, be specific, and make your goal a behavior that you can measure,” Pruitt told Hearst Television Dec. 20.

is a bit more unconventional – even leaning toward what some may call radical. The 43-year-old practices bio-hacking – biologically tweaking one’s body to meet extraordinary goals. Nutrition plays a major role in bio-hacking, and Asprey often uses unorthodox foods, supplements and methods as part of his Bulletproof lifestyle. He credits bio-hacking for his 100-pound weight loss, increase in IQ and improved sleep habits.

“When you eat properly and sustainably for energy, weight loss and cognitive function, you’re eating food that’s delicious and incredibly satisfying. If you’re choosing foods that make you hungry a few hours after you eat them, you’re doing it wrong,” he explained.

To improve one's health, the Wharton MBA grad doesn't recommend a low-calorie eating regimen that's nearly fat-free. Quite the opposite -- he insists that the often-demonized macronutrient is crucial for brain function and fat loss.

Enter Asprey's 2009 creation - – a high-fat concoction made from grass-fed butter, a specialized medium-chain triglyceride oil, and black “upgraded” low-toxin coffee beans. He recommends drinking one to five cups a day, depending on one’s tolerance to caffeine. The formula has even attracted A-list Shailene Woodley.

— Bulletproof (@bpnutrition)

Dark chocolate and green tea are also on Asprey's list of health-boosting superfoods. The sweet treat and ancient Chinese beverage are full of polyphenols - phytonutrients found in items like wine, extra virgin olive oil, fruits and chocolate.

“There’s no need to eat raw kale, that will probably make you hungry. You don’t get to be a better person by denying yourself. The way you win is by reframing delicious foods that are healthy for you,” Asprey said. “You can hack your willpower by hacking your cells. You do that in large part by eating more polyphenols.”

Adding polyphenol-rich foods and healthy fats to your diet will improve the way you look and feel, Asprey assured us.

“By increasing the amount of antioxidants that you get from foods instead of other sources, you’re actually supporting energy production, which supports willpower, which supports goals, which supports your resolutions.”

Eventually, healthy behaviors should become automatic.

“Ideally, you’ll get to the one point where you do one thing that makes you better every day. It may not just be about your weight loss goal. For example, maybe one day you’ll meditate instead of working out," Asprey said.

Continuously moving toward improvement – not perfection – is the best way to create lasting change, even if you make a few mistakes along the way.

“The thing that most people don’t expect, when they’re dialed in right, when you do the things right that make you look good and that also support energy, all of a sudden you realize you’re thinking at a new level, and that your creativity and willpower went up.”

��vlog