Coffee mixed with butter might sound unappetizing and even unhealthy.
One would think that it is a bad idea to mix it with coffee because of butter’s high saturated fat content.
But that might not be the case for this particular variant of coffee that many call the Bulletproof Coffee.
What is Bulletproof Coffee?
Bulletproof coffee, otherwise known as fat coffee or butter coffee, is a coffee recipe by Dave Asprey.
He got the inspiration from tasting butter tea on one of his travels to Tibet.
The energizing effect he experienced from that cup of tea drove him to figure out the science behind it.
Upon coming home, he performed experiments that resulted to the concept of the bulletproof coffee.
This became the core of the diet he created, the bulletproof diet.
This diet like the coffee consists of a low carbohydrate and moderate protein consumption with high fat of high quality.
So if you’re following a ketogenic diet or any diet that promotes low carbohydrates, bulletproof coffee is a great companion for it.
Great for a Ketogenic diet
It has high fat content with little to no carbohydrates, which is very good if you’re following a ketogenic diet or an intermittent fasting regimen.
Dave Asprey’s original Bulletproof coffee beans can be bought at his website bulletproof.com.
They are lab tested for mold which is what separates his beans from the rest.
If you are not sensitive to mold, or have another source of high-quality beans, there is no reason to buy the specific Bulletproof coffee beans.
The Bulletproof website also sells grass-fed ghee (clarified butter) and a special filtered MCT oil (from coconut oil).
There is no reason however you have to use these products to make a Bulletproof coffee.
You can use the butter you already have in your fridge along with any brand of coconut or MCT oil.
For best results
However, if you are looking for optimal performance, the Bulletproof Brain Octane MCT oil might be worth a try as it is slightly more effective.
In this article, we will describe how you can make your own Bulletproof coffee. This includes the ingredients you can get at any health food store or supermarket.
Why a High Fat and Low Carb Diet is Healthy?
When the body runs out of carbohydrates to tap for energy, it begins to metabolize fat which the body converts to ketones.
These ketones are what the body would use as an energy source.
When your body is in a state of fat metabolism, it is in a state of ketosis.
The fats that our body would use to convert to ketones would come from either your diet or the stored fat on your body.
Because of this a ketogenic diet would benefit those who are looking to lose fat for
health purposes (like obese individuals) or athletic performance.
Naturally suppresses appetite
Furthermore a ketogenic approach to weight loss is a more sustainable way to lose fat as ketones naturally suppress your appetite.
Ketones suppress your hunger hormone, known as ghrelin, which causes you to lose appetite.
As this is happening, ketones also trigger the release of Cholecystokinin (CCK) which gives you a feeling of fullness or satiety.
Aside from these effects, ketone bodies protect the mitochondria of your different cells.
Your concentration levels increase due to how efficient ketones act as a fuel source for your brain.
Because of ketones effectivness as an alternative fuel source of the body, exogenous ketone supplements have become one of the most popular sports and weight loss supplements on the market right now.
What makes up fat coffee?
The secret behind fat coffee lays in its composition.
The combination of its ingredients would boost your performance physically and mentally.
So, to get the benefits of fat coffee, you would need the following ingredients:
Arabica Coffee Beans
To make coffee, you would obviously need coffee.
But you would have to be more particular with the beans to make bulletproof coffee.
A blend of one-hundred percent Arabica beans is the recommended ingredient for fat coffee.
Using the other type, Robusta, would make a more acidic drink. And it would be counter-productive to what you’re trying to achieve (appetite suppression).
Just make sure that you are using mold-free Arabica beans for they are susceptible to Ochratoxigenic fungi.
Grass-fed Butter
It might be surprising to think of butter as a part of a healthy coffee recipe in a fat loss regimen.
But butter made from the milk of grass-fed cows can actually promote fat loss and benefit one’s heart.
This is thanks to conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) that has been found to be in greater amounts in grass-fed cows by a study.
Furthermore, based on the same study, the milk from grass-fed cows has more vitamins A (Beta Carotene), E, K (Potassium), and D.
With these micronutrients, you’d be getting more out of your workout and recovery.
In terms of its fat content, its saturated fat has also been found to have greater effects in increasing one’s testosterone levels .
Also a short-chain fatty acid known as butyrate has been confirmed by studies to benefit brain health by reducing the risk of cancer and various ailments of the brain like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and stroke.
And if these health benefits are not enough to make you like grass-fed butter in your coffee, its creamy texture and taste make it a smoother creamer compared to your average non-dairy coffee creamer.
Medium Chain Triglyceride or MCT Oil
MCT (medium chain triglyceride) oils are fatty acids that the body does not store for later use.
These acids go directly to the liver which turn into ketones for energy use.
Because of this, oils that are under this classification are a great way to get your body acclimated to metabolizing fat for energy.
Our bodies normall would burn glucose that it gets from carbohydrates in the food we eat.
This is primarily due to the prevalence and abundance of carbohydrates.
Combine it with social and cultural practices of high carbohydrate consumption, and you get the dependence we have for carbohydrates.
This carbohydrate dependence becomes obvious when you get cranky and dizzy while experiencing hunger.
Ideally, our body would just switch to burning our fat stores for fuel.
But we got so used to carbs that our bodies seem to forget to burn fat for energy .
With MCT oils like coconut oil, we can help our body remember how to get into ketosis. This would make beginning a ketogenic diet less of a stressful adjustment.
The Benefits of Bulletproof Coffee
1. Improve Fat Metabolism
Drinking coffee can increase ketone production by at least 88 percent.
Knowing this fact, you can get into a fat-burning workout session every day.
How?
By skipping your meal and drinking fat-infused coffee in its place, you are priming your body for a ketogenic fat-burning phase.
With its fatty acid content, you don’t feel hungry. Aand you actually feel full which eliminates any desire to eat.
Combine this with a light to moderate cardiovascular workout and you will be burning fat to fuel the activity.
Do this every day and you will surely get results. This is actually the method athletes use to lose weight for competition.
2. Get More Energy
Fifty milligrams of caffeine have been found to increase the cognitive and mood performance of a person.
With the caffeine content of Arabica beans equivalent to around 1.2 to 1.8 percent, you could get this amount of caffeine from at least 42 grams of coffee.
This is equivalent to 16-ounces of coffee.
If you combine this with the additional sources of fat of a bulletproof coffee, you get the energy equivalent of a high-carbohydrate breakfast.
But with this breakfast alternative, you are helping your body lose weight with its natural tendency to burn fat for energy.
3. Better Brain Health and Performance
Ketones require less oxygen for the body to absorb it.
This lesser oxygen requirement means less oxidation, which decreases the number of free radicals running around your brain.
With fewer free radicals, you also need fewer antioxidants to neutralize these and prevent damaging the different cells in your brain.
In fact, studies have shown that ketone bodies help improve the memory of those with cognitive disabilities like Alzheimer’s disease and reduce seizure frequency of infants.
4. Better mood and athletic performance
Due to the saturated fat content and quality of fat coffee, you would get better testosterone levels.
This increase in one’s testosterone levels improves lean muscle mass gains from your workouts.
You also get better energy utilization, mood, cell mitochondria function, and vigor which are all beneficial to one’s cardiovascular performance.
If that’s not enough, with caffeine, you also get improved accuracy, confidence, vigor, and speed. It also helps decrease your perceived exertion or RPE during a workout.
5. Antioxidant Intake
Free radicals are the bane of your body as these cause damage that if left unchecked can lead to chronic diseases.
Antioxidants are the body’s natural defense against free radicals.
Coffee is so rich in antioxidants that it exceeds the antioxidant levels found in different teas, fruits, vegetables, wines, and cereals.
How to make bulletproof coffee
To make your own cup of fat infused coffee, you would need the following ingredients:
- Coffee beans enough for 1 cup of coffee
- A tablespoon or two of butter from grass-fed cows
- 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil or MCT (If you’re new to this, start with only a teaspoon’s worth and build-up to at least a tablespoon to prevent getting any stomach discomfort.)
Start by brewing your coffee with the method you prefer.
After brewing, put it in the blender with the butter and MCT/coconut oil.
This is the best way to mix it as oil and water can be very hard to mix together.
If you prefer a creamier taste, you can add a low-carbohydrate natural creamer.
If you’re following a high-fat and low carbohydrate diet or fasting intermittently, fat coffee would be great supplement to your daily nutrition.
Aside from its benefits to your mental and physical performance, a cup of this Tibetan-inspired coffee would go a long way in giving you what your body and fitness goal needs.
Back To Basics: 5 Ways To Make A Great Cup of Coffee Without A Machine
Over the recent years, coffee makers have gotten more complicated and expensive. And some of these high-end gizmos have more buttons, espresso heads, steaming wands, and bells and whistles than you know what to do with.
But oftentimes, all you need for a great cup of coffee are some high-quality coffee beans and a few improvised brewing methods to bring out the flavor of the beans and produce a rich and tasty brew.
You can drink this liquid gold as is or as a smoothie for a quick energy boost.
Try it with some fresh juice
For the adventurous folks, you can mix it with sweet, fresh fruit juices like orange juice for a zippy breakfast with a citrus kick.
Even if you like to use a traditional drip coffeemaker, it pays to know how to make coffee in other ways just in case it breaks down or you’re going somewhere rustic on the weekend.
Though it may take a little more effort to make your favorite beverage without your trusty machine, it’s all worth it in the end once you sit down to enjoy your cup of daily indulgence.
Here are 5 ways to make coffee without a coffeemaker.
How Much Bullet Proof Coffee Can Be Consumed Daily?
The exact answer to this is “it depends”.
If you haven’t been a regular coffee drinker up to that point, it would be a good idea to start with one cup daily.
It is also better for you to take it in the morning, as caffeine makes some people unable to sleep if taken later in the day.
Then, if you find the caffeine poses no problem for you, attempt to take another cup after lunch.
Caffeine tolerance tends to develop rapidly, so while it may make you jittery one week. The next you may be just fine.
Now that we’ve established that, there is one other factor we need to address- one that most people tend to take for granted.
What is that?
The fat content in the coffee.
Given you are probably on a low carb diet (hopefully) which would not make consumption of it twice daily bad.
But if you aren’t, too much fat along with carbohydrates is far from a desirable diet combination.
Just remember you exact macronutrient needs are likely to differ, just as your caffeine tolerance. So tailor your consumption accordingly.
Are There Any Risks From Drinking Bullet Proof Coffee?
For the vast majority of the population, there is absolutely no risk from drinking Bulletproof coffee.
However there are a few persons who unfortunately have conditions that may prevent them from experiencing the rich buttery heaven of this beverage.
These include folks with pre-existing heart conditions, in whom both caffiene and excessive fat intake can be harmful.
Other than that, there are individuals with genetic differences in the way neurotransmitters are broken down (such as adrenalin).
Which can result in an unsafe elevation of heart rate and blood pressure.
The good news?
You are likely to know beforehand if you fall into either of these categories.
The better news?
You will probably be able to have you Coffee and butter- the Bulletproof way!