What is Bulletproof Coffee | Bulletproof Coffee Ingredients | Bulletproof Coffee Benefits | Bulletproof Coffee and Intermittent Fasting | Bulletproof Coffee Recipe
Are you a Coffee Lover? Imagine waking up to a steaming, rich cup of hot coffee that’s as filling and satisfying as your favorite latte. But, unlike most lattes, this cup of hot coffee won’t raise your insulin levels and could even push the benefits of your fasting period or your ketogenic diet further.
Sounds too good to be true? Trust us, it isn’t. It goes by the name of Bulletproof coffee. Bulletproof coffee is simply black coffee (decaf or regular) mixed with medium-chain triglyceride oil (also known as MCT oil) or coconut oil and grass-fed butter or ghee. So we will go over a bulletproof coffee recipe for intermittent fasting.
Whether you drink regular black coffee, grind your own coffee beans, or prefer a french press, many have started using Bulletproof coffee to ramp up their morning routine. It may have some interesting health benefits including weight loss, which we will discuss below.
The best part about Bulletproof coffee? It can be an effective tool to use with certain diets or eating patterns such as the ketogenic diet, low-carb diets, and Intermittent Fasting. In this article, we will explore what Bulletproof coffee is and its benefits, as well as how it works with Intermittent Fasting.
Finally, we will go over a simple Bulletproof coffee recipe (with optional add-ins!) to help you start your morning the right way.
What is Bulletproof coffee?
Bulletproof coffee is a high-calorie coffee that combines black coffee with MCT oil or coconut oil, and grass-fed butter or ghee. While many think Bulletproof coffee is a modern creation, a similar drink called butter coffee has been made for centuries.
Since people living in high altitudes require substantially more calories, it is common practice to add butter to coffee and tea in order to consume more calories. You can think of butter coffee as a D-I-Y type of Bulletproof coffee as it includes unsalted butter and MCT oil or coconut oil and can easily be made at home.
Bulletproof coffee is a trademark recipe created by Dave Asprey, who founded Upgrade Labs, authored four New York Times best selling books, and created the Bulletproof Diet. Through his own journey of weight loss and improved brain function, he started the wellness trend of biohacking.
Asprey describes biohacking as a form of human enhancement through changes in your diet, lifestyle and environment to potentially achieve results such as fat loss, improved brain function, and improved insulin sensitivity.
If you were to follow Asprey’s specific Bulletproof coffee recipe, he uses a particular type of coffee bean to brew the coffee, a specific type of MCT oil, and grass-fed butter or ghee. However there are many variations of this recipe and they all have collectively fallen under the term Bulletproof coffee.
Bulletproof Coffee Ingredients
Now that we know what Bulletproof coffee is, let’s review the main ingredients in Bulletproof coffee and how these high-quality fats can boost your average morning coffee.
MCT oil
Medium-chain triglyceride oil or MCT oil is a concentrated form of medium-chain triglycerides. Medium-chain triglycerides are fatty acids that are found in natural foods, specifically in large amounts in coconut oil.
Studies have shown that medium-chain triglycerides and MCT oil play a role in favorable weight loss outcomes and reducing abdominal obesity. Coconut oil similarly has the same effect in regards to fat loss as well as improving HDL levels in those with heart disease.
Grass-fed butter
Grass-fed unsalted butter is another key ingredient in Bulletproof coffee. Sometimes, ghee is used as a substitute. Ghee is simply clarified unsalted butter which means all of the water has been strained from the butter
Studies demonstrate the benefits of grass-fed butter over conventional butter to include larger amounts of antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids. Butter or ghee is also packed with essential nutrients like Vitamins D, E, B12, A, calcium, along with butyrates.
Coffee
A beloved morning (and afternoon!) drink consumed all over the world, coffee is extremely popular for its stimulant properties from caffeine. Coffee has been frequently studied and there have been some mixed studies as to potential health benefits vs. harm.
However, more studies indicate that normal coffee consumption (think 2-3 cups per day) can be beneficial to our health. Coffee can help energy levels, promote fat burning, and lower risk of certain cancers and metabolic disorders. As with anything, moderation is key and excessive amounts of coffee can be more harmful than helpful.
Benefits of Bulletproof Coffee
There are many claims as to the benefits of Bulletproof coffee ranging from weight loss, lowering insulin levels, improving blood pressure and lowering cholesterol levels. But, let’s look at what the research has to say about some of these claims and if it is worth it to try for yourself.
To date, there are very few good scientific studies that look at the health outcomes of consuming Bulletproof coffee. While many of the ingredients of Bulletproof coffee have been extensively studied, there is nothing to support that the combination of these ingredients is more beneficial than just consuming the individual ingredients on their own.
To make the claims that Bulletproof coffee is a superfood that improves brain function, lowers the risk of heart disease, or improves blood pressure is not supported by the research at this time.
However, there are some benefits to adding the ingredients of Bulletproof coffee to your morning coffee. As outlined above, MCT oil, grass-fed butter, coconut oil, and coffee all have certain health benefits that have been well researched. Let’s take a look at why drinking Bulletproof coffee may be a good idea for certain people.
Can help you stay in ketosis or follow a low-carb diet. Bulletproof coffee first became popular for those following a ketogenic diet or a low-carb diet. Due to the high quality fats found in Bulletproof coffee, it can help you stay in ketosis.
Ketosis is a fat burning state in which the body uses stored fat for energy instead of carbohydrates. If someone is following a ketogenic diet, then they would be consuming very little amounts of carbohydrates and look to consume primarily higher fat and protein foods. A low-carb diet follows a similar pattern, although typically not as strict when it comes to carbohydrate intake.
Someone may or may not be in ketosis when following a low-carb diet, but may be looking to lower overall carb intake in any way that they can. This is why Bulletproof coffee is a good idea to switch from high sugar containing coffee drinks if you are following a ketogenic diet or low-carb diet.
Feel fuller for longer. Since one of the main ingredients in Bulletproof coffee includes medium-chain triglycerides, it is not metabolized or broken down as quickly as other nutrients. One study showed that one Bulletproof coffee increased the feeling of fullness for over three hours when compared to drinking black coffee.
Because you feel full after drinking Bulletproof coffee, you are less likely to consume as many calories, leading to weight loss. The study also noted that there wasn’t a significant improvement in cognitive performance when comparing black coffee with Bulletproof coffee.
Steady energy throughout the day. We know that coffee helps us to feel energized and focused in the morning. But, if you have ever had 2 or more cups of coffee without anything to eat, you know it can sometimes leave you feeling jittery and more distracted.
Many have reported improved mental clarity and an energy boost due to the health fats and caffeine .
With the addition of healthy fats through MCT oil and grass-fed butter, the body takes longer to break down these nutrients. This can help offset the feelings of shakiness after drinking black coffee on an empty stomach leaving you with steady energy for a good portion of the day.
Help make the switch to a healthier coffee order. If you are used to loads of sugar or creamer in your morning coffee, it can be hard to cut it out cold turkey and switch to black coffee. By adding in the healthy fats found in Bulletproof coffee, it may be easier to cut out the sugar or creamer while still maintaining a smooth and creamy coffee.
Additionally, you would be adding essential nutrients like Vitamin D, calcium, and antioxidants when drinking Bulletproof coffee. Just be aware of your calorie intake when drinking Bulletproof coffee. Some recipes can contain upwards of 450 calories which could replace an entire meal.
Bulletproof Coffee and Intermittent Fasting
So, you may be wondering if Bulletproof coffee can fit with Intermittent Fasting
The simple answer is yes!
Read here to find out if – Does Bulletproof Coffee Break a Fast?
If you have been doing Intermittent Fasting for a while, then you know that Intermittent Fasting is more of a schedule of when you are eating versus a diet that tells you what to eat.
While a diet that focuses on whole, nutrient dense foods is encouraged, there aren’t specific off limit foods. There are fasting periods and eating periods with Intermittent Fasting and Bulletproof coffee would definitely fit within your eating window.
The next question many people have is what foods or drinks will break your fasting window. Basically, anything with a significant amount of calories will break your fasting window. This means that Bulletproof coffee will break your fasting window.
However, there are some caveats to this depending on what your goals are for your fasting window. If the goal of your fasting window is to go completely without calories, then Bulletproof coffee will break your fast. But, if your goal is to stay in ketosis, then Bulletproof coffee is acceptable and can extend the state that your body is in ketosis.
This is because the fats contained in Bulletproof coffee will not raise insulin levels like eating carbohydrates would.
Bulletproof Coffee Recipe:
Below is one easy way to make Bulletproof coffee at home:
- Make 1 cup of regular coffee (using your preferred brewing method such as french press or drip coffee maker) – try to use organic coffee if possible
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of high quality MCT oil or coconut oil – organic if possible
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of grass-fed unsalted butter or ghee – organic if possible
- Put all ingredients into a regular blender and blend for about 20 seconds until foaming
For extra flavor, try these optional add-ins: 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, 1 drop of peppermint essential oil, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, or protein powder.
Conclusion – Bulletproof Coffee Recipe for Intermittent Fasting
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Bulletproof coffee, this recipe I will do almost every day. The brain fuel, the energy, its an amazing way to start your day! Be sure to use organic healthy ingredients when you can.
Bulletproof coffee is a delicious and nutritious way to start your day. By blending coffee with healthy fats like grass-fed butter and MCT oil, you can increase energy levels and even promote weight loss.
When combined with intermittent fasting, bulletproof coffee can help you achieve your health goals and may even extend your fasting window.
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