Bulletproof coffee: Everything you need to know about it

Everybody is talking about Bulletproof coffee or butter coffee these days. People who drink it claim numerous health benefits from being more alert to losing weight. We’ll have a look at the concept of Bulletproof coffee, the associated health benefits and give some tips about brewing it at home.

What is Bulletproof coffee?

Bulletproof coffee consists of only three ingredients: coffee, butter, and oil. Sounds easy, right? Well, before you start dumping some regular old butter and vegetable oil into your coffee, read on to find out the details.

Grass-fed unsalted butter

The Bulletproof recipe calls for grass-fed unsalted butter. Butter from grass-fed cows has long been known to be healthier than butter from conventionally-raised cows.

Grass-fed cows supply a better ratio of omega-3s and omega-6 fatty acids.

 

Can I use Ghee instead? Oh, and What is Ghee?

Yes! Ghee is a type of clarified butter commonly used in South Asian cooking and cuisine. Many people prefer Ghee instead of butter for its rich flavor, and ability to help you feel fuller longer. It is also lactose-free, and when derived from grass-fed cows said to contain cancer-fighting conjugated linolenic acid (CLA), which also aids in weight loss. Ghee is easily purchased from Asian ethnic stores or from grocery stores in larger cities and towns.

MCT oil

MCT oil is medium chain triglyceride oil and it is comprised of the fat from coconut or palm kernel oil. Compared to long-chain triglycerides (LCT) that can be found in most fats that you eat, MCTs are shorter. This means your body needs less time to break them down and that it can use the energy right away.

Who invented Bulletproof coffee?

The idea of adding butter to coffee might sound odd to you, but it has been done for a very long time in some parts of the world.

Mixing butter into coffee is a common thing to do in Ethiopia. Moreover, in Tibet, yak butter tea, or Tibetan Tea, has been a favourite traditional drink for centuries.

The modern recipe for Bulletproof coffee was created by Dave Asprey and first posted to his blog in 2009. He claims that he invented the recipe after locals gave him yak butter tea while hiking in Tibet, and trademarked it in 2010. Dave Asprey is a tech entrepreneur and has a huge following of Silicon Valley workers drinking his version of Bulletproof coffee.

What are the health benefits of Bulletproof coffee?

Dave Asprey claims that Bulletproof coffee suppresses hunger and cravings, promotes weight loss, improves performance and gives you greater mental clarity.

Moreover, Bulletproof coffee is supposed to give you a coffee buzz without the jitters or acid-stomach feeling and sustain your energy over several hours.

What does it taste like?

It might sound strange to put butter into coffee but after all, butter is nothing else than churned cream. And mostly, butter acts as a flavour enhancer. You’ve probably noticed that most dishes you eat taste better when they have butter in them.

The key to achieving a great tasting Bulletproof coffee seems to be the blending of the ingredients. Use a high-speed blender for about 20 seconds, until the drink takes on a frothy, foamy consistency.

It will taste similar to a latte but have a substantially oilier feel to it and leave your lips a little greasy.

What is the Bullet Proof Diet?

Can you lose 1 lb a day on this diet? Read on to see.

This ghee blended coffee is an integral part of a complete diet which also advocates the elimination of sugars, soy and canola fats, grain fed meats, grains and gluten, all synthetic colors and flavors, legumes and lentils, homogenized dairy, and limit fruit consumption. The diet says you should switch to organic fruits and vegetables, cooking the food to low temperatures, and never using a microwave or frying the foods.

So, can you lose weight easily with the bulletproof coffee diet? Well, if you eliminate nearly everything from your diet we’re not sure you have much left to eat a balanced meal and get all needed nutrients to be healthy. So we can’t really advocate is as a healthy way to lose weight. However, we do agree with the components of the plan to help reduce the artificial aspects of the food and to shift to a more vegetable based and natural diet, with all things in moderation and balance. 1 lb a day is not a healthy weight loss, it is excessive and can lead to long-term health complications.

Sustained weight loss only comes from diets that people can maintain over a long term, not massive crash changes that make you lose weight only to gain back more due to cravings.

Should you drink Bulletproof coffee?

By now, you might start to wonder if you should try some. The health benefits sound great and the taste, although different, sounds more than palatable. Well, there are a few things we want to give you a heads up about:

Calories and RDA of saturated fats

If you make Bulletproof coffee according to its original recipe it has approximately 450 calories and 52 grams of fat. That is a very substantial amount for just one drink, especially when you eat your regular meals and do little exercise. And while moderate amounts of saturated fats have many health benefits, the doses in just a single cup of Bulletproof coffee is way above the RDA of the American Heart Association. As a reference, they recommend aiming for about 13 grams of saturated fats a day when on a 2000 calorie-a-day diet.

If you treat Bulletproof coffee as a replacement for a meal and reduce the fat intake at your other meals, your consumption of it becomes more balanced.

We recommend only having Bulletproof coffees occasionally and eating a healthy and balanced diet full of fresh vegetables, fruit and protein.

Overall, the proposed benefits of suppressing hunger and aiding weight loss have to be taken with a grain of salt. In general, fats keep you feeling full longer than carbs which spike your blood sugar. However, the weight loss component can only really make sense if you drink Bulletproof coffee as part of a low carb or ketogenic diet where your body is able to use fat for fuel.

Medium-Chain Triglyceride Oil

While MCT oils are undoubtedly good for you, make sure to introduce them slowly to your diet. Many brands will actually have a caution note about this on the bottle. Sudden high doses taken without food can cause severe stomach cramps.

If you don’t want to go out and buy a bottle of artificially produced MCT oil, there are also other, more natural, ways to get MCTs. Coconut oil is the richest form of natural MCTs. About 15% of its total fat comes from MCTs. Coconut oil also has additional benefits as it has antimicrobial, antibacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral properties.

Bulletproof coffee recipe

Still not deterred from trying it yourself? Well, here we go! It all starts with a very good cup of freshly brewed coffee. We love pour over coffee makers for this. A pour-over coffee maker brews a very smooth and flavourful cup of coffee. It’s less strong and bold than a French press coffee.

General recipe:

• 1 cup of black coffee
• 1-2 tbsp of unsalted grass-fed butter or Ghee
• 1-2 tbsp of MCT oil

Put all three components in a high-speed blender and blend until frothy (about 20-30 seconds)

Recipe tips

• Start with less butter and MCT oil and ease into it slowly. A rapid increase in fats can upset your stomach and you may find yourself running to the restroom very quickly.
• If you don’t want to invest in MCT oil right away, we suggest trying coconut oil instead. This will give you a general idea about the taste and the effects of Bulletproof coffee. If you like it, you can go and invest in some MCT oil.

Up next: How to make coffee in a pour-over coffee maker