Nothing gets you going in the morning like a fresh cup of coffee. Unfortunately, how most of us enjoy our morning coffee is less than ideal.
Loaded with sugar and cream, that morning pick-me-up might help your mental focus, but it’s mostly empty calories. Thankfully, there’s a better way.
Bulletproof coffee is the ideal way to enjoy your morning cup of coffee without adding empty calories to your morning routine. It can also be a healthy way to meet your health and fitness goals. Read on as we cover everything you need to know about bulletproof coffee.
What Is Bulletproof Coffee?
Dave Asprey, an American entrepreneur and author, developed bulletproof coffee as part of his bulletproof lifestyle plan. Asprey created Bulletproof to address many of the shortcomings of other diets.
Instead of counting calories, feeling hungry, and holding yourself to an unrealistic standard, the bulletproof diet provides a healthier option, empowering you to nourish yourself until you’re satisfied.
This diet leverages the power of ketosis to help you burn fat and lose weight without restricting yourself the way other diets do.
With the bulletproof diet, most of your caloric intake comprises healthy fats and oils, with keto-friendly vegetables and fruits and minimally-processed proteins making up the remainder of the diet.
So long as the foods you’re eating support the diet, you can essentially eat whatever you want.
While getting your body into the metabolic state of ketosis, where your body burns fat easily, it’s also quite easy to knock yourself out of ketosis. A spoonful of sugar or a bit of cream in your morning coffee is more than enough to ruin your hard work, which is where bulletproof comes in.
Bulletproof Coffee, sometimes called keto coffee or butter coffee, consists of a cup of brewed coffee with ghee or butter and MCT (medium-chain triglycerides) oil. The drink is high in calories, rich and flavorful.
Since it’s high in calories and fats, a cup of Bulletproof is an excellent meal replacement and an alternative to a traditional balanced breakfast.
Asprey offers many supplements through the Bulletproof brand, including ghee and Brain Octane oil, which is composed of medium-chain triglycerides.
While many who drink bulletproof believe using ghee and MCT delivers the best flavor and the most health benefits, you can easily replace these ingredients with grass-fed unsalted butter and coconut oil.
Be sure that if you’re substituting oil and butter for MCTs and ghee, you use coconut oil and not another alternative, such as olive oil.
MCTs help to boost ketone production to maintain ketosis, helping you feel satiated while preventing blood sugar crashes and eliminating feelings of “keto flu” which are common among new dieters.
What Does Bulletproof Coffee Taste Like?
If you’re already a fan of coffee, you should have no trouble incorporating butter coffee into your lifestyle. The drink tastes like a rich and buttery version of your favorite brew, and most who drink coffee agree, bulletproof is something they can get behind.
Since it’s still unsweetened, you may find it to be a bit more bitter than you’re used to, but the richness of the butter and MCT oil help to make the drink smooth and enjoyable.
After a few cups, most Bulletproof drinkers find the coffee to be even more enjoyable than their usual cup with cream and sugar.
Who Is Bulletproof Coffee Suitable for?
Bulletproof coffee is a smart choice in the morning for anyone subscribing to a low-carbohydrate diet for weight loss or maintenance.
It’s one of the few beverages you can drink that won’t knock your body out of ketosis. Most keto dieters agree that the perfect way to enjoy a tasty coffee without cream or sugar is to drink bulletproof coffee.
Bulletproof is also excellent for those who subscribe to ketogenic diets and like to work out in the morning. Since butter coffee allows your body to remain in ketosis, it’s an ideal way to get a pre-workout boost for lasting energy while curbing hunger cravings before you hit the gym.
Since butter coffee is high in saturated fat and cholesterol, you’ll want to avoid partaking if you’re at high risk for developing heart disease or if you already have difficulty managing your cholesterol and saturated fat intake.
Potential Bulletproof Coffee Benefits
Beyond being an excellent way to start your day with a jolt of energy, there are several health benefits of bulletproof coffee.
- Weight loss – Drinking bulletproof allows your body to remain in ketosis while curbing hunger cravings. With your body in ketosis, it’s easier to burn body fat and lose weight.
- Contains caffeine – Besides being rich in antioxidants, coffee contains caffeine, a powerful stimulant that can increase concentration and energy levels while promoting fat-burning and mental clarity.
- Rich in antioxidants – The combination of coffee and grass-fed butter or ghee delivers an antioxidant-rich beverage that helps to prevent cell breakdown and reduce inflammation. It may help protect against heart disease, cancer, and other serious health concerns.
- May improve exercise performance – Research shows that MCT oil is a powerful way to reduce lactic acid buildup, which is what creates the feeling of muscle fatigue during exercise and strenuous activity.
- May help prevent disease – Recent peer-reviewed studies suggest that MCT oil, in conjunction with a ketogenic diet, may help protect the body against certain diseases, including Alzheimer’s and epilepsy.
Bulletproof Coffee Downsides
While bulletproof is loaded with potential health benefits, especially for keto dieters, there are a few downsides to drinking butter coffee. It would be best if you familiarize yourself with these potential issues before incorporating keto coffee into your lifestyle and fitness routine.
- High in saturated fat – Grass-fed butter or ghee and MCT are high in saturated fat and other fats. Saturated fat is believed to increase LDL or “bad” cholesterol. A diet that’s high in fat can lead to an increased risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and weight gain if you aren’t strict about maintaining your diet.
- Increased cholesterol – While studies show that a general ketogenic diet probably doesn’t increase cholesterol, studies also show that grass-fed butter can raise your LDL cholesterol, which raises risk factors for disease.
- Poor nutrient profile – Most bulletproof drinkers use the drink to replace a normal breakfast. While it effectively curbs hunger and cravings, it contains few vitamins and essential nutrients.
- Limited scientific evidence – While the founder of Bulletproof claims that Bulletproof is an effective meal supplement that boosts energy, curbs cravings, and improves cognitive function, all of these claims are mostly anecdotal.
How To Make Bulletproof Coffee
The beautiful thing about drinking bulletproof coffee is there aren’t many things that are easier than preparing it for yourself. If you’ve ever made a regular cup of coffee, you’re already well on your way to learning the bulletproof coffee recipe and enjoying its health benefits.
DIY Bulletproof Coffee Ingredients
You can prepare the coffee in any way you prefer. Whether you use a drip machine, French press, or pod brewer or prefer a more sophisticated coffee brewing method, start by preparing yourself a cup of coffee.
The bulletproof coffee recipe below is based on an 8-ounce serving, but if you prefer a larger cup, adjust the ingredients as necessary.
Keep in mind that while the official Bulletproof coffee recipe calls for ghee and MCT oil, you can easily substitute other ingredients if these are unavailable to you.
Unsalted grass-fed butter is rich in the fatty acid conjugated linoleic acid, which provides virtually all the benefits of ghee, while coconut oil is composed of more than half MCTs. You’ll want to avoid conventional butter as it offers fewer benefits.
The difference between the two is that a medium-chain triglyceride has a shorter chain length than coconut oil.
While it provides the same benefits, MCTs are easier for your body to digest than long-chain triglycerides. If you have a choice between coconut or MCT oil, go with the MCT oil, such as Bulletproof Brain Octane.
Simple Bulletproof Coffee Recipe
Here’s what you’ll need to make the original recipe for this delicious creamy coffee, which has replaced the average latte as my go-to morning pick-me-up.
Ingredients: 8 ounces of brewed coffee, 1 tbsp ghee, 1 tbsp MCT oil
Equipment: Coffee brewer of your choice, spoon
Instructions:
Step 1: Brew an 8-ounce cup of coffee using your preferred brewing method and freshly ground coffee beans.
Step 2: Add 1 tbsp ghee and 1 tbsp MCT oil to the brewed coffee.
Step 3: Stir vigorously until the ghee and MCT oil are fully incorporated into the coffee. Alternatively, you can put all the ingredients into a blender to combine them.
Step 4: Enjoy!
We shared another detailed bulletproof coffee recipe, check it out if you need more detailed instructions.
Where To Buy Bulletproof Coffee
Since Bulletproof coffee is so easy, most people follow their Bulletproof coffee recipe at home with butter or ghee and MCT or coconut oil. Since all you need is a few ingredients, it’s easy to incorporate them into your daily routine.
If you find yourself pressed for time or you’re on the go, there are a few brands that offer premade keto coffee.
The Bulletproof brand comes to mind first, as they offer a full line of ready-to-drink beverages, including bulletproof coffee and creamy latte and mocha varieties.
Their ready-to-drink beverages are made with Brain Octane Oil to deliver optimized medium-chain triglycerides. Super Coffee is another brand that makes keto-friendly coffee beverages that contain MCT oil, although these are slightly different from Bulletproof coffee.
Final Thoughts
Bulletproof coffee is an excellent way to get your morning boost without throwing your body out of ketosis or messing up your keto diet. It’s easy to fall in love with Bulletproof coffee and forget about milk and sugar altogether.
Learn as much as you can about Bulletproof coffee and the ketogenic diet, and ensure that the choices you’re making are putting you on a path to accomplish your health and wellness goals.
Bulletproof Coffee FAQs
When people are learning more about the benefits of Bulletproof coffee and the keto lifestyle, they usually have a few related questions. We’ve rounded up the answers below so you can find everything you need in one place.
In the traditional sense, yes, Bulletproof coffee will break intermittent fasting. More importantly, Bulletproof coffee does not knock you out of ketosis or autophagy.
So, drinking Bulletproof has minimal effect on blood sugar crash and allows you to stay in ketosis while also allowing your body to purge itself of toxins.
Most people drink a cup of Bulletproof coffee first thing in the morning. Some prefer to wait until around 10 am to have their cup, as that’s when cortisol levels decline, allowing you to get the maximum benefit from a caffeinated drink.
The number of calories in a cup of Bulletproof coffee will differ depending on how much grass-fed butter or ghee and MCT you’re using. Most people use a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of MCT oil for every 8 ounces of coffee, bringing the cup to around 220 calories.
Since Bulletproof coffee is so high in saturated fats, you’ll want to work in an alternative for at least a few days each week. Keto coffee is an excellent breakfast alternative, but it can promote the formation of bad cholesterol.
