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Bulletproof Coffee?
Nutrition | February 17, 2015
Some of you may know that I really swear by the concoction commonly referred to as Bulletproof Coffee. It’s marketed as a kind of gimmick, but the methods and ingredients involved are actually quite sound. Still, some of the claims made by Dave Asprey, the man behind Bulletproof Coffee range from suspect to just a marketing ploy.
For starters, I don’t think it’s a magic potion and it’s not for everyone (especially those of you who don’t like coffee or have sensitive stomachs). I personally like it because it combines healthy fats and caffeine in a very quick and manageable drink. I love it in the morning before my workouts. The healthy fats provide fuel and the caffeine helps keep me awake and alert. Again though, everyone may not experience the same results with this concoction. However, I always suggest eating healthy fats in some form or another (see my Nutrition Guide) and consider them crucial for our diets.
Bulletproof Coffee is easily made at home with a few simple ingredients. All that is required to make it is fresh coffee, unsalted grass-fed butter (I take one tbsp), coconut or MCT oil (also one tbsp) and some type of blender.
Unfortunately, one major aspect of Asprey’s Bulletproof Coffee that I consider suspect is that he insists you must purchase his coffee beans to avoid dangerous toxins. Asprey claims that other kinds of coffee purchased at stores or cafes are toxic. More specifically, Asprey insists that they contain aflatoxins due to mold. This is quite misleading. He is implying that you can and will get sick if you purchase coffee other than his own.
According to some studies roasting any coffee actually destroys almost all of the potential aflatoxins. A study done in the academic journal, Mycotoxin Research, states the following: “The percentage of toxin destruction was up to 93% for light roasted and 99% for dark roasted coffee with a slightly higher rate up to 100% for the electrically roasted coffee for light and dark roasting.”
Also, bear in mind that a variety of other foods contain or are at risk of containing aflatoxins. This includes nuts, legumes and seeds. Even if there are small levels of toxins present in our foods the risk is still minimal to none according to Dr. Bryan Chung, founder of Evidence-Based Fitness and a board member of the academic journal, Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine.
Toxins are everywhere. We should only be concerned when they’ve reached levels beyond regulated safety measures. It’s the dose that makes the poison. For example, apples contain cyanide, a potentially lethal poison yet we eat them everyday. Why? Because the amount of cyanide is so small, that it’s not worth considering as a health threat.
As much as I enjoy Asprey’s recipe for Bulletproof Coffee in the morning, some of the results are a bit farfetched. At the very least, they are subjective, meaning there are not any studies or research to fully support some of his statements – something I’m always careful to avoid.
Have you tried Bulletproof Coffee? How do you like it?
Private Member |
dfw, tx
I don’t drink coffee because it keeps me up all night. Instead I use matcha green tea, grass fed butter, and coconut oil. It tastes delicious!
Private Member |
Wow I love matcha tea PHUONG!!! II’m going to make it, sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Private Member |
dfw, tx
You’re welcome 🙂
Private Member |
Hi to all, I don’t know the bulletproof coffee, first time I heard about it here. I want to say that I also love to drink my coffee daily, the 1st when I wake up in the morning, i drink @least 2 coffees in a day. I prefer cappucino 4 the winter and our Greek frappe 4 the summer, maybe the strongest coffee worldwide & not for any stomach. I was started (unfortunately) lately in my life to drinking coffee in daily basis (in the age of 21), but I never regret it. Earlier in the age of 15 I remember my 1st try in frappe, and after I started to have high blood pressure & some sweat, and still nowadays I don’t drink many of them. But excellent topic this one. 2 of 6min Z workouts and some custom abs till now 4 me (morning here). Keep the good work Z team. All the best to Z.
Private Member |
I highly recommend everyone read The China Study. The research is there when it comes to dairy and animal protein contributing to cancer and inflammation in the body. It literally changed my life. I LOVE your workouts, your style and your spirit, but I have to respectfully disagree when it comes to some of the nutrition. Thanks for everything you do!
Private Member |
manchester, united kingdom
Ditto susan the China study is a well researched book I am just about to complete reading it. Another great book on nutrition is the strarch soloution by John Mcdougall whom is a doctor! The best thing I ever did is reaseach about animal and diary products the effects on humans and the planet but mostly those poor Animals!!!
Private Member |
Abbey,
YES I love John Mcdougal. I recently went to one of his 3 day workshops at his hotel and spa and LOVED it! He is amazing and I also met so many wonderful other speakers such as Dean Ornish and Neal Barnard:-) And I also hate what the dairy and meat industry are doing to these poor defenseless animals:-(
Private Member |
manchester, united kingdom
Wow Susan that sounds awesome I am very jealous Neal Bernard and Dean ornisk too! And I would love to have the opporturnity to visit John Mcdougal workshop and spa I will have to look into this fantastic experience with such great people. It will be a challenge for me as I live in England though nofing is impossible! It seems we are on the same wavelengh Susan in terms of diet and nutrition and the Zgym hope to chat with soon. Am off to do JRC 6 Tabatha.
Private Member |
Hi Zuzka I also do a cinnamon tea …with 2 Tbls coconut milk , quarter teaspoon cinnamon , 1 Tbsp MCT/coconut oil and a sweetener of choice or I will make a “bullet coffee” using a rooibos tea.
Private Member |
I have been drinking the bulletproof coffee before my workouts in the morning and I love it! I was a sceptic about the whole butter thing at first but it is really quit good. It gives me more energy to help push through a hard workout. I also discovered if you use your blender to mix it up it gives it a latte consistency. It makes it nice and foamy and frothy. Delicious!
Private Member |
jacksonville, nc, united states
I like using ghee, clarified butter, in my medicinal mushroom coffee. Yum!
Private Member |
Zuzka, I don’t really like coffee unless it’s sweet….is it okay to sweeten with erythritol?
Private Member |
Im a coffee drinker, can’t go on my day without having at least a cup, I tried bulletproof coffee but something about putting butter on my coffee ummmm… no thank you, maybe I’m crazy but coming from a country that produces coffee. I’ve been drinking it for a long time and I’m doing just fine. Best coffee’s you most drink it black! 🙂
Private Member |
Thanks for clarifying this. It’s so hard for the public to get the right information and I thank you for helping to clear this up. We have to educate ourselves, diets come and go out of style…the only way to sell new products is to sell new ideas. The truth is simple, EVERYTHING IN MODERATION. Yes, we are coming to terms with the whole “fat doesn’t make you fat” idea, but that doesn’t mean you have to now eat spoonfuls for butter and coconut oil! I’m a medical student, so I know you can take pretty much anything (even oxygen!) and too much or too little of one thing is not good. So lets try to stop putting a label on foods as all good or all bad. Besides a few things (smoking, trans fat, etc.) that are clearly and repeatably proven by research to be harmful, there’s room for balance!
Private Member |
My bad cholesterol levels went up and good down after a while of drinking this. So, my ratios weren’t good. This is not in contradiction to the idea that fat is good for you. I believe it is. But how much, which fats, and how they affect you are important.