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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 |
Zuzka…. I have been doing this in the morning but with not a whole tablespoon on each as I am soo afraid of the calorie content…. but have not felt that feel good jolt during my workouts either. And right after my workouts I am soooo tired. Do you think it is because I’m not using the full Tablespoons? I just get so concerned about the fat/calorie content. Suggestions? Thanks:-)
Private Member |
prague, czech republic
Just saw this video https://youtu.be/sqWQjHQkA2o?list=UUBUVGPsJzc1U8SECMgBaMFw and remembered this post – thought I should share. People test it on themselves and talk about the experience. Apparently the fats somehow help with the caffein entering the body and prevents the caffein crash once it processes it. They felt a certain low level “high” that lasted long. I wonder, caffein does not seem to have any effect on my body anymore, I really think I’ll try it!
Private Member |
kraków, poland
Hi, Zuzka!How much time passes between the reception of coffee and breakfast after training?
Can I breakfast after drink coffee or drink coffee after breakfast? Or I should wait 2 hours so I can eat some carb?
Can I replace coconut milk to cow?
How much fat in your unsalted grass-fed butter?
Thank you for this nice recipe!
Private Member |
I have been drinking this for over a week now and my stomach has not adjusted yet. I have read that if you take sips of it, kind of like drinking espresso it will help with the queasiness as well as dialing down on the oils. I will try all of it because I do think this is a great idea and it tastes great! 😀
Private Member |
I tried it recently and loved the taste. However I prefer it just with coconut oil, so that’s how i drink it.
Private Member |
curitiba, parana, brazil
Hi Zu…I started drinking only coffee in the morning with stevia or date sugar and I love it now. Yesterday I tried once again bulletproof coffee and I felt it is much better now because I enjoy coffee taste nowdays. I am not happy about eating butter daily so I will do it with more coconut oil and maybe with little of coconut milk. I have done cold coffee shakes with frozen bananas and it turned out so tasty! If you have any other recipe of shake and smoothie with coffee, plz share with us. See u, take care!
Private Member |
salt lake city, utah, united states
I love the idea but I cannot stomach this… Not because of the coffee, I love coffee. But I feel like I’m drinking a big greasy cup of butter! It does make me full and wake me up, but I can’t perform workouts well because my stomach feels full. Then I get a stomachache for hours afterward. I’ll stick to black coffee for now. Any light food substitutes (fats) to consume before a workout? Did anyone have the same problem and figure out a way to stomach it?
Private Member |
lake tahoe, nv, usa
You can have just a light protein shake instead. If you do that I would suggest to use a non-sweetened almond milk because it’s lighter than dairy and a low carb protein powder that you can mix in and add at least 1 teaspoon of the coconut oil. They have a great selection of high quality protein powders in whole foods or in the Thrive Market.
Private Member |
I am great fan of bulletproof coffee (Hm, I have just drank my portion for today… :). When I went down to the lowest body percentage of my life I regurarly drank bulletproof coffee for breakfast before my workouts… However, I am wondering if I should be worried about increased cortizol level. Should I? Caffeine in the morning when cortizol level is just the highest + high intensity workout that is a further stress factor for the body… even if it helps reduce overall stress level… I am soooo confused!!!!!
Sometimes I feel it so hard to do our diet the healthy, balanced way and not to go to extream directions…
As I read, good sleep, sunbathing, walking , Calcium, Vitamin D, K and B1 can do a lot to lower cortizol. So I do my best.
I have seen in a comment that Zuzka drinks bulletproof coffee max 15 mins before she starts her training. Is there any disadvantage drinking it, let’s say, an hour or two before wourking out?
Thanks for any advice and opinion!
Private Member |
I just tried this for the first time this morning! I added cinnamon (I thought I read somewhere that Zuzka diea that). I had been scared to try in because I don’t relish the idea of drinking butter 😉the flavor was pretty good though! And I want to get in better shape so I thought “why not try what Zuzka has for breakfast?” My stomach feels good and full. Thanks for all the fantastic recipes Z!
Private Member |
santa cruz, ca
So I have decided to try this. I love coffee, but I’m sensitive to it. If I have it for more than two days in a row I start to overreact to it–feeling anxious and overstimulated and paranoid. Not unlike a sativa..(;) ).It also makes me feel dry and other effects i don’t like. That feeling of dryness that isn’t remedied with hydration. Every person has a physiology that is unique to them, and I think that coffee and I are good friends about once a week.
I like to drink yerba mate. It 100% has different effects on me than coffee. Feels like an entirely different drink……which it is….which is why I think it’s HILARIOUS when people “equate” the two just because “they both have caffeine”. HA HA. It doesn’t make me feel caffeinated or dry. Anyway, I am trying out bulletproof mate. Next time I go to the store I will buy MCT oil. Check out this recent Mercola article about MCT oil. He claims that it is a better choice among the other choices.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/08/22/mct-oil-health-benefits.aspx