Bulletproof Coffee

Every morning, 90% of people wake up and do what?

Reach for that first cup of coffee for the day.

What if you could add Bulletproof Coffee to change your whole routine?

Coffee is the main reason why some of us make it through the morning. For many of us it’s also a useful pre-workout pick me up. Well now you might be able to get even more out of your cup of joe.

Whether it’s the caffeine or just the warmth and aroma that fills us with energy, coffee holds a lot of power and it’s been a staple in the human diet for some time. We know that coffee can be a great way to boost metabolism throughout the day.

So what’s the latest with this whole “bulletproof coffee” thing?

There’s been a lot of talk about this new super way to jump start your morning. Looking for a bulletproof coffee recipe? We’ll talk about that today too.

So, what’s the big deal?

Well, firstly, there’s butter involved. And coffee. Need we say more?

Let’s get started.

What is Bulletproof Coffee?

Don’t be fooled by the name, it’s nothing crazy. Bulletproof Coffee (or BPC) is just a recipe for another way to make your coffee that makes use of the healthy fats in grass-fed butter and some other key ingredients.

What else?

Basically, it’s a mix of coffee with grass-fed butter and, here’s an important piece to remember, medium-chain triglyceride (aka MCT) oil.

Some people take it to the extreme by adding certain enhancement supplements, such as nootropics, to this already-full mix.

Now, this is really important:

You can’t just go buy any old butter and coffee and call it a day.

You’ve got the have the finest cream of the crop out there. This goes for the coffee and the butter.

Why?

What you get out of a bulletproof coffee recipe, is all about what you put in.

First, this is where Upgraded Coffee (our favorite is available pre-ground on Amazon) comes into the mix. Now, the supporters of this coffee say it’s the coffee of all coffees. We tend to agree.

This so-called bulletproof coffee (so its fans say) can increase your mood, energy, health, and even your productivity.

So yeah, this packs a bit more punch than the average coffee!

What about the butter? 

What does grass fed butter mean? Well, the cows that produced your butter were fed a cleaner diet and therefore, the organic, grass-fed option ends up being the best for our bodies as well. Grain-fed cows are less healthy because their bodies aren’t being fed with the phytonutrients found in their natural diet. Think about it this way, we are what we eat, and so are cows. Think about it this way:

When we drink cows' milk, we are what they eat. So go #grassfed, go #organic
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So take the best coffee and add grass-fed butter. Make sure it’s unsalted as well.

Our favorite and the best kind of grass fed butter to look for is available at Amazon.

And then add the MCT oil. With us so far?

We know this sounds a bit weird so far. But bear with us.

Yeah, we know – fitness nuts always have to complicate everything, even a good ol’ cup of joe. But if it’s helpful for your health, don’t you want to give it a try?

Here’s a more exact bulletproof coffee recipe:

– 2 tablespoons of grass-fed butter (unsalted). If you want more, you can have up to 5 1/2 tablespoons

– 2 cups of the Bulletproof Upgraded Coffee

– 2 tablespoons MCT oil.

Got all your need? Okay, now blend it all together. You don’t need a blender, but it works. A whisk is a useful too for this step. You want to keep it going until it’s the golden milky color of a latte.

Give it a try. Not only does it taste delicious, but it also helps keep your hunger at bay. Plus, you won’t find yourself getting all jittery from the caffeine like you might from other coffees.

So….what do we make of these claims? Are they legit? Let’s find out.

Are There Bulletproof Coffee Side Effects?

We can start with coffee. The regular stuff, you know, the stuff that’s probably sitting in your pantry closet right now.

What do researchers have to say about coffee?

A lot of data proves that drinking 1 to 3 cups of coffee every day can help lower health risks like Parkinson’s, certain kinds of cancers, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and even the overall risk of death.

As you may have discovered for yourself, both coffee and caffeine play a huge role in keeping your performance and brain working hard.

But much like the good news, there’s always bad news. That’s true for coffee as well.

Let’s say you drink more than 3 cups of coffee a day.

Well now, your risk for things like a miscarriage, messed up sleep schedule, more severe PMS symptoms, and a jump in blood pressure all have a risk of going up.

So yeah, there are definitely some positives and some negatives.

But these benefits (and not-so-great-benefits) can also depend on the amount of coffee we drink.

That’s not all – it can also depend on your caffeine metabolism.

This is why it’s hard to get a feel for whether coffee is “good” or not.

Each and every human being is different (duh – we know you know this, but we had to say it anyway). Because of these differences, we all don’t respond to coffee and caffeine the same way – much like we don’t all respond to alcohol, certain foods, etc the same way.

To make matters worse, some of the popular has what’s called a slower caffeine metabolizer.

So if you’re on the slow team, and you drink a ton of coffee, you’re going to have an increased risk of things like heart disease.

As for the rest of you… you’re on the fast team. So this means drinking a lot of coffee can actually help lower your risk of heart disease. Before you start chugging that gallon of coffee, though, the same rules apply – no more than 3 cups a day!

Now we aren’t saying that if you drink 3 cups a day, you’ll beat heart disease. There are other elements that factor into it, so keep that in mind.

But the risks aren’t done just yet. Does the word “mycotoxins” mean anything to you?

Here’s why they matter.

Now, as the conversation is swirling around this Bulletproof coffee, there’s a lot to consider, including the mycotoxin content found in it.

We’ll give you a little lesson in ancient Greek history. “Myco” is derived from the Greek word mukes. This word usually refers back to mushrooms or fungus.

You’re probably what the heck mushrooms and fungus have to do with coffee.

Think about it – coffee is usually grown in tropical areas that are close to the Equator. Now, because of the climate in these areas, fungus is more likely to grow.

Mycotoxins are a form of mold and can possibly become toxic. And these can actually form in the coffee.

A lot of scientists have long since argued that ingesting high levels of mycotoxins can cause some serious health problems in not only humans, but animals too.

There are 6 different types of mycotoxin stains that are commonly found in (or even on) food. These are ergot alkaloids, patulin, fusarium, aflatoxins, citrinin, and ochratoxins.

These aren’t exactly poisonous – it’s the amount ingested that makes them lethal.

Research starting in 1980 has showed that mycotoxins aren’t generally found in commercial coffee grounds. However, if they are found, the levels are extremely low. Plus, the roasting process can get rid of up to 80% of mycotoxins.

But there’s one mycotoxin that sticks out from the rest.

Ochratoxin A

Ochratoxin A (let’s refer to it as OTA) is the one most studied mycotoxin. Why? Because it can have some seriously harmful effects, including kidney damage, immune system suppression, birth defects, and perhaps worst of all, it’s categorized as a potential human carcinogen.

Back in 1997, a team of researchers looked at 633 various samples of coffees from countless European countries. These samples were tested in 9 different labs.

What they discovered was more than half of the samples didn’t have any trace of OTA. The other half had very very low levels of it.

They concluded that drinking 4 cups of coffee would cause about 19 nanograms of OTA.

On the flipside, a group of French researchers tested 20 kinds of roasted coffee. This type of coffee can be found in most of the supermarkets in France. They discovered that 300 ML of coffee contained about 31 ng of OTA.

So that’s a lot more than what the ’97 team discovered.

The 2010 team said that OTA isn’t given enough credit when it comes to coffee, because there are other elements in the coffee that’s messing with the OTA content.

So that’s why the ’97 team’s numbers were lower.

Is OTA safe?

Is there a safe dose of OTA? Well…. no one is really sure. But OTA is in foods you probably eat now, like beer, wine, raisins, cereal, peanuts.

Don’t start panicking and thinking you can’t have these foods on top of coffee. You can – as long as you don’t drink over 3 cups of coffee a day.

Let’s get back to the Bulletproof Coffee.

Bulletproof Coffee Benefits

If you’re worried about OTA, or really want to focus on your health, that’s where bulletproof coffee benefits can majorly come into play.

Just keep in mind that generally all coffees have lower levels of mycotoxins in them overall. And there isn’t any kind of solid evidence that shows one coffee is better than the next.

Fatty Coffee and Bulletproof Coffee Weight Loss?

The other point of controversy is the extra fat being added to the coffee via butter and medium-chain triglyceride oil.

Though Bulletproof Coffee is an exciting advancement in the world of diet and health, there’s still the basic fact that it involves putting butter in coffee.

Regardless, there are a lot of Ethiopians and even Mongolians that put butter in their drinks. So maybe we’re behind on the times.

Even so, that’s about an extra 400 calories a day – assuming you stop at one cup. If you have a coffee addiction like most of us, that could be even more.

Here’s where a lot of people get confused – it isn’t just your morning jolt of energy.

Bulletproof Coffee actually serves as your breakfast. You’re drinking instead of eating.

Or at least you’re supposed to. Here’s a fact that might put the numbers into play for you:

Fact: 1 #bulletproofcoffee has the same healthy fat content as twelve egg yolks!.
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So you may want to cut down on fat in other areas or stick to monounsaturated fats, like nuts and olive oil.

As for saturated fats, as long as it’s a reasonable level, it should come from things like animal sources, dark chocolate, etc. Added bonus if you mix in unprocessed foods like fruits, veggies, and whole grains.

Bulletproof Coffee Results

As we’ve mentioned earlier (and time and time again), all bodies handle things like extra amounts of saturated fat differently. Things like genes and even environmental factors should come into consideration.

For some individuals, when their diets see a spike in saturated fat, their blood lipid levels go up.

For others, their levels are totally fine.

The only way to know for sure is to get tested. If you want to give bulletproof coffee a shot, and you eat low carbs but higher fat, you’ll want to get checked out for sure.

And if your test results show there hasn’t been any changes in your blood lipid levels, you can keep doing what you’re doing.

But if your blood lipids are shooting up, you’re going to want to try something else.

As for medium-chain triglycerides, they’re considered a special kind of fat. Why? Because they’re absorbed into our portal vein. From there, they go right to the liver, which means they sidestep all of the usual digestion that comes with fat.

Like many other health-related items, the research behind MCTs are a little iffy. Research shows they don’t make people feel fuller longer like other fats do. And shaking them into your diet definitely won’t cause a dramatic decrease in fat. However, some research shows that MCTs could possibly help you burn more calories than various other types of fat. And they might help people get leaner by improving their overall body composition.

Conclusion

As always, the best way to decide if this is the right thing for you is by experimenting.

What you can take away from this is that coffee, overall, is pretty healthy for many people. Just keep it under 3 cups daily. Even if you’re on the slow caffeine metabolizer team, this is still a safe amount for you.

Even though mycotoxins are one of the biggest concerns, there doesn’t seem to be a ton in coffee. Like we said, you’re probably already consuming them and you didn’t know it.

If you really want to know what BPC is like, give it a shot. It’s a little bit more pricy than regular coffee but hey, you’ve got nothing to lose. Just keep the dose to a minimum and don’t overdo it. As for the taste…well. You’re adding butter to coffee. We think you’ll definitely enjoy that part.

-Terry Asher