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| Bulletproof coffee photo via weightlossguru.com, keep forgetting to take my own |
Saturday, while getting a haircut, I flipped through a magazine. I wouldn’t suggest this diversion as a lot of cutting occurred as I
read probably because I was annoyed with a certain article. Asked for her opinion of
the Paleo diet an expert quoted offered “it’s never good to remove a whole
category of food” a sentiment already filed in my collection of worthless diet advice. I’m not against
category slashing. If there’s a reason to give up gluten or dairy or sugar that
leaves you feeling better with improved digestion or more energy, breakups are
fine. If you tell me you’re swearing off soda or icky sweeteners, cold cereal
and “faux” whole wheat bread, I’m going to cheer you on versus hold you back.
But if you tell me you’re giving up coffee, I’m going to ask why?
There is no problem with coffee, there’s a problem with too
much coffee (over 2 cups) or what you put in your coffee. For example, that skim milk and Splenda
should be at the top of your nutritional worry list. I’m not here to say “coffee in moderation is OK”. If you
read regularly you know I’m not a fan of feeling “OK” or the useless word moderation.
I’m here to say coffee can make you
healthier.
Coffee may reduce your risk of type 2 Diabetes. With Parkinson’s, it lowers chances of both the disease and
with some related movement symptoms as well. Coffee reduces the incidence of certain cancers such as bladder and kidney and impacts Alzheimer’s disease. Coffee is a well-established exercise
helper or ergogenic aid. In fact, because tolerance increases I have athletes cut back (not cut
out!) caffeine in the week leading up to an event so that they get the maximum effect on race
day, sneaky. Interestingly coffee also affects GI flora. And Let’s not forget those Ikarians with the enviable life
spans. “The Secret May Be in the Coffee”
There are a few coffee considerations. First, your cup of
coffee (and maybe your second) should be consumed by lunchtime or right after. I don’t want to boost your health and disrupt your sleep. Even if you think
“caffeine doesn’t bother you” it may affect the quality of your sleep. Speaking
of quality, all coffee isn’t the same. Choose organic coffee (coffee is a pesticidey crop) and be careful not
to brew it using bleached coffee filters.Yes you can roast your own coffee, there are only so many DIY
projects I can handle so I don't roast but chime in if you do.
I’ve been a splash of grass-fed, organic half and half, in my
coffee girl for some time. During a
twitter chat, someone suggested coconut oil in coffee. Soon after this mention I was
fielding questions about "Bulletproof Coffee" from clients. This concept is now all over the blogosphere. I was intrigued as I had never heard
of it but also curious that this mixture combines two foods that conventional
wisdom tells us are bad butter! and coffee.
Bulletproof Coffee was developed by Dave Asprey, an
entrepreneur who has lost a tremendous amount of weight and was greatly affected by
a cup of “butter tea” he had while traveling. Dr Weil actually wrote that butter in teas has
long history and via Google I learned butter is used in coffee in Ethiopia and
parts of India. The Bulletproof recipe calls for MCT oil and unsalted butter blended with coffee. I thought this sounded weird and frankly vile until I
realized butter is made from cream. Bulletproof coffee is said to increase
alertness, more than black coffee, to keep hunger at bay until lunchtime and to
urge the body to use fat for fuel.
I tried this with coconut oil (coconut oil contains MCTs or
medium chain triglycerides) as I like the coconutty taste and Kerrygold unsalted
butter. I used 1tsp of each for starters blended with 1 mug’s worth of
coffee. Asprey calls for more butter (1Tbs) and oil (1-2 Tbs) but "digestively" I would work your way up. You combine the butter, oil and freshly brewed coffee in a blender for approximately 10 seconds. I have
experimented with a sprinkle of cinnamon and cardamom as well. You can stir the
ingredients in your coffee, skipping the blending step, but it doesn’t incorporate well. When you blend it
it froths up. Think of it as a coffee breakfast smoothie.
If you’re wondering how this works, coconut oil helps your
body utilize fat for fuel, it’s also a natural immune booster. Grass fed butter
is much higher in CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) which was a popular supplement
a couple years back. CLA also helps reduce body fat, specifically abdominal
fat. If you combine these two ingredients with coffee you have something that’s
potentially life changing and “weight changing” as well. And if nothing else,
it’s distracting me from my haircut.
Are you a coffee drinker? Have you ever tried to give up coffee? Why? Have you heard of Bulletproof coffee? Or encountered buttered tea or coffee in your travels?
