Bulletproof Coffee
by NICOLE CLARKE
What if you found out there was a way to burn fat all day long? Would you believe that by adding butter to your morning cup of joe, you could be turned into a fat-burning machine? Bulletproof coffee has become a new fad in health food restaurants across the nation. But what exactly does it do? In this article we’ll explore the myths and facts about bulletproof coffee.
What It is
Bulletproof Coffee is a recipe consisting of a special brand of coffee called “Upgraded Coffee,” grass-fed butter, and medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil. [1] The special “Upgraded Coffee” is supposed to be–you guessed it–an upgraded version of coffee. It will put you in a better mood, make you more productive, give you an extra boost of energy, and improve your overall health. [1]
Recipe
2 cups (500 mL) black “Upgraded Coffee”
2 tbsp (30 mL) unsalted grass-fed butter
2 tbsp (30 mL) MCT oil
Then, you blend until it looks like a latte.
Myth vs. Fact
FACT
Adding butter to your coffee, especially 2 tbsp of it, increases the amount of saturated fatty acids in your diet. [3]
This may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, especially if you are prone to other unhealthy behaviors such as eating a high-cholesterol diet. In fact, a 2015 study from the Journal of Clinical Lipidology suggests that there is a correlation between cholesterol level and the consumption of saturated fatty acids resulting mainly from bulletproof coffee. However, further research is needed to confirm these findings. [3]
One should replace saturated fatty acids with poly and monounsaturated fatty acids to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. [3]
Harmful side effects include risk of disrupted sleep, increased calorie intake, a requirement to eat healthier throughout the rest of the day, and increased saturated fats added to the diet.
MYTH
Bulletproof coffee claims to...
Curb hunger
Provide energy (more so than coffee)
“Lower inflammation, boost your sex drive”
Help you lose weight
Make you feel younger
Whether you believe this new food trend to be real, or whether you think this is all just too good to be true, Bulletproof Coffee has altered the way we think about and look at health. It creates a dangerous interpretation of how to be healthy, insisting that by ingesting fats, specifically butter, one can be happy. This trend targets the idea that you only need to eat to lose weight, and that even healthy exercise may not do the trick. These false claims simply warp the truth: that a healthy lifestyle comes down to both exercise, diet, and well-being. Come to your own conclusions next time you reach for your morning cup of joe.
