Traditional American coffee, particularly specialty coffees prepared by baristas, is known for its high carbohydrate content. That cup of mixed coffee you pick up from your favorite coffee stand every morning could be packed with as much as 61 grams of sugar1; to put that in perspective, that’s somewhere in the ballpark of five tablespoons of sugar! No wonder the rest of the freeway ride to work is packed with hyperactive drivers (don’t worry—it’s everyone else… you’re not one of them).
Cutting coffee out can be incredibly difficult and could be a deal breaker for many considering the keto diet. The good news is this isn’t necessary at all; allow me to introduce you to the topic of “bulletproof” coffee.
What Is This Stuff?
Bulletproof coffee was discovered by Dave Asprey2 while hiking in Tibet. The drink is made from three simple ingredients: coffee, ghee (a clarified butter that comes from grass-fed cows), and medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil. Although this may sound like a concoction cooked up by a crazed organic farmer trying to find the perfect combination of fuel for both himself and his John Deere, the reality is that this drink has a host of health benefits, including supporting weight loss and possessing anti-inflammatory properties.
The taste is an acquired one: rich and slightly tangy. The effects are long-lasting; people who drink bulletproof coffee claim that the energizing effects last far longer than a normal cup of joe. The reason for this is the fuel that your body gets from the high-quality, healthy fats wrapped around each drop of precious caffeine.
First The Coffee, Then The Shop
As the ketogenic diet has increased in popularity, so has bulletproof coffee. This led to the (appropriately, ironically, and by this point in the article, relatively unoriginal) title of “Bulletproof Café.” Bulletproof Café has three locations: two in Los Angeles, and one in the caffeine mecca of the US: Seattle3.
The last location is the newest and is nestled between offices belonging to Amazon and Microsoft. Chris Mynold, a barista at Bulletproof, says: “We get a lot of people from the Amazon locations, people doing the Keto Diet, and people who were just interested in trying the products.”4
If bulletproof coffee can make it in Seattle, you can rest assured that it is here to stay. If you’re in the area, drop by for a professionally-prepared cup of keto fuel. If not, you may want to try your hand at making this drink for yourself at home. However, be prepared: once you’ve gotten used to the taste and are regularly consuming it, that freeway ride will take on a whole new flavor.
NUTRITIONAL DISCLAIMER
The content on this website should not be taken as medical advice and you should ALWAYS consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. We provide nutritional data for our recipes as a courtesy to our readers. We use Total Keto Diet app software to calculate the nutrition and we remove fiber and sugar alcohols, like erythritol, from the total carbohydrate count to get to the net carb count, as they do not affect your blood glucose levels. You should independently calculate nutritional information on your own and not rely on our data. The website or content herein is not intended to cure, prevent, diagnose or treat any disease. This website shall not be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or recommendations on the Website or actions you take as a result. Any action you take is strictly at your own risk.
Dr. Rosmy Barrios, MD is an aesthetic medicine specialist whose work focuses on patients who are treated for obesity, metabolic syndrome, and other weight-related issues through nutritional analysis, keto diet programs, and supporting medications.
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