What is Keto Coffee and why should I drink it?

What is Keto Coffee? 

First, we should get out of the way the fact that coffee without additives is already known to be guilt-free, Keto friendly, and healthy. It’s known to have a vast number of health benefits. 

The antioxidants in coffee defend the body against the harmful effects of free radicals that can bring about various illnesses such as heart disease, Alzheimer's and diabetes.  

A recent study that included 20,000 participants over the span of 10 years, indicates that drinking 4 cups of coffee a day can lower your risk of early death by up to 64%. 

Now that we know coffee is already healthy by itself, what is Keto and what makes coffee Keto or not? 

 

Let’s start with the Keto Diet 

The ketogenic diet is known for being a low-carb, high-fat diet where you want to get about 10% of your daily calories to come from carbs in order to maintain ketosis (the process by which your body uses fat as an energy source rather than carbs). Ketosis is a state where the body breaks fatty acids down into ketone bodies. These are a type of energy molecule the body can use for fuel.  

When you eat a lot of carbohydrates your body breaks it down to glucose, which is a primary source of energy. In ketosis, however, there’s a lack of glucose, so your body burns stored body fat instead. 

How does coffee fit in? 

Since coffee has no carbs, it’s fine to drink (black) while on the keto diet and it will not negate your “ketosis”.  

There is no such thing as “Keto Coffee” without adding something to it. To make coffee into “Keto Coffee”, it requires adding keto recommended fats to your black coffee.  

Adding fats to your coffee while fasting means that you enjoy increased energy despite restricting food intake. Keto coffee can help you get through the day with seemingly limitless energy and without a crash.  

Even before the “keto craze” there was keto coffee….  It was all started by Bulletproof (the company) and can be surprisingly tasty if it made properly. Even dieters who are engaged in intermittent fasting for weight loss drink keto coffee, so that they have increased energy and focus, even with less food intake. 

The main fats required to make keto coffee are butter and coconut oil. But not just any butter and not just any store-bought coconut oil. It’s not the same as what we’re talking about here. 

The butter is unsalted, grass-fed butter, and the coconut oil is a highly concentrated MCT coconut oil and it has no flavor so it doesn’t change the taste of your coffee. You can find this oil on Amazonthe Bulletproof  website.  

As a coffee professional and lover of plain black coffee, I can attest to the fact that the oil doesn’t change the flavor of my coffee and that’s extremely important to me. It does have an oily film, but it just moisturized my lips and that’s fine with me!    

 

How to Make Keto Coffee 

Because oil and water don’t mix, the only way you will be able to get them to fully combine is by blending them at high speeds.  It’s very easy; all you need is a blender (I like the Magic Bullet) and the three key ingredients mentioned above (coffee, oil & butter). 

 

The basic recipe for making “bulletproof” coffee: 

Ingredients: 

• One cup of Bean Hoppershot air roasted coffee (because hot air roasting is healthier for you than drum roasted coffee, ethically sourced and of the top 5% of Arabica beans grown worldwide)
  
  
• Up to One tablespoon of Organic, unsalted grass-fed butter (Kerrygold is recommended and easy to find at most local grocers) 
• Start with half a serving and work your way up or it could upset your stomach.

• Up to One tablespoon of Bulletproof XCT (an MCT oil) or Brain Octane Oil (also an MCT oil) - Depending on your goals. 
• Start with half a serving and work your way up or it could upset your stomach. 

 Note about the ingredients: I specifically call out Bulletproof MCT oil because just regular “coconut oil” is NOT the same thing, will not have the same effects and will NOT taste the same. Bulletproof oil does not have a flavor and it is extremely high quality and ultra-refined.  

Not all MCTs are the same. Brain Octane oil gives you four times more ketone energy than coconut oil. That means you get more brain-powering, fat-burning power than you would with generic MCT oil. 

 
Procedure: 

• Brew one cup of Bean Hoppers coffee using your preferred method. 
• Pour the coffee into the blender along with the butter and oil. 
• Blend until smooth and frothy. 
• Serve. 

The drink is creamy and low in carbohydrates; however, the ingredients make it high in fat and calories (about 220 calories a cup, while plain black coffee only has about two calories per cup). So unless you plan to skimp or skip breakfast, it is may ad unwanted calories into your diet and could lead to weight gain.  

Drinking bulletproof coffee can make you feel full for a longer period of time and provides healthy fats to promote weight loss and brain health.  

Yeah, but does it work? 

Well, I’ll give you my personal opinion based on my own experience. I believe that everybody is different and has different needs.

Energy & Focus: For me, it’s huge. The first time I tried Bulletproof coffee (basic recipe) I soared through the day! It increased my energy, focus and enhanced my mood. I felt great! My husband had the same experience, and we compared notes throughout the day. And that was only just half the dose. 

I’ve used both the XCT and the Brain Octane and found there definitely is a difference. It actually does what it says it does. The Brain Octane made me super focused and the XCT gave me bounds of energy (plus mental clarity). I have a sensitive stomach so if you do to, I recommend starting small and work your way up to a full dose, or you may be in the bathroom a lot.  

Because I don’t want to get used to these benefits and have them wear off, I choose not to use it every day. I just use it when I have a big day, early morning workout, a busy day ahead, or just really need some extra focus or energy.  

Weight loss:  Since it’s high in calories and fat, I do not eat breakfast on the days that I use Bulletproof. I'm one of those people who are hungry every two hours so I have a hard time skipping breakfast, and don't want the extra calories every day. So it was not really an effective weight-loss tool for me. However, I do attest to the fact that when I increase healthy fats in my diet as a snack during the day, it kicked my metabolism into gear, and was one of the most successful ways I've lost weight in the past. It wasn't just from oils, but also eating all whole foods (nothing from packages or artificial). 

The taste: Well, I am very much a coffee purist. I own a coffee business, so it’s kind of a big deal to me. I won’t lie, I do prefer my coffee black, but I think that it actually tastes very good with the Grass-Fed, Unsalted, Organic butter all frothed up in the blender. The oil doesn’t change the flavor at all, but the butter does. If you think about it, butter is really just cream, churned more, so it’s a bit like putting creamer in your coffee (sort of). All that said, I really love black coffee better. It’s just my thing.  

Is it for you?

I think you should give it a try and see how it works for you. I’d love to hear your thoughts!  

p.s. I don’t get paid by Bulletproof so I’m actually not trying to “sell” you on this. It’s just my personal and honest opinion. I hope it’s been helpful! 

 

Milinda 

- The Coffee Bean Queen 

 

disclosure: As an Amazon affiliate, I may make commissions from sharing links to products sold on Amazon