Turn Your Coffee Into Rocket Fuel


Michael Finch |

Photo by Clint Blowers
Photo by Clint Blowers

Forget milk and sugar. Add butter to your morning brew to kickstart your day and feel invincible when you ride. In his new book, The Bulletproof Diet, author and cyclist Dave Asprey says, “When you mix coffee with the right fats, you get a drink that stomps on hunger, and helps you lose weight, build muscle, and increase performance.” He calls it Bulletproof Coffee. Here’s your guide.

The Power of Caffeine

Caffeine does more than give you energy. It increases insulin sensitivity, which is important for weight management. But Asprey says that some coffee beans contain mould toxins, which can cause fatigue. To find low-toxin beans, choose single-origin coffee rather than a blend from various locations.

Seriously… Butter?

When you mix butter and coffee in a blender instead of stirring or pouring it (see recipe below), it changes into a form that helps your body use it as energy, Asprey says. And fat has more energy per gram than any other nutrient. Research also shows that coffee along with a high-fat diet is linked to lower body weight.

All Butter is not equal

Use butter from grass-fed cows, Asprey says. (He recommends unsalted Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter.) It’s higher in antioxidants, healthy fats, and certain vitamins, compared with butter from grain-fed animals.

Why Not Milk?

Butter contains butyrate, a saturated fatty acid that has multiple health benefits, including lowering cholesterol, Asprey says. And, unlike milk or cream, butter has very little casein, a protein that diminishes the effectiveness of one of coffee’s most potent antioxidants. (Coffee is the number-one source of inflammation-fighting antioxidants)

Try Coconut Oil Too

For even more benefits, Asprey adds coconut oil because it has more saturated fat than almost any other food. He prefers medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil, a liquid coconut extract that he says helps your body burn fat for energy.

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HOW TO MAKE IT

Pour two cups hot brewed coffee into a blender with up to two tablespoons each grass-fed, unsalted butter and MCT or coconut oil. (Start with just butter, or with a teaspoon of butter and oil; it can take time for your body to adjust to the extra fat.) Blend until a thick layer of foam forms on top. Add cinnamon, vanilla, dark chocolate, or sweetener if desired.[/box]

Adapted from The Bulletproof Diet by Dave Asprey.

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