Bulletproof Coffee

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Thoughts on Bulletproof Coffee. Is it healthy or not? I have been drinking it for a couple months, but am wondering how healthy it truly is. Isn't having a normal breakfast better for you? I have been researching it online and it has mixed reviews, some it is healthy and some say it is bad for you.
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  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
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    It depends on your goals. I don't use the brand of Bulletproof coffee, but my normal weekday breakfast is coffee with added fat and protein. Usually it is protein powder, HWC, and margarine. Sometimes I'll also add MCT oil. For me, it provides macro-nutrients to fit my plan. So it is subjectively "healthy" for me. If what you eat fits your plan (assuming your plan is what you need to reach whatever goals you have set), then the food itself can be considered to be "healthy."
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    I would tend to think this is a bad idea for the majority of people.

    And while this is purely anecdote I know Dr Spencer Nadolsky (obesity physician who is also active in the fitness community) has seen evidence of concerning health markers that seem to be correlated with people drinking BP coffee and it might have to do with the rather extreme nature of it.
  • erider0505
    erider0505 Posts: 13 Member
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    @bowlerae Thank you! I haven't tried it with heavy cream. I do 2 TBPSN butter & Coconut Oil & 1 TBPSN Brain Octane. I will try heavy cream too. I am also trying to following a keto diet. Just want to make sure it is healthy, as that is my main goal.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited October 2016
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    erider0505 wrote: »
    Thoughts on Bulletproof Coffee. Is it healthy or not? I have been drinking it for a couple months, but am wondering how healthy it truly is. Isn't having a normal breakfast better for you? I have been researching it online and it has mixed reviews, some it is healthy and some say it is bad for you.

    Breakfast is irrelevant, really. But for me bulletproof coffee sounds unappealing (I like coffee black) and has no health benefits -- butter and coconut oil are great for cooking and tasty, but don't really have many nutrients on their own. Therefore, if I am going to invest calories in breakfast (and I usually do), I like for them to include protein and a variety of micronutrients -- usually including vegetables, maybe fruit. But if you prefer a different kind of breakfast and getting in protein/micros in other ways, that's totally fine.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    I drink it most days. It fits my macros. I eat LCHF and tend to skip a breakfast do drinking coffee with a teaspoon of coconut oil (lots of MCTs - great for brain health) and some cream fills me up. Plus I love sipping coffee and like the taste.

    I've always liked drinking my calories too. I like smoothies, coffee with cream, teas, and I used to like alcoholic drinks. Those who don't drink their calories might not enjoy it.

    I am sure it isn't bad for you. My BPC probably has about the same calories as someone else's creamer and sugar. I just don't have the carbs in mine.

    About the only time BPC might be a bad idea is if you are adding it onto an already full breakfast. Depending on how you make it, it could be a few hundred extra calories per day.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I drink it most days. It fits my macros. I eat LCHF and tend to skip a breakfast do drinking coffee with a teaspoon of coconut oil (lots of MCTs - great for brain health) and some cream fills me up. Plus I love sipping coffee and like the taste.

    I've always liked drinking my calories too. I like smoothies, coffee with cream, teas, and I used to like alcoholic drinks. Those who don't drink their calories might not enjoy it.

    I am sure it isn't bad for you. My BPC probably has about the same calories as someone else's creamer and sugar. I just don't have the carbs in mine.

    About the only time BPC might be a bad idea is if you are adding it onto an already full breakfast. Depending on how you make it, it could be a few hundred extra calories per day.

    IIRC one of Asprey's recommendations clocks in around 600cals? At SOME point I'd have to think that might matter in some individuals even under a condition where someone isn't gaining bodyweight.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,306 Member
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    The logic to me.. is to keep yourself in a fat burning state after fasting during sleep. If you eat any carb your body comes out of the fat burning fasting state. So, in theory. you drink coffee with butter, or coconut oil it keeps your body during fat until you eat at lunch. I learned this from my intermittent fasting group.. where some do this in the mornings.

    That's all I can dish on the subject.. Iv'e never done it.
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
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    The logic to me.. is to keep yourself in a fat burning state after fasting during sleep. If you eat any carb your body comes out of the fat burning fasting state. So, in theory. you drink coffee with butter, or coconut oil it keeps your body during fat until you eat at lunch. I learned this from my intermittent fasting group.. where some do this in the mornings.

    That's all I can dish on the subject.. Iv'e never done it.

    Yes, some people drink BPC for that reason. Personally, I add protein powder and HWC, so that wouldn't work out. Not that I care because it is basically just a breakfast replacement for me, but just pointing out that there are other goals with BPC.
  • tlflag1620
    tlflag1620 Posts: 1,358 Member
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    I e never tried it, but I do add a good bit of cream or half and half to my coffee (and no sweetener/sugar), and tend to skip breakfast. The fat content does seem to keep me satisfied until lunch. If it fits your calories, fills you up, and you like it, why not? And what is a "normal" breakfast? Personally I think breakfast is overrated. As long as you are hitting your macro and micro needs with the rest of your day, I don't see breakfast, or a lack thereof, as being particularly critical.
  • MarkR_2013
    MarkR_2013 Posts: 43 Member
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    Brain Octane!?! You realize that you're just dosing your coffee with this stuff:
    http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-915-medium+chain+triglycerides.aspx

    Just put blueberries and sesame seeds on your morning cereal. It's probably tastes better too.
    http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/eat-smart-healthier-brain#1
  • KetoLady86
    KetoLady86 Posts: 337 Member
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    I drink BPC almost everyday with a tablespoon of MCT. LOVE IT
  • Gamliela
    Gamliela Posts: 2,468 Member
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    The logic to me.. is to keep yourself in a fat burning state after fasting during sleep. If you eat any carb your body comes out of the fat burning fasting state. So, in theory. you drink coffee with butter, or coconut oil it keeps your body during fat until you eat at lunch. I learned this from my intermittent fasting group.. where some do this in the mornings.

    That's all I can dish on the subject.. Iv'e never done it.

    Is this true? I mean about the fat burning state, coffee, fat and fasting after sleep?
    Carbs stop fat burning in the day time?

    I thought most fat is used during sleep and rest state, not much in the day time.

  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    SideSteel wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I drink it most days. It fits my macros. I eat LCHF and tend to skip a breakfast do drinking coffee with a teaspoon of coconut oil (lots of MCTs - great for brain health) and some cream fills me up. Plus I love sipping coffee and like the taste.

    I've always liked drinking my calories too. I like smoothies, coffee with cream, teas, and I used to like alcoholic drinks. Those who don't drink their calories might not enjoy it.

    I am sure it isn't bad for you. My BPC probably has about the same calories as someone else's creamer and sugar. I just don't have the carbs in mine.

    About the only time BPC might be a bad idea is if you are adding it onto an already full breakfast. Depending on how you make it, it could be a few hundred extra calories per day.

    IIRC one of Asprey's recommendations clocks in around 600cals? At SOME point I'd have to think that might matter in some individuals even under a condition where someone isn't gaining bodyweight.

    You could be right. I have no idea - I've never followed Asprey. I was putting coconut oil in my coffee long before I'd ever heard of him or BPC. It started with coconut cream from a can because I had some dairy issues and liked cream in my coffee, and many of the substitute milks had cross contamination issues that could have been a problem for my family. I switched to coconut oil because it was cheaper than coconut milk.

    600kcal of coconut oil is a lot. Theraputic levels are often that high but I doubt the average Joe needs, or wants that much. I'd be in the bathroom all day if I didn't build up to that much.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    I don't see why it would be unhealthy, but it is the most bizarre concept I've ever heard of. It totally beats out drinking kale on the weird food idea scale.

    It really isn't any odder than putting cow breast milk and evaporated beet juice in your coffee. ;) It's more a matter of what you are used to.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Gamliela wrote: »
    The logic to me.. is to keep yourself in a fat burning state after fasting during sleep. If you eat any carb your body comes out of the fat burning fasting state. So, in theory. you drink coffee with butter, or coconut oil it keeps your body during fat until you eat at lunch. I learned this from my intermittent fasting group.. where some do this in the mornings.

    That's all I can dish on the subject.. Iv'e never done it.

    Is this true? I mean about the fat burning state, coffee, fat and fasting after sleep?
    Carbs stop fat burning in the day time?

    Not completely, or all day long, and also it doesn't matter. You burn the same amount of calories over time, and if there is a deficit the extra will come from bodyfat (mostly). The timing of when you burn it is irrelevant.