[Updated 4/20/18) First and foremost this is an update because I just went to purchase more brain octane oil and there’s a THREE PACK NOW that makes it like $19 a bottle!! [Here’s the link!!]
Hey there!! So you’re probably intrigued about why the heck a home improvement blogger is talking about a fat burning energy drink…
Or maybe you’re new to the term Bulletproof Coffee and are just wondering what the heck it is.
Or maybe you’re simply looking up for a Bulletproof Coffee recipe and came across this blog post!
Well you’ve come to the right place. I am obsessed O-B-S-E-S-S-E-D with Bulletproof Coffee. Renovating homes and apartments requires A LOT of energy, especially when there are only two of us doing the majority of the labor. I’ve found that this coffee keeps me going a little longer and I can definitely tell a difference on the days I don’t make it. Not only that but it’s helped me maintain my weight loss.
Not many people know this, but I’ve lost 74 pounds (say whattttttt) and have this new found energy that could rival that of a 3 year old who just ate an entire bucket of Halloween candy. I am not kidding when I say I go go go from 6am until 11pm every single day. And even though life is a little hectic (I’m sure many of you can relate) I take the time to make Bulletproof Coffee most mornings because it truly helps with cravings I tend to get late in the afternoon and it truly feels like it gives my brain a boost in “thinking ability” – if that’s a thing.
First, I’ll go over the reasons you need to use specific ingredients for this and why they matter. I also touch on why regular coffee isn’t so great for your body and where to purchase the ingredients! I also talk about the process I go through to make Bulletproof coffee and then list the recipe at the bottom.
And of course you can also scroll down, and skip all the rest of my babbling, for the Bulletproof coffee recipe.
And as always, before we begin I must, by the governing body called the FTC, announce the following: The FTC requires me to say that this post has affiliate links. This means I make a small commission if you purchase from clicking on a link below with no increase in cost to you. I truly put hard work into each and every post and want to give you valuable informationand the links are here for your convenience. My links aren’t just to lead you somewhere to make a buck, I promise they’re useful.And hey! That’s one way us bloggers make money for our blog… and I absolutely, POSITIVELY, do not pimp out my blog. What I post about is stuff I either actually own, love and use or would LOVE to purchase for any one of our thousands of renovation projects, friends or family!
*As a side note: The above pictures shows SALTED grass fed butter. I now highly recommend UNSALTED grass fed butter. (Looking back, I’m like “really… you even had salt added to your coffee girl?!?!”)
My introduction to Bulletproof Coffee happened like this… A health coach friend and myself were at whole foods (whole foods = LOVE) and she said she had to pick up some MCT oil for another friend that we were staying with at the time so she could make Bulletproof coffee in the mornings. I was like “WHATTTTTT is Bulletproof coffee!?! And why do I want it already?”
Bulletproof coffee is basically butter coffee with MCT oil added to the mix. I had never even heard of people making butter coffee before but was super intrigued! (I know now that people are encouraged to substitute a little grass fed butter for their creamer as a healthier alternative.)
Well, let me tell you, this small interaction lead me down a path that I can never turn around and walk back out of. I have found out so many reasons why the coffee I was currently drinking was TERRIBLE for me, why I should be drinking Bulletproof coffee and why MCT’s are the bomb.
There are lots of things to you probably never considered when making Bulletproof coffee (and when making regular coffee) which I’ll list neatly below.
The Coffee
Did you know that most coffee has mold in it? Well not exactly mold per se, but most coffee is severely contaminated with mycotoxins! Mycotoxins are damaging compounds created by molds which grow on coffee beans, among other things – and have been linked to kidney disease, brain damage, hypertension and even cancer. Mycotoxins in coffee can also give it a bitter flavor – yuck!
This study showed that over 91% of green coffee beans were already contaminated with mold – before they were even processed, and when they are processed it allows for even more mold growth!(1)
The bottom line is this: you can bet that those cheap coffee brands contain a boatload of mycotoxins. And yes, I still drink cheap coffee sometimes but I’m just glad I’m educated now.
Worse yet, decaf coffee contains even more toxins because caffeine acts as a natural anti fungal mechanism, deterring mold from growing on the beans. So without the caffeine you can bet your life savings that your decaf coffee contains mold.
Lastly, I’d like to point out that the conflicting news reports on studies about coffee – you know one day coffee is good for you and cures cancer and then the next day coffee is touted as the new superfood… yeah, they can’t be trusted and you have to do your own research. When these studies are performed, most of the time they don’t take into account the type of coffee being used. There’s a huge difference in mycotoxin laden coffee and true good for you healthy delicious non-bitter coffee.
Bulletproof also makesa coffee
which I have yet to try simply because I’ve had so much other (high quality) coffee to use up! But you can bet when my coffee is out I’m going to give it a try!
The MCT Oil
There are lots of fakes out there. There are also brands out there that are cutting their MCT oil with some other type of oil! So just be careful when choosing your MCT oil. I personally use this one
(standard XCT oil) and health coach friends of mine rave about this one
(Brain Octane oil!) UPDATE: Since the time I wrote this post I started using Brane Octane oil and I’ve noticed that my cravings are decreased slightly from when I was using the XCT oil.
So now you might be wondering what the difference between XCT oil and Brain Octane oil is. From my research, my understanding is that Brain Octane oil
is essentially a more potent MCT oil and XCT oil
is just slightly less potent.
I definitely won’t be getting into the scientific details of that in this post but the basics are this: MCTs (medium chain triglycerides) are a form of saturated fatty acid that have numerous health benefits – my two favorite being improved cognitive function and weight management.
When studied, MCTs get their name from their medium length “tails” which have anywhere from 6 to 12 carbons attached. The four types of MCTs are C6, C8, C10 and C12. The most efficient at doing their job are the C8 MCTs which is what Brain Octane is. The MCT oil I use, Bulletproof XCT Oil, is a mixture of C8 and and C10 which makes it a little cheaper but also a little less effective.
However, I saw a huge improvement in my brain fog, memory and decision making abilities after only a few times of making Bulletproof coffee with the XTC oil so I’m sticking with it for now. However, I’d say if you can afford it, go for the Brain Octane
.
My only complaint with the MCT oil is the bottle design. It’s impossible to pour out only a tablespoon of MCT oil without it spilling all over the sides of the bottle and on the counter. However, a clever solution to this is to get one of those olive oil (or oil & vinegar) dispensing bottles, like this one
or this one
! It makes it so much easier to pour and as a bonus, if you get the clear one you can see how much oil you have left!
The Butter
You have to use grass fed butter. That is super important. The first reason is that the ratio of omega 6’s to omega 3’s is much better in grass fed butter than in your conventional butter. This is because cows are allowed to graze on actual grass – which contains Omega-3’s, unlike their unfortunate commerical counterparts who are fed a steady diet of soy, wheat or corn – which is higher in Omega-6’s.
Not that you need to know this, but research suggests we should be getting an Omega ratio of 4:1 (4 Omega-6’s to 1 Omega-3) but new, anti-aging research suggests a ratio of 1:1! The average American’s ratio is somewhere between 12:1 and 25:1!!!! So if you’re a big commercial meat or butter eater, you’re probably getting too many Omega-6’s and not enough omega-3’s. The good news though is that you can easily solve this problem by eating grass fed beef and butter instead!
Now, the next question you might have is where to even purchase grass fed butter! It’s actually a very common item for stores to carry and the most widely known brand is Kerrygold
. You can find Kerrygold is most grocery stores right next to the regular butter. If you’re a local here in PA, USA, you can find it at Giant, Weiss, Redners, Acme and even Walmart.
Here’s the other (and last) really cool thing I’ll talk about with butter. Once you purchase your grass fed butter, open it and slice it up, you’ll notice a deep yellow color. And when compared directly next to the standard butter you’ve been buying you’ll definitely have an “aha moment” where you’re like “hmmmmm I can’t believe how pasty pale white my other butter is – this beautiful deep yellow butter must be better for me!” – Ha okay, I get the fact that most likely won’t happen, but yes, the bottom line is grass fed is just so much better for you! So just buy the freaking grass fed butter.
The Blending
Believe it or not, it’s actually important to blend, not just stir or shake, all the ingredients of Bulletproof Coffee together.
Before I knew any better, I was simply putting the tablespoon of butter and XTC oil in sealable mug and shaking it up! Well, this did not create the same frothy effect I remembered from the first few times I tried bulletproof coffee at a friends house (whom actually used a blender
.)
Not only did I not have the luxurious frothiness, but I was missing out on the emulsification of the fats! When you blend the butter, small droplets of fat are actually suspended in the liquid (called micelles) which makes the fat more digestible. I truly noticed a huge difference in my energy levels, brain fog and satiation when I began blending again (as opposed to stirring.)
But here’s the funny thing, I actually don’t own a blender! I use my immersion blender
and it does the job just fine! It comes out just like it did the first few times I had it at my friends house – nice and frothy and creamy, just like I remembered. Maybe it’s just me, but I actually think the immersion blender method might be easier – I’m not a huge fan of cleaning blenders.
So I’m not going to lie… I’ve talked to lots of friends and family about Bulletproof Coffee and most don’t believe me when I say it’s the most luxurious, creamy, brain boosting coffee on earth. Most just write me off as some crazy health nut. They write me off as some person who has “taken this health and wellness sh*t too far.” But the bottom line is this, if you’re going to eat or drink anything, why not make it as beneficial to your body as possible?
If you’re going to the trouble to make a cup of coffee, why not make it the healthiest, most brain beneficial, most delicious cup of coffee ever? Can you say frothy, creamy and delicious? Then you’ll probably want to make some Bulletproof Coffee ASAP.
The Bulletproof Coffee Recipe
- 8-10 ounces High Quality Coffee
- 1 tablespoon XCT Oil
- 1-2 tablespoons grass fed butter (I useKerrygold)
Brew up your coffee as your normally would. Add both the XCT oil and grass fed butter and blend it all together for about 30 seconds – it should be lighter in color and frothy on top! And then enjoy!
*Something that’s important to note: You should start slow with the XCT oil and work your way up to 1 full tablespoon. I started with 1 teaspoon and worked my way up in to a tablespoon after about a week. Apparently, a side effect of consuming 1 tablespoon of XCT oil when your body hasn’t been introduced to it before is loose stools – so I started slow in case that’s true!
Where I get my Bulletproof Coffee Ingredients
I get a lot of questions about where I get my ingredients for coffee. I’ve linked to them above, some links are to Amazon and some links are to the Bulletproof website. If you just want to go ahead and try it out, I’d say purchase on Amazon because the requirement for free shipping is lower than on the Bulletproof website. BUT, if it’s something you’re going to order every month, you might want to purchase it right from Bulletproof and sign up for auto-order and get 5% off. I haven’t done that yet, but it’s on the to-do list (along with 1,589 other things.)
Here’s a link to my Amazon list with all the necessary ingredients listed out. Just pick what you want and go!
The Coffee | Here’s link to Amazon
The XCT Oil | Here’s link to Amazon (OR the Brain Octane Oil | Here’s link to Amazon)
The Grass Fed Butter | link to Amazon but I get Kerrygold at grocery store. Most places are starting to carry it! Make sure to get unsalted – it tastes really weird if you use salted! You can also use Ghee [link to Amazon] which is AHHHHmazing but also AAAAAlot of money. Usually I stick to Kerrygold!
So there you have it,how to make the perfect cup of Bulletproof Coffee and why the ingredients matter so much! This bulletproof coffee recipe is what FUELS my 24/7 renovation life! I am forever grateful to my health coach Sandra Letenzi over at Steadfast Health for introducing me to it!
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*You can assume that all links are affiliate links. This means I make a small commission when you purchase something through one of my links, with no increase in cost to you. I can keep this blog running and you get a bitchin’ product!)
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14726276
