Can I Drink Bulletproof Coffee Twice A Day?

Bulletproof coffees have become extremely popular over the last few years and those who follow the keto diet in particular, know it well. Whilst researching different topics, a question I have often come across is: ‘Can I drink bulletproof coffee twice a day?’

In response to this question the short answer is, yes, you can drink bulletproof coffee twice a day. HOWEVER, it is advisable to drink only one per day, and this includes when fasting intermittently, due to it’s high fat content.

If you’ve only heard of bulletproof coffee but don’t know much about this keto-friendly drink, the keto diet or why you shouldn’t be drinking more than one, then I explain them all in much more detail below.

What is Bulletproof Coffee?

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Bulletproof coffee, which is also known as keto coffee or butter coffee, is called so due to the addition of butter and an MCT oil, usually palm kernel or coconut oil, to your regular coffee.

The science behind it is that these particular fats contain MCT’s, or Medium Chain Triglycerides. When used in your morning cup of coffee, they help to suppress your appetite until lunchtime. This, in conjunction with the ketogenic diet, can aid in weight loss as well as have many other benefits. It should be noted that your bulletproof coffee should be a replacement of your current breakfast meal and not an an addition to it.

Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs) - What is so special about them?

So why use these particular fats/oils (butter, coconut oil and palm kernel oil? Because they rich in Medium Chain Triglycerides, or MCTs for short. They are made up of fatty acids and it’s these fatty acids that help to reduce body fat which in turn helps in the fight against increased weight gain. Not only that but they also appear to contribute to a healthy gut as well as helping to:

Improve memory and brain function
Improve blood sugar levels
Reduce inflammation

Lower cholesterol
Increase energy levels
Decrease metabolic syndrome

If you have a particularly sensitive gut, I would recommend starting off with a small amount of MCT oil first and then increase it gradually if there are no adverse symptoms. This is just a precaution however as majority of people appear to have no issues with MCT oils.

Related article:

Is coffee good for your heart?

How did bulletproof coffee come about?

Dave Asprey, who also wrote the best selling book ‘Fast This Way‘, founded the recipe for bulletproof coffee. It was on his trip to the Himalayas, where the local Tibetans offered him a cup of butter tea. This was simply regular tea but with the addition of yak butter or ‘Su oil.’

The taste of this hot brew led to the creation of bulletproof coffee as we know it today. It was ideal not only due to it’s health benefits but also because it could be drunk as part of the keto diet. After returning home, he attracted positive attention to the idea which led him to becoming a renowned author and entrepreneur making and selling bulletproof coffee, MCTs and other bulletproof related products.

What Does a Bulletproof Coffee Taste Like?

Due to the use of butter and MCT oils, a bulletproof coffee has a silky, glossy texture. When blended together it looks and tastes just like a creamy cup of latte.

In order to get the best taste from your bulletproof coffee there are a few things you can do:

Buy the best quality coffee you can afford. The Riordan Clinic recommends purchasing single source coffee as the beans will only have come from one place and not had cheaper, potentially mold containing coffee beans from other places added to it.
Use filtered water instead of tap water. The chemicals added to tap water really do change the taste of beverages.
Using freshly ground coffee beans will give a far superior flavor to coffee that has been stored for a period of time.

Benefits of Drinking Bulletproof Coffee

There are many reasons to include bulletproof coffee into your daily keto diet. Here are just a few of the benefits:

Increased energy levels
Keeps you alert

Reduces risk of developing diseases
Helps with weight loss
Improves metabolism

Helps suppress hunger until lunch time
Regulates hormone system
Decreases insulin resistance

As with any diet however, it should be noted that bulletproof coffees should only be consumed daily if used as part of a diet such as the keto diet, for example, where you do not exceed the recommended daily calorie intake. Having a bulletproof coffee as well as having many other high fat, high sugar foods for the rest of the day is not likely to help you lose weight or gain any of the above-mentioned benefits.

Why you shouldn’t drink more than one bulletproof coffee per day

Although studies have shown that a keto diet can have a reduction on overall cholesterol levels, more research is needed as to the longer term health implications and it’s affect in diseases such as dyslipidemia and diabetes.

As mentioned above, bulletproof coffee contains a significant amount of fat. Typically, a cup of bulletproof coffee can contain anywhere from 250 calories upwards, depending on the recipe you use. The minimum fat content would therefore be 25 grams of fat, 21 grams of that being saturated fat.

Too much saturated fat in our diet can be detrimental to our health. Chemically, they contain single carbon-hydrogen bonds, which are hard to break down and so deposit fat in and around various organs, and blood vessels throughout the body. These fats are also thought to contribute to atherosclerosis (lesions on arteries) which could eventually lead to cardiovascular problems. In addition, it could affect the kidneys if consumed in excess.

So to summarize, consuming large amounts of saturated fats can be harmful to health in the long term. This is why it has been suggested that once your body is regularly using ketones to burn body fat, that saturated fats in bulletproof coffees be reduced. The increased fats in bulletproof coffees helps the body to enter ketosis quicker meaning faster weight loss initially.

How do you make bulletproof coffee?

So how do you actually make a bulletproof coffee? It really is a simple recipe and you should already have most of the ingredients at home.

Bulletproof Coffee Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup freshly brewed coffee
1 – 2 tbsp grass fed butter, unsalted

1 tsp – 2 tbsp MCT oil

Method:

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend till smooth and foamy. That’s it!

Notes:

If you suffer from mould issues, I would recommend using mycotoxin-free coffee.
You can substitute butter with grass fed ghee.

If you are new to MCT oil, start off with 1 tsp and work your way up.
Experiment with different flavors as mentioned below.

What can you add to bulletproof coffee?

If you’d like to try something new, why not try adding some of the following flavors. These additions are all keto friendly and would make a nice change to the standard bulletproof coffee recipe.

Keto creamer – available on Amazon.com.
Cacao – Cacao is rich in antioxidants, increases alertness, increased protection for the heart and is anti-inflammatory. Be sure to choose only 100% pure cacao chocolate and add a 1/2 to 1 square of dark chocolate to your coffee.
Cinnamon – as only a tiny amount is used, this metabolism boosting spice is perfectly fine to use in your bulletproof cup of joe.

Pure Vanilla Extract – vanilla beans or extract, it makes little difference which you use but both will add a lovely flavour.

Additional flavours

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Adaptogens

Some adaptogens (popular in traditional herbal remedies) such as Ashwaganha (Indian Ginseng) and Rhodiola are two examples that are great for adding to your daily bulletproof coffee. Both are known for their stress relieving benefits and can even help promote restful sleep.

Antioxidants

Turmeric and cacoa will not only enhance the taste of your coffee but are beneficial to the body as both contain antioxidants. Antioxidants are excellent at their job of destroying free radicals. Those same free radicals that make us susceptible to illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and that make us age quicker. In addition, they have anti-inflammatory properties and can help to improve memory, reduce stress, fatigue and boost your metabolism.

Now that you know what you can add to your bulletproof coffee, here are a few frequently asked questions:

FAQ’s:

Why is Bulletproof Coffee Good For Keto?

The main principle of the keto diet is to eat two meals per day that are low in carbs and high in fat and protein. This stimulates ketosis in your body which in turn helps the body to burn fat and therefore, lose weight.

Each time we eat, there is a large spike in insulin levels in our bodies. Insulin is released into the bloodstream which signals fat cells, amongst others, to absorb glucose. If we continue eating throughout the day insulin will be released more often and the glucose will continue to be stored. This means that we are constantly accumulating glucose in our fat cells and that will lead to weight gain.

When you are no longer ingesting meals regularly throughout the day your body starts using stored levels of glucose rather than holding on to it. Don’t forget that carbs are converted to glucose therefore the less carbs you eat, the less glucose your body has to store.

So how do Bulletproof coffees fit into the keto diet? Bulletproof coffees are high in fat and low in carbs. This means that there are no large spikes in insulin. (There will always be a small amount of insulin released due to the stomach and how it works but it is minimal in comparison when eating foods high in carbohydrates.) As mentioned previously, your body will be using it’s own glucose stores for energy instead of it coming from constant, new food sources.

When combined with intermittent fasting bulletproof coffees allow you to last longer between your previous meal the night before and your first meal of the day, ideally at lunchtime or even later.

Can I Drink Bulletproof Coffee in the Evening?

A 2013 study found that drinking caffeine even 6 hours before bedtime, was enough to cause restless sleep. For this reason, it is recommended that you refrain from reaching for any caffeinated drinks, including bulletproof coffee, for a minimum of 7 – 8 hours before going to sleep at night.

Not only is the caffeine something to avoid in the run up to bedtime but as you already know by now, bulletproof coffee is a high-calorie, energy-dense drink. A cup of bulletproof coffee can contain anywhere between 200 and 300 calories.

It is recommended that you eat your last meal of the day, and this would include a bulletproof coffee, at least 3 hours before bedtime. (This especially applies to meals that are heavy on carbs and protein.) The reason for this is that it can cause an insulin spike that then negatively affects the release of HGH (Human Growth Hormone). HGH is a naturally released hormone is important for fat burning as well as for anti-aging and muscle building.

So, in summary, it is not recommended to have a bulletproof coffee in the evening but at least 7 – 8 hours before going to bed. That is unless it contains decaffeinated coffee in which case, it would be okay to have one at least 3 hours before bed.

How Many Cups of Bulletproof Coffee Can You Have in a Day?

The maximum number of bulletproof coffees to be consumed per day is two although no more than one is recommended. If you consume more than one cup per day, it could end up being detrimental to your health causing more harm than good.

Having fat-enriched foods is one main part of the keto diet, as we have already mentioned. However as with everything, too much of one thing is never a good thing. Too much fat can lead to the deposition of triglycerides in various parts of your body which will mean a rise in cholesterol levels and weight gain.

Bulletproof coffees are not nutrient dense and are high in saturated fat and according to dietician, Maria Zamarripa, the majority of our dietary fat should be from unsaturated fat sources. Some examples of these are seeds, nuts, fatty fish and olive oil.

Can you use maple syrup in your bulletproof coffee?

No, maple syrup is not recommended if drinking bulletproof coffee in conjunction with the keto diet. But all is not lost! Why not try one of these low carb sugar substitutes to sweeten your bulletproof coffee?

Xylitol – look out for xylitol that has been extracted from corn which is genetically modified. Better alternatives are those extracted from other sources such as birch.

Monk fruit sweetener
Raw honey – only if used in small amounts as it does contain some carbs.
Stevia glycerite – available in liquid form. This is a great tasting alternative to powdered stevia as it said to be around the same sweetness as sugar.

Erythritol – Erythritol is a sugar alcohol with zero calories. It is does not get absorbed by the body so therefore doesn’t have time to turn into energy.

Can I put milk in bulletproof coffee?

If you’re a fan of milk don’t let the fact that there is no milk dissuade you from trying a bulletproof coffee because it really does tastes as good as a cup of latte or a cup of frothy cappuccino. And you can easily create a frothy foam by using a blender by mixing all the ingredients together. (In the absence of a blender, try using a milk frother or smoothie maker.)

According to Bulletproof.com, dairy milk should not be added to bulletproof coffees. The reason is that dairy contains proteins which causes inflammation and allergic reactions in a large percent of the population. Not only this but these proteins are damaged by heat. Additionally, the presence of proteins will negate any antioxidants benefits that the bulletproof coffee provides.

In summary

So, can you drink bulletproof coffee twice a day?

Yes, you can drink bulletproof coffee twice a day if your total daily calorie intake remains undisturbed. However, it is a very high-calorie drink that contains a large amount of saturated fat and you will be missing crucial vitamins and minerals that would normally be provided in a balanced meal. It is therefore recommended that you only have one bulletproof coffee per day.