Touted by celebrities from Ed Sheeran to Shailene Woodley, the latest trend in coffee has you adding a strange ingredient to your morning cup of joe: butter. Bulletproof Coffee, created by biohacker and tech entrepreneur Dave Asprey, promises that by changing up your coffee you can feel focused and energetic all day.
What is Bulletproof Coffee?
Bulletproof Coffee is a combination of proprietary high-grade coffee, unsalted grass-fed butter and Brain Octane Oil (a purified coconut oil extract). Blended together, these ingredients make a smooth, creamy cup of coffee.
According to its creator, each ingredient in Bulletproof Coffee brings its own benefits to energize your morning:
The coffee beans are Certified Clean, with no detectable traces of mycotoxins. These toxins are created by mold commonly found in coffee beans. While mycotoxins are rarely found in amounts that do any harm, they can give your coffee a more bitter taste. The caffeine in the coffee also helps release the fats you consume, leading to fast energy.
The grass-fed butter provides higher levels of Omega-3 healthy fats, as well as more vitamins than other butters. These types of fats provide longer lasting energy. The butyric acid in butter also promotes better brain function.
The Brain Octane Oil provides only the healthiest fats from coconut, resulting in a fast boost of energy. “Your body also naturally uses the type of fat found in Brain Octane for energy instead of storing it,” says Asprey, “which is part of why Brain Octane is so good for you.”
If it works as sold, this one cup of coffee should replace your entire breakfast and boost your mood so you are ready for the day.
How Do I Make Bulletproof Coffee?
You can find the Bulletproof Coffee recipe online, as well as all the products involved. While Brain Octane Oil and the coffee beans themselves are proprietary, you can use any grass-fed butter or ghee to complete the recipe.
First, brew your cup of coffee using the certified clean beans. Next, add one to two tablespoons of the Brain Octane Oil and one to two tablespoons of grass-fed butter. Finally, put it all in a blender for about 20 seconds until frothy.
Should I Try Bulletproof Coffee?
If you feel groggy in the morning, foggy in the afternoon and simply have trouble focusing, Bulletproof Coffee might provide the energy you need to get through your day. The coffee is also part of a larger Bulletproof lifestyle that encourages eating healthy fats and fewer carbohydrates.
“The type of dieter that loves Bulletproof the most is someone who is tired of relying on willpower to struggle through one diet after the other, only to regain the weight they lost, just like I did for all those years,” says Asprey.
The Bulletproof Diet lets you eat tasty, nutritious food that actually gives you so much energy that you stop having cravings and start using the extra energy to live your life the way you want.”
However, like all new food trends, you should take this one with a grain of salt (or, in this case, a tablespoon of butter). While these claims may be true, no scientific studies have been conducted to test the purported benefits. And, if you have preexisting health conditions like heart disease or diabetes, adding more fat and removing carbohydrates from your breakfast may not be what the doctor ordered.
Still, if you are a healthy person, giving Bulletproof Coffee a try shouldn’t do long-term harm to your health. You may just find it gives you the boost you need to feel invincible—or, at the very least, more productive.
Kasey M. Fuqua: Kasey Fuqua has been writing for hospitals and healthcare publications for over five years. Her writing often inspires her to explore new habits at home, from baking healthier to trying different workout routines. She’s a firm believer in lifting heavy weights, enjoying the food you eat and getting eight hours of sleep.