Bulletproof Coffee—Supercharged Battery Acid for your Brain

Hello Steemians:

The latest health food craze seems to be a convenient excuse to combine two of our favorite nutritional intakes: coffee and butter. If you don’t already know, the simple recipe for bulletproof coffee is this:

1. 1 cup of brewed coffee
2. 2 tablespoons of MCT oil
3. 1 tablespoon of grass-fed butter
   *or some variation of these measurements

Of course, when I heard about this I hopped on board immediately. I drink coffee almost every day so if putting butter and oil in it will give be superhuman abilities, then why not? But soon afterward I realized that I could just be falling for another one of many modern health fads/scams. I decided to do some research on both the case for and against Bulletproof Coffee. I hope that I can approach this with a healthy amount of skepticism. Ultimately, the decision is yours to make.

The Case For:

Lots of anecdotal support

People love talking about bulletproof coffee. If you don’t believe me just Google bulletproof followed by coffee and you can see what I mean. For proof, you can find many people are raving about it here, here, and here. However, it’s hard to argue that a cup of coffee will leave you in that perfect kind of mood to go online and write a review about it.

And yes.. I’m aware of the irony.

Not necessarily backed by one big company

Usually, it’s a red flag when you see a single entity as the main promoter of anything. It’s obvious; they stand to gain the most, regardless of the validity of the product. In this case, it appears that many companies are promoting it, along with individuals. I mean hey, if Silicon Valley drinks it, then they must be on to something.

Science!?

All these outlandish claims backed by internet science would certainly lead one to believe that bulletproof coffee is a miracle drink. Digging a bit further, I have found plenty of real scientific evidence that some of the main ingredients have amazing health benefits on their own. Many real scientific journals have published findings that the caffeine and phytochemicals in coffee having an inverse relationship to diseases like cancer, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer’s. Real research also suggests that MCT oil helps move the body to a state of ketosis—triggered by a high-fat, low-carb diet—which has been proven to control epilepsy in children. Ketosis also aids weight loss---a common problem in the US---by producing 'ketones' that provide energy for the brain instead of glucose (thus burning fat rather than carbs).

The Case Against:

Gluttony

The main case against bulletproof coffee is one that can be made about anything in life: everything in moderation. Hell, you can die from drinking too much water. It goes without saying that if you are overdoing it with the oil and butter, you’re probably not helping your cause. Additionally, if you add cream and sugar to your coffee—just stop. It’s been shown that sugar is actually a more addictive component than the coffee itself, and responsible for far more of the negative side-effects. It’s not in the recipe and it's really unnecessary, so do yourself a favor and get over the fact that you 'don’t like the taste'. Trust me, after a week or two, it actually starts to taste pretty good.

David Asprey

If anyone comes close to seeming like a snake-oil salesman, it's David Asprey and his bulletproof coffee company. This guy brought the idea to the forefront of the people’s attention and coined the term "bulletproof coffee". As a well-education Silicon Valley entrepreneur, I do think that he believes in what he sells. Plus, if you’ve heard anything about the claims under question, you’re free to buy your own ingredients (at a slightly more reasonable price) and make it yourself. If you haven’t, here is a clip where Joe Rogan sums it up:

Basically, his claim that most coffee contains mycotoxins (read: mold) and that his doesn’t, is a bit of a stretch. Most coffee nowadays is dry-roasted, which leaves the mycotoxin level insignificantly low. If this is as close as it comes to a scam in the business of making bulletproof coffee, that’s not enough to throw me off. I drink Lavazza anyways.

My Experience

It’s hard to argue that drinking a cup of coffee won’t kick my brain into overdrive—that’s what it’s for. Having been mixing MCT oil into my coffee for the past three weeks, it’s hard to tell if it’s the bulletproof side at work or simply the typical adenosine inhibitory response of my brain on caffeine. One thing is for sure—I feel incredible. There doesn’t seem to be any crash when the effects wear off. It feels like what I would describe in an addict’s terms as a smoother high. Of course, this could all be placebo, but hey, it tastes better too (give it a few days). I currently see no reason to turn back, but I’ll make an update if I do. I will continue adding MCT oil to my coffee for as long as I continue to drink the magic elixir. The Verdict I can confidently say that through my research and experience I would recommend bulletproof coffee to anyone who loves the dark concoction as much as I do. Cut out the cream and sugar. Replace it with a little MCT oil and butter and I think the reward outweighs the risk by a landslide. Drink some then go crush it at work, hit the gym, or go post to Steemit!

Leave a comment if you have any questions, comments or even counter-points about bulletproof coffee!