If you know me, then you know that I preach to all who'll listen about the virtues of butter coffee, aka, my version of bulletproof coffee. Why, dear friends, should you be exempt from my sermons? Pre-butter coffee, I would sip black iced toddy alongside an egg white omelette with veggies and low fat cottage cheese.
This is of course assuming that I wasn't already eating a concoction of what I lovingly called ‘protein oatmeal.‘ What's protein oatmeal you ask? I would take whey protein isolate and an egg white, and whip them into cooked steel cut oats. Voila. Order up!
In August 2013, the blistering height of a dreadfully hot Austin summer, I began omitting my neo-conventional breakfast foods in lieu of my third greatest love: butter coffee. Okay, sure… in the beginning I was still completely fat phobic. I mean, like most of us who grew up brainwashed with the nonsensical dogma that all saturated fats are bad for you, the low fat lifestyle was utterly ingrained in me.
I literally cringed as I plugged 2 full tablespoons of pure saturated fat into my daily calorie counter.Thankfully, I've long since ditched the diet tracker apps and the phobia that fat makes you fat. In fact, my once impossible to maintain figure is now 13 pounds lighter, and every pound lost was pure fat. Go figure, eh?
On to the virtues of ‘the brew'. The science behind the butter coffee phenomenon originally came from The Bulletproof Exec, who, originally, invented Bulletproof Coffee. Since I don't actually use his specific products or recipe, I fondly call my silky brew, as you well know, butter coffee.
My recipe calls for freshly roasted organic & fair trade coffee (#notStarbucks), certified organic grass fed butter or ghee (#delicious), sustainable MCT or organic & extra virgin coconut oil (#supersaturated), and, when I have it, a good grass fed collagen powder (#wrinklefree).
Fresh Coffee
I have plans to purchase a pound of The Bulletproof Exec‘s coffee beans one of these days to test the difference, but right now, I'm loving Austin's local Cuvee Coffee – this one specifically. I can buy it pracically anywhere in Austin and it will have been roasted within the week. Fresh. Ness. I won't get into the whys of high quality coffee, because others can explain the science better, but please trust me and avoid the toxic breading ground that is Starbucks.
Grass Fed Butter and Ghee
Every time I link to an article on Facebook sharing the health benefits of grass fed butter compared to grain fed, I get the same comments. Skeptic 1: “How could butter in coffee possibly taste good?” Me: “I don't question your FB status idolizing the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte.” Skeptic 2: “Eye roll.” Me: “Just sharing the love, dude.” Skeptic 3: “Butter is healthy??” Me: “Did you read the article??” My advice to you: please read the article. Lacking in spare time? Here are the cliffnotes.
- Higher CLA content
- Fat burning effects
- Ideal Omega 3 to Omega 6 fatty acid ratio
- Antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals
Coconut & MCT Oil
Coconut oil travels to your liver (the organ in charge of eliminating toxins, and requires fat to function properly) and get converted directly in to energy. Its said that coconut oil can't be stored for fat since it is so readily available for energy so long as you're expending enough energy to utilize the available energy. The take away here: 1. eat coconut oil, 2. be active, 3. repeat. Coconut oil cliff notes:
- Improved blood sugar control
- Beneficial for skin health
- Antibacterial and anti-fungal
- Handles high heat without oxidation
Grass Fed Collagen Powder
Collagen is one of the most structural substances in your body, responsible for healthy tissue repair, joint flexibility, bone and skin renewal, and reducing inflammation throughout your body. It also lends virtually no additional flavor to your butter coffee while providing a small amount of protein and gives your coffee a nice head of foam. Stay young, botox free. Drink the collagen.
Butter Coffee Recipe
Ingredients
- 12-16 oz fresh brewed organic coffee
- 1-2 tbsp grass fed butter or ghee
- 1/2-1 tbsp coconut or MCT oil
- 1 scoop grass fed collagen powder, optional
Instructions
- Pour coffee into a blender carafe, and add butter, coconut oil, and collagen powder
- Blend at a high speed to combine and make frothy
- I like to keep mine in a thermos to keep it hot and prevent the oils from separating
I’m vegan and I love the idea of this coffee, but would vegan butter be a good substitute and offer the same benefits as “regular” butter?
Hi, that recipe looks amazing! What is the brand of Ghee that you use?
Hi Lynn, I used Purity Farms ghee in these photos, but I’m not devoted to any one brand. I also like Tin Star Foods ghee.
Thanks for the complement! I hope you love it!
OK this renewed my confidence that adding collagen every morning was a good idea! but i have to ask.. what is that in the photo above? Cinnamon ? Ive been putting some powdered cinnamon in mine. Also, what brand of MCT oil do you use? Thanks !
Hi Jaclyn! That is actually cacao powder in the photo which gives the coffee a mocha flavor when mixed with raw cacao butter. I don’t make mochas often, though. I typically just use MCT oil , butter, collagen, and a bit of ground cinnamon to help balance blood sugar.
James and I use the Now brand MCT oil. I prefer it to the Bulletproof MCT oil since it is sold in a glass jar compared to the plastic bottle that the Bulletproof brand comes in.
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Hi! Questions about the butter coffee, how long do you wait to eat afterwards? I drank a cup today after reading your blog, delicious!
I don’t usually worry about eating at a specific time after drinking the coffee, and try to just eat when I start to get hungry. Usually 3 Tbsp of fat in my coffee will keep me full for 4-5 hours. I make the coffee around 7, and sip on it until probably 10:30 or 11. I’m usually just starting to feel hungry around 12 or 12:30.
James gets hungry sooner than I do, though. Try to pay attention to your hunger cues and figure out what works for you! You can always add an extra tablespoon of fat to see if it sustains you longer.
Thanks for the awesome tip on the addition of collagen powder… I am totally gonna start doing this in our coffee!!! Great idea!!!
Awesome! Live my organic coffee and grass fed raw butter but Had never heard of eating collagen! Thanks for the tip! Big congrats on starting the blog. I myself have been wanting to start a health food blog for years but suck at perfecting my writing! Lol. keep it up!
Oh yes, try the collagen! I get mine from Natural Grocers. Starting a blog is very overwhelming, and I’m sure no one ever feels ready or secure enough in the beginning. It’s really personal and can put you in a place to be judged and criticized without ever having the opportunity to hear about it to make it better. However, I think, hope, that it’ll be worth it.