In recent years, keto dieters have taken their coffee love to the next level with keto coffee- a powdered version of bulletproof coffee that claims to help keto dieters reach ketosis in a shorter period. But does it help you lose weight?
According to Rachel Daniels, a registered dietitian and senior director of nutrition with Virtual Health Partners, “keto coffee is not recommended for weight loss.” Weight loss will not occur if keto coffee is simply added to a regular diet without following a ketogenic diet. It’ll do quite the opposite.
She believes that the grass-fed butter used in keto coffee raises the level of saturated fat in the diet, which won’t result in weight loss miracles, as the body won’t enter ketosis if fat is added without carbs reduced. (1)
Therefore, no matter when you started the keto diet or where you are in the research stage, you must ensure that the ketogenic diet is compatible with your coffee consumption. In regards to this low-carb/high-fat diet, you might be wondering which coffees are compatible, how to make your coffee, and what ways to spice it up (low-carb and sugar-free).
So, here is a complete guide to keto coffee drinks for you which will help you to get your caffeine fix without ruining your diet! As part of this article, we have also discussed the health benefits of keto coffee drinks, along with some delicious keto-friendly coffee recipes! You can check out more on a page like Planketogenic’s coffee article.
What Does Keto Coffee Do To Your Body?
Having a diet high in fats accelerates your body into ketosis, which is also the science behind keto coffee. In ketosis, the body burns fat for energy and helps to lose body weight quickly.
Keto coffee is a high-fat, low-carb, moderate-protein drink. It forces the body to burn fat for fuel instead of glucose – the body’s go-to energy source produced from carbs.
When carbs are limited, as is the case with the keto diet, the body begins to break down fat stores while the liver produces ketones – an organic compound that can be used as a backup fuel source. As the body burns more and more fats to meet its daily energy needs, you begin to lose weight. (2)
In addition, there is a high content of butter and medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) oil in keto coffee. These fats are converted to ketones by the liver only when carbohydrate intake is restricted.
As a result, ketones aren’t always converted immediately after consumption. Moreover, those MCTs help dieters feel full and satiated longer, so they are less likely to overeat.
According to Kristen Mancinelli, a registered dietitian, and author of ‘The Ketogenic Diet,’ the combination of ingredients used in keto coffee can make keto dieters feel great. Besides that, keto coffee gives dieters mental clarity, alertness, energy, less hunger, and increased focus.
In actuality, these changes are more a result of caffeine than fat in the coffee. But one should not think that the effects resulting from consuming a lot of keto coffee can be interchangeable, as too much keto coffee consumption can be harmful.
Rather than drinking it alongside breakfast, dieters should drink one cup a day in place of a meal. (3) Meal replacements are considered to have some nutritional value and should contain about 300 calories. Additionally, coffee with added fats may cause gastrointestinal distress as well as weight gain.
Where You Get Your Ketones From Counts
Although coffee is naturally a low-calorie metabolic booster, there is nothing keto about coffee. It’s these added fats in keto coffee—MCT oil and butter—that help keto dieters get most of their daily calories from fat and enter ketosis. However, even then, the fastest and most effective way to achieve ketosis is to rapidly or severely restrict carbohydrate intake.
In one of the nutritional-based studies, St-Onge noted that the whole point of a ketogenic diet for weight loss is to make ketones from the body’s fat, rather than just supplying ketones from an exogenous source like fat bombs, keto coffee, or MCT oil.
Most dieters will obtain ketones both from their bodies and from dietary fat. Eating too much fat can not only limit the amount of fat your body burns, but it can also increase your fat stores. (4)
Should You Give Keto Coffee A Try?
According to Kratz, black coffee with low-fat milk or unsweetened nut milk remains the best option for most people looking to shed a few pounds.
However, if you follow a strict keto diet, keto coffee can benefit your body. Therefore, it has also been proven that high-fat coffee can help some dieters increase their fat intake and achieve a deeper level of ketosis if consumed correctly.
It is also recommended by some dietitians to add some butter, MCT oil, or coconut oil to your keto coffee as this will have the same general effect as the powder version. However, keep in mind that butter and coconut oil are considered sources of saturated fat. Recent research studies recommend limiting saturated fat in your diet for optimal health. (5)
No matter how much keto coffee you consume, reaching ketosis takes time. Besides the depth of ketosis, this also varies from person to person and is entirely determined by:
- your genes
- level of physical fitness
- physical activity
- how strict are you on the keto diet
Top Keto Coffee Drink Recipes
Following the Military Nutrition Research conducted by the Institute of Medicine (US), on caffeine for the sustainment of mental task performance, it has been proved that keto coffee has a lot more benefits in mental activities besides weight loss.
Recipes for keto coffee typically include unsalted butter (or grass-fed ghee) and MCT oil, or Medium-Chain Triglycerides. Adding butter to your morning coffee mug may seem odd at first, but the benefits are obvious. (6)
It’s worth doing every day because of the sustained energy from caffeine, fat that keeps you full and burns calories, and a rich tasty flavour to satisfy your cravings.
However, there is no substitute for quality when it comes to keto coffee. Even though some keto coffee recipes use dairy-free ingredients like heavy whipping cream and conventional butter, they can still cause irritation to those who are sensitive to them.
Below are some top keto coffee recipes packed with healthy fats to keep you ketosis-friendly. You can fuel yourself with your daily cup of coffee, whether it’s hot or iced, blended or frozen.
1. Vanilla keto coffee
This tasty vanilla ketogenic coffee is the perfect drink for anyone on the keto diet. And even if you’re not, you’ll love the flavour of this stuff.
The health-proven benefits of this coffee drink are more energy, rapid fat burning, a good source of healthy fats, and fewer cravings throughout the day. This can help you lose a few pounds if you find yourself getting hungry every time you have a cup of coffee. (7)
So basically, it’s coffee plus a bunch of awesome low-carb benefits.
There are a lot of other benefits to drinking vanilla keto coffee versus regular coffee. One of the main draws for people is the sustained energy that it provides.
The caffeine in coffee often leads to a burst of alertness right away but is quickly followed by a crash. The butter/ghee and MCT oil help to give you more energy that lasts a lot longer.
Moreover, this ketogenic coffee is the supply of healthy fats that keep you feeling full and help you lose a bit of weight if you struggle with food cravings.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces brewed, hot, strong coffee
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Omega PowerCreamer
- 1 Sprinkle of ground cinnamon (optional)
Directions
- Brew coffee
- Pour in 1 tablespoon Vanilla Omega PowerCreamer.
- Blend in a blender or use an immersion blender to blend until combined and frothy.
- Sprinkle with ground cinnamon if desired. Enjoy!
2. Keto Iced Mocha (Keto+Low Carb)
Keto iced coffees are perfect pick-me-up drinks for hot summer days. This Keto Iced Power Mocha takes this refreshment to the next level as it provides instant energy — without spiking your blood sugar as it has practically zero carbs — and keeps you cool.
Also, thanks to caffeine, this drink rejuvenates you and makes you more alert. Naturally, for those who cannot or don’t want to use caffeine, a caffeine-free coffee is a perfect option.
Keto iced coffee is known to increase your energy levels and make you feel less tired. Moreover, it also contains antioxidants and essential nutrients, like some minerals and B vitamins.
The raw cacao and MCT oil used in this coffee can reduce inflammation, improve blood flow, lower blood pressure, improve cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and most importantly control body weight. It suppresses the appetite and makes you feel longer satiated. It also increases fat burning and prevents fat storage. (8)
Ingredients
- 1 cup = 240 ml brewed strong coffee, cold
- 2 tablespoons powdered erythritol or your favourite sweetener to taste
- 1 tablespoon MCT oil
- 1 tablespoon raw cacao powder
- 1 cup = 240 ml crushed ice
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except crushed ice into a blender jar.
- Blend until smooth.
- Fill the serving glass with the crushed ice and pour in the blended drink. Enjoy!
3. Basic Keto Bulletproof Coffee
Bulletproof coffee is the perfect breakfast drink for those who are on a keto diet. It provides you with healthy fats to kickstart your day, while also providing essential vitamins and minerals that help keep you going all morning long.
Drinking bulletproof coffee helps boost your energy levels, improves cognitive function, maintains healthy blood sugar levels, provides essential vitamins and minerals for your body, boosts metabolism, energizes you, and aids in fat loss.
It’s loaded with healthy fats like MCT oil/butter that are great for your body. (9) Most people don’t eat enough healthy fats, which is why this bulletproof coffee recipe is perfect!
Ingredients
- 1 cup brewed coffee
- 1 tablespoon MCT Oil
- 1-2 tablespoons butter, unsalted (grass-fed or Kerrygold) or 1-2 teaspoons Ghee
Instructions
- Brew your favourite cup of coffee (8-12 ounces).
- Add coffee, MCT oil, butter, or ghee to a blender or a cup and use a milk frother to blend well. If you only stir the ingredients together, they will not emulsify and separate. Think of it as similar to how oil and water don’t mix.
- Blend for 20-30 seconds or until it looks like a creamy latte. Enjoy!
Note: Aside from MCT oil, some other great additions to bulletproof coffee are cinnamon or vanilla extract for extra flavour. You can also add sugar-free syrup if you want your bulletproof coffee to be sweet.
Wrapping Up
Keto coffee provides many benefits to keto dieters. To make it more calorically dense and boost your macros, you can add healthy keto fats to it. Consuming keto coffee in moderation can boost weight loss for those on a ketogenic diet. In contrast, those who aren’t strictly following a low-carb diet may gain more weight by drinking keto coffee.
A keto coffee brew contains caffeine, healthy fats from MCT oil and grass-fed butter, as well as protein from collagen peptides, resulting in a deliciously frothy, latte-like taste.
Whether you follow the keto diet or not, with just these simple additions, your coffee can increase your energy, improve your focus, boost your ketone levels, help you burn fat, and keep you feeling full!
References
(1) Daniels. R, Rensing NR, Thio LL, Yamada KA, Wong M. The ketogenic diet inhibits the mammalian target of the rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. Epilepsia 2011; 52: e7–e11.
(2) Siri-Tarino, P. W., Sun, Q., Hu, F. B., & Krauss, R. M. (2010). Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 91(3), 535–546.
(3) Marciani, K., Cox, E. F., Pritchard, S. E., Major, G., Hoad, C. L., Mellows, M., Hussein, M. O., Costigan, C., Fox, M., Gowland, P. A., & Spiller, R. C. (2015). Additive effects of gastric volumes and macronutrient composition on the sensation of postprandial fullness in humans. European journal of clinical nutrition, 69(3), 380–384.
(4) St-Onge, M. P., & Bosarge, A. (2008). Weight-loss diet that includes the consumption of medium-chain triacylglycerol oil leads to a greater rate of weight and fat mass loss than olive oil. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 87(3), 621–626.
(5)Kratz M. (2005). Dietary cholesterol, atherosclerosis, and coronary heart disease. Handbook of experimental pharmacology, (170), 195–213.
(6) Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Military Nutrition Research. Caffeine for the Sustainment of Mental Task Performance: Formulations for Military Operations. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2001. 2, Pharmacology of Caffeine.
(7) “Can Vanilla Keto Coffee Increase Your Metabolism and Help You Burn Fat?” — https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/coffee-increase-metabolism
(8) Mumme, K., & Stonehouse, W. (2015). Effects of medium-chain triglycerides on weight loss and body composition: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 115(2), 249–263.
(9) How to make bulletproof coffee… and make your morning bulletproof. (2016, April 3)
Written by Alisha Ashton
