Some of the concern with bulletproof coffee comes from our continued fear of fats and lack of understanding that healthy fats do not cause us to be fat.  Sure, it seems strange to be pouring oil and chunks of butter into your coffee, but change can be good.  I gave Ky a really hard time years back when she told me I had to try some MCT oil before work or a workout.  However, I can attest that I have felt better and often been more productive when incorporating some MCT oil in my day.

Though I do occasionally add butter (not as much as I used to), I think the verdict is still out on who or what subgroups of people would and would not benefit from having additional butter in their diet.  To take a one size fits all approach and say that all people should be adding some butter to their coffee or tea is ridiculous.  Furthermore, that would be the exact opposite approach to what we endorse here on FWDfuel- individualized approach to meet your specific individual needs.

Fortunately, there are a few champions in the movement to educate society that fat does not make you fat.  One of those champions, Dr. Mark Hyman, has an excellent post that discusses some of the myths concerning fat and explains what actually makes us fat.  He goes as far as saying, “eating fat can make you lean” and “good fats can heal”.  I appreciate reading his blog post because he highlights research to support his statements.

While eating fat from quality food sources can be healthy, the question is, should I add more saturated fat to my daily routine outside of the fat we’re consuming in foods such as nuts, seeds, avocados, oils, etc?  If you’re adding MCT oil, a fat that is easily metabolized and serves as great fuel by stabilizing your blood sugar and burning slowly, do we really need to add butter?

With 14g of saturated fat per a serving of MCT, it is highly debatable.  Together, a tablespoon of grass-fed butter and MCT oil consists of about 21 g of saturated fat in a cup of Bulletproof Coffee (7 g from grass-fed butter + 14 g from MCT Oil).  As already stated, much will depend on your unique genetics, lifestyle, and so on, but just to take a closer look, here is the breakdown on an average serving of MCT oil:

There are likely too many factors involved to give a blanket yes or no for all people.  Genetics, stress levels, volume of daily physical activity, and many other factors likely determine the answer to this question on an individual basis.  That is why here at FWDfuel we stress, for optimum results in any nutrition strategy whether its trying to fight fatigue, gain/lose weight, or simply maximize performance, everyone’s approach needs to be individualized!

I’ve been drinking my own variation of bulletproof coffee since my wife Kylene (the best functional sports dietitian in the country!) first introduced me to the concept about 2 years ago.  Unlike David Aspry, I do not have an obsession with caffeine.  In fact, I’m in the minority of people who actually do not process caffeine (due to a genetic variation confirmed with my genetic testing thanks to 23 and Me and Promethease, I’ve discovered I do not have the genes to metabolize caffeine effectively).

If I have a regular cup of coffee in the morning, there is zero chance I will sleep that night and in fact may have difficulty for the next two days.  I really love the taste of coffee and envy the people who can have a cup at night and go to bed an hour later.

In addition to not processing caffeine well, I do have concerns that daily intake of caffeine may be harmful such as encouraging dehydration, disturbing digestion, encouraging adrenal fatigue, and increasing the risk of various other health issues such as stress fractures due to bone loss.  I’ve seen multiple young adult runners in my PT practice with stress fractures questioning why they were unable to put in the running volume of some of their peers.

While likely a combination of factors including inadequate caloric intake and genetic variations, I do think their caffeine intake may of contributed as well.

Throwing fuel on the fire is the concern of high amounts of mold in coffee.  Known as mycotoxins (a poisonous (toxic) secondary metabolites produced by many filamentous fungi belonging to the phylum Ascomycota Bennett), coffee is frequently tainted with high amounts of Ochratoxin A, considered one of worst mycotoxins, which is also known carcinogen that can have harmful health effects for many.[1]  In fact, one study found that 45% of coffee samples have Ochratoxin A.[2]

Why should you care if there is frequently mold in your coffee?  Because fatigue, brain fog, and a variety of other health issues are frequently attributed to mold toxicity and few physicians know how to screen, test, or diagnose mold toxicity.  Dr. Jill Carnhahan, a functional medicine physician, has a great post explaining the concern over mold in your coffee, mycotoxins, and what you should do if you’re a coffee lover.

A recent study noted, “In order to minimize the health risks resulting from the consumption of tea or coffee infusions contaminated by toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins, it is imperative to monitor the presence of these contaminants.”[3]

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Do you need to run and throw all your coffee away?  Well, if you have zero fatigue, brain fog, or health issues and feel good drinking it, probably not.

However, it is essential that you feel just as good when you’re not drinking it.  Feeling fatigued when not drinking it is just covering up a health issue with the coffee and something is not right.  Also, I do think caffeine/coffee can serve as an ergogenic aid (AKA something that improves performance) during athletic competition with intermittent consumption.  However, the effects are not as optimal if you consume caffeine on a regular basis and performance can actually decline if you do not metabolize caffeine well and decide you want to just add it on race or game day.

Because of the negative effects of caffeine, as well as concern over heating hot beverages in plastic, I’ve created the following concoction that I think is better than Bulletproof coffee.  Yes, I said better.

So, as a nod to the one who inspired me to think of food as “functional fuel” that turns genes on and off and effects our body in every way, lets give it a name: Functional Fuel Coffee (Check out my rock star business partner and wife Kylene on her Instagram under the name FWDfuel).

FWDfuel coffee consists of the following ingredients:

• Mayan Nut tea
• MCT oil(be sure to stick with one from a glass jar)
• maca root

Coffee vs Mayan Nut Nutritional Value [5,6]

Amount per common serving	Coffee	Mayan Nut
Calories	2.4	50.0
Fat	0.0 g	0.0 g
Omega-6 fatty acids	3.6 g	0.0 g
Total Carbohydrate	0.0 g	11.0 g
Dietary Fiber	0.0 g	3.0 g
Protein	0.3 g	1.0 g
Vitamins
Vitamin A	0.0 IU	11.2 IU
Niacin	0.6 mg	0.2 mg
Folate	0.0 mcg	8.0 mcg
Pantothenic Acid	0.6 mg	0.1 mg
Choline	2.0 mg	0.0 mg
No other vitamins of significant measurable value in either beverage
Minerals
Calcium	2.8 mg	20.0 mg
Iron	0.1 mg	0.4 mg
Magnesium	6.5 mg	24.0 mg
Phosphorus	6.1 mg	20.0 mg
Potassium	70.7 mg	175 mg
Sodium	0.7 mg	2.0 mg
Zinc	0.0 mg	0.3 mg
Copper	0.0 mg	0.1 mg
Selenium	0.3 mcg	0.0 mg
Other
Caffeine	94.8 mg	0.0

How to Prepare Better A Better (Caffeine Free) Morning Beverage

When preparing my cup, I use a stainless steel electric kettle with borosilicate glass which heats up in less than 2 minutes to heat the water then pour it over a stainless steel tea infuser.  By doing this you eliminate use of the microwave which I try to do as much as possible AND, you don’t have your beverage being cooked in a plastic coffee maker or any of the single cup machines which are full of cheap plastic components.  Why does it matter if it was heated in plastic?  More on that in just a minute…

A better way to mix your beverage!

After heating up your water and pouring it over your tea diffuser holding your Mayan Nut, let it sit for ~3-5 minutes.

From there here is the next key to success…

When people are taught to mix their coffee, MCT, and butter, they are encouraged to put it into a blender.  Does this help make the best mixture?  Yes.  Are most people using a blender with a plastic pitcher and pouring hot liquid into it?  Yes they are.  Plastic is the devil and its especially bad when heated.

So, when making Functional Fuel, we use a stainless steel frother to mix MCT oil and maca root.  It still mixes nicely without the risk for messing up your endocrine system due to leaching chemicals from a plastic container.

Why Hot Beverages in Plastics is a Terrible Idea

OK, so I already stated that plastic is the devil, can disrupt your endocrine system, and we should never use it with hot beverages.  What else is there to know?

Well, according to a great article by GQ on Why Sperm Counts are Dropping, plastics are the main environmental toxin responsible for a continuous decrease in men’s sperm counts with the current trajectory of the human race literally heading towards extinction if we don’t start to change things.

Know any couples with fertility issues?  Unfortunately, I would say almost a third of my friends have had a very difficult time and need interventions such as medications to IVF.  Even more unfortunate is that these interventions are not always successful.  Environmental and dietary changes are likely a large part of the solution.

So why are plastics so terrible?  Well largely because they’re a major endocrine disruptor.  What does this really mean?  Our body’s ability to produce, filter, and manage hormones is severely hampered.[7]  These days, the harm has been shown to have effects in utero to developing fetuses.  Phalates, the chemical name for different plastics, has been found in semen, amniotic fluid, cord blood, and breast milk.  The research has shown this effects fetal organ and male reproductive system development.[8]

So, the harm from plastics is impacting us from the day of conception.

Adding to this, is the terrible effect plastic has on the environment.  Recent research has predicted that by 2050 there will be more plastic floating around in our oceans than fish.[9]

You don’t have to be an ultra granola tree hugger to think, “this probably isn’t good, we might want to do something about this.”

Are there more harmful effects of plastics than disrupting the endocrine system, fetal organ development, and the environment?  Absolutely.  Plastics have been suggested to be highly linked to the increase in cancer, asthma, ADD/ADHD, Alzheimers, and much more.

So, what should we do?  When we can, reduce our use.  Use reusable glass water bottles, paper bags, etc.  You know the drill.

But, mixing our hot beverage in a plastic blender is one habit that definitely needs to change.  I can’t stress this enough.  Buy a  frother and mix it by hand.