Butter Coffee

– Myths versus Facts –

Butter coffee might be the next big trend in our coffee world.

For some of us it must still sound strange.

However, butter has undoubtedly found its way into our coffee cups.

This new coffee version receives praise for its claimed fat-burning and mental clarity benefits.

Despite these claims, many coffee lovers still find this new movement rather non-traditional and peculiar.

Nonetheless, its success seems to be promising and undeniable.

It is especially the low-carb movement and its demand for high fat and low carb food products such as butter coffee that is leading its way into mainstream.

You may wonder what truth there is to everything.

While butter coffee products are extremely popular among low carb and paleo diet enthusiasts. Many potential consumers still wonder whether there’s any real reason to their supposedly health benefit claims.

This article will provide evidence-based information and explain what butter coffee is.

What is the recipe? Does it have benefits? And, what might be the risks?

Let’s find out and answer these questions together.

History of Butter Coffee

Butter coffee is actually only plain brewed coffee combined with butter.

This is to say its simplest and most traditional form of itself.

Nowadays, many people believe that butter coffee is a modern beverage invention. However, this high fat beverage has been around for centuries already.

Many cultures and communities rely on butter coffee for generations already.

Especially the Sherpas of the Himalayas and the Gurage of Ethiopia were drinking either butter coffee or butter tea out of tradition. Their knowledge and way of making was passed down from generation to generation.

It is no coincidence that firstly and mostly people living in higher altitude regions added butter to their coffee or tea.

Butter coffee presents a rich source of much-needed energy in these areas. Living and working in high altitude areas naturally increases our body’s calorie needs.

Furthermore, people in the Himalayan regions of Nepal, Tibet, India and some areas of China traditionally drank tea made with yak butter.

To this day, the common butter tea, called ‘po cha’, is consumed here on a daily basis.

It was only a matter of time until it will also make its way to other parts of the world.

Bulletproof Coffee

Nowadays, you can also find one form or the other of butter coffee also in your home country.

Especially in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, many consumers refer to it as simply coffee with butter and coconut or MCT oil inside.

MCT stands for medium-chain triglycerides. It is a type of fat that is commonly extracted from coconut oil.

In this regard, firstly and mostly the Bulletproof Coffee has become a household name in this steadily growing niche industry.

The very simple recipe consists of common coffee, grass-fed butter and MCT oil.

Today, many people regularly consume butter coffee out of various reasons. It supposedly enhances weight loss and burns fat, for example.

You can find and buy butter coffee at many grocery stores these days.

But it is also pretty easy to make it by yourself at home.

What is Butter Coffee

As already mentioned, butter coffee is a drink consisting of brewed coffee. Additionally, you will need unsalted butter and MCTs, which is an easily digested type of fat.

But it can even be simpler.

Many people also consider butter coffee to be a do-it-yourself (DIY) version of Bulletproof coffee. It does not necessarily require special coffee beans or MCT oil in particular.

In fact, any coffee with unsalted butter and natural coconut oil will work.

Very often, butter coffee will be consumed in place of a regular breakfast. Especially by those actively practicing some form of body diet, such as keto, for example.

Butter coffee is ideal for this diet program. It is high in fat and low in carbs.

How to Make Butter Coffee

First, brew about 1 cup of regular coffee (8-12 ounces or 237 – 355 ml).

Secondly, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of coconut oil.

Thirdly, also add 1 to 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Alternatively, you could also choose ghee. Some people don’t eat or favor regular butter too much. Ghee is a good alternative. It is a type of clarified butter lower in lactose.

Fourthly, just mix all ingredients in a common kitchen blender for around 20 to 30 seconds. You can stop when your drink resembles a foamy latte.

All of these ingredients can be found at any common grocery store.

Go ahead, try and enjoy!

Butter coffee nutrition facts

Ever wondered what exactly is in a butter coffee?

Here you go.

A standard 8 ounce (237 ml) cup of coffee with 2 tablespoons of both coconut oil and unsalted butter will contain following.

You will consume a total of 445 calories and 50 grams of fat per serving. There will be zero grams of protein, carbs and fiber.

Additionally, your cup will also contain 9% sodium and 20% Vitamin A of your daily recommended intake.

Nearly 85% of the fat in butter is saturated fat.

Good or Bad Fat

Butter coffee contains an excessively high amount of saturated fat for just one serving.

We cannot simply deny or ignore this fact.

There are some studies linking too much saturated fat to an increase of risk factors for heart diseases, such as high LDL cholesterol.

However, research eventually suggests that it does not lead directly to heart disease. But it can become an influential factor, if consumed amounts are very high.

Furthermore, other studies show that replacing some of the saturated fats in our diet with poly-unsaturated fats can additionally lower our risk of heart disease.

There are various types of food available with poly-unsaturated fats inside. For example, you can try nuts, seeds, fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, herring or tuna.

So, yes, butter coffee has a considerably high fat content. But aside from that, it also contains several other important nutrients, namely Vitamin A.

Vitamin A is a strong component in many regards. It is a fat-soluble vitamin. And, people appreciate it to support their skin health, immune function and good eye vision.

On top, butter coffee also hosts smaller amounts of calcium, Vitamin K and E, and several of the B Vitamins. But in general, the drink is not a good food source for any of these nutrients.

In summary, butter coffee is high in calories and dietary fat.

And, it is a great source of Vitamin A, but not as good for other nutrients.

Myths vs. Facts of Butter Coffee

Many people swear on the great benefits of butter coffee.

Regular drinkers claim that it provides lasting energy. It boosts mental clarity and it actively supports fat loss by suppressing hunger.

No studies have explicitly examined the potential health benefits or risks of the beverage yet though. More research still needs to be done in these areas.

But it is still possible to make assumptions. Which is mostly based on current findings from researchers.

Let’s highlight and review each point.

Hunger

Many butter coffee consumers claim that it suppresses hunger.

The beverage supports weight loss, as it helps you to eat less.

Let’s have a look at this claim in more detail.

For a start and very much indeed, butter coffee contains a large amount of fat. Fat commonly slows down digestion and therefore may increase feelings of fullness.

You are simply not that hungry anymore.

Especially the coconut oil in butter coffee is a rich source of MCTs. It especially and actively promotes feelings of fullness.

For example, there is one very interesting study I would like to share.

In a study, people were eating breakfast containing 22 grams of MCT oil for 4 weeks straight. As a result, they eventually consumed 220 fewer calories during the following lunch time.

Their hunger feeling was not that great when the next meal came around.

They were notably able to lose more body fat than men who ate regular breakfasts high in LCTs instead.

LCT stands for long-chain triglycerides. You can find it in other high-fat foods such as oils, nuts and meat.

In comparison, MCT oils are assumed to lead to better benefits than LCTs.

Further studies also report reduced hunger and greater weight loss in people following low-calorie diets with the addition of MCTs.

The effect seems to be higher than with LCTs instead. However, these initial effects and advantages also seem to diminish over time.

In summary, yes, especially MCT in butter coffee can help with weight loss.

Yet, there is not substantially enough evidence. Simply only adding MCT to your diet will not do the trick.

You will have to adjust and also further implement other dietary changes the same time.

Your overall weight loss plan should not just rely on one factor.

Energy

Here is another popular claim.

Butter coffee provides steady, long-lasting energy without a blood sugar crush.

The theory to support this would be following. Due to the consumed fat actively slowing our digestion, the caffeine in the coffee is absorbed slower and therefore provides energy for a longer period than usual.

Yes, it is possible that the fat from butter coffee may slow the absorption and prolong the effects of caffeine.

However, studies suggest that overall effects will likely be rather insignificant and mostly unnoticeable.

Researchers believe that the MCT oil is more responsible for the purported long-term, energy-boosting effects of butter coffee.

MCTs characteristically do have shorter chain lengths. As a result, our bodies can rapidly break them down and absorb them quicker.

This converts them into instant energy sources. We will have immediate access to their energy potentials.

Additionally, our body is also able to turn them into ketones. These are molecules produced by our liver from fatty acids.

They can help boost energy levels for a longer period.

So, there seems to be some truth to this point.

Mental Clarity

Let us move on to the last bigger great benefit of butter coffee.

The beverage boosts mental clarity and improves our cognitive brain function.

In order to find an answer, we will have to a look at MCT oils and caffeine in particular. As you noticed already, these are the two main role players when it comes to butter coffee and its acclaimed health benefits.

Just recently, we talked about how our liver converts MCTs into ketones.

Ketones are a key source of energy for our brain cells. That much is clear.

In fact, the physical utilization of ketones by our brain shows benefits to some very well-known neurodegenerative diseases. We are talking about Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, for instance.

However, there is still no strong evidence to make further claims.

No recent studies indicate that MCTs as a source of ketones also directly enhance our mental clarity.

On the other hand, the caffeine in our butter coffee rather seems to play a more defining role in this regard.

Various potential benefits of caffeine are well-known for quite some time already. For example, it is significantly responsible to boost our mental focus and overall alertness.

There are many reports strengthening this statement. Also many butter coffee consumers shared similar reports and experiences regarding these effects on them.

Again, there also seems to be some truth to this point as well.

The Downsides of Butter Coffee

First of all, please let me get one thing right out of the way.

It is not a balanced way to start your day with a cup of butter coffee only.

Indeed, you would displace many valuable and important nutrients. If you would choose to simply replace a nutritious breakfast with butter coffee.

Moreover, also just adding this high fat amount drink is not advisable. It will most likely add quite a significant number of unnecessary calories.

Your desired weight loss program would eventually turn out to be counter-productive.

If you would just drink butter coffee in the morning and nothing else. All of your calorie intake will come from fat.

You will miss out on other healthy nutrients such as protein, fiber, several vitamins and minerals.

Just to give you a practical example.

Two scrambled eggs with spinach, along with half a cup (45 grams) of oatmeal with flaxseed and berries is a much more nutritious meal.

It will do more good for your energy and overall nutrition. A simple and single serving of common butter coffee would never be able to properly compensate and replace all of it.

Furthermore, the considerable high amount of fat in butter coffee can also cause serious stomach discomfort.

It could even turn into more severe issues such as bloating or diarrhea.

This will be especially the case, if you are normally not used to consume high amounts of fat.

Sadly, around 25% of all people are considered to be cholesterol hyper-responders. It means that especially high-cholesterol food causes to significantly raise their blood cholesterol.

For these people, it may be a good idea to rather stay away from butter coffee. Or, they should at least carefully ration and limit their consumption.

Stay Balanced

Of course, it is not our intention to entirely advice against butter coffee.

Please just make sure to keep balance in mind.

You can for sure have a cup of this remarkable beverage in the morning. If you do, it is important to make the rest your day’s diet equally nutritious.

Try to fill up your meal plan with extra protein, fruits and vegetables throughout the whole day.

In case you drink butter coffee as a day starter. Make sure to reduce your fat intake at other following meals during the ongoing day.

As we know already, butter coffee is very high in saturated fat.

So, our focus should also lay on prioritizing sources of mono- and poly-unsaturated fats. These are avocados, nuts, seeds, and fish oil, for example.

Overall, a healthy diet plan is based on and structured around a variety of nutritious food sources.

This new coffee trend can certainly play a role in it.

The Bottom Line of Butter Coffee

I would be curious to know what your experiences are.

Please feel free to share with us.

Butter coffee is a very popular drink. It is constantly finding new coffee enthusiasts and adding new exciting and creative variations to its repertoire.

The beverage contains coffee, butter, and MCT or coconut oil.

Regular consumers claim that its boosts our metabolism and energy levels. More research and results will probably follow within the next few years.

Although, it has benefits, the drink may also cause harm to some of us.

Stay moderate in your intake.

Starting your day with butter coffee might be a great idea. Especially people, who are on a ketogenic diet, strongly believe in it.

But having a good old regular breakfast is also not a bad idea. Maybe a healthy mix of everything is the best way to move forward.

Let us know what your think.

Until then, stay safe, healthy and properly caffeinated.

Cheers!