This article explains what butter coffee is, what it is used for, and whether drinking it can benefit your health.
The low-carb diet movement has created demand for high-fat, low-carb food and beverage products, including butter brown.
While buttery coffee products are extremely popular among low-carb and paleo diet enthusiasts, many wonder if there is any truth to their health benefits.
This article explains what butter coffee is, what it is used for, and whether drinking it can benefit your health.
What is buttered coffee?
In its simplest and most traditional form, buttered coffee is simply brewed coffee with butter.
history
Although many people believe that buttered coffee is a modern concept, this high-fat beverage has been consumed throughout history.
Many cultures and communities, including the Sherbet of the Himalayas and the Ethiopian Garage, have been drinking butter coffee and butter tea for centuries.
Some people living in high altitude areas add oil to their coffee or tea for the energy needed because living and working in high altitude areas increases the need for calories.
Additionally, people in Nepal and the Himalayan regions of India, as well as certain regions in China, often drink teas made with butter. Butter tea or po cha is a traditional drink consumed daily in Tibet.
Bulletproof coffee
Today, butter coffee generally refers to coffee containing butter and coconut or MCT oil, especially in developed countries such as the USA, UK and Canada. MCT refers to medium chain triglycerides, which are a type of oil usually derived from coconut oil.
Bulletproof coffee is a commercial recipe created by Dave Asprey, consisting of coffee, butter, and MCT oil. It is preferred by low-carb diet enthusiasts and is claimed to boost energy and reduce appetite, among other benefits.
Today, people consume butter coffee, including bulletproof coffee, such as increasing weight loss and promoting ketosis, a metabolic state where the body burns fat as the main energy source (Trustworthy Source).
You can easily prepare butter coffee at home. Alternatively, you can purchase instant butter coffee products, including Bulletproof coffee, from grocery stores or online.
SUMMARY
Many cultures around the world have consumed butter coffee for centuries. In developed countries, people consume butter coffee products such as Bulletproof coffee for various reasons, some of which are not supported by scientific evidence.
Does drinking coffee with butter provide health benefits?
The internet says that drinking coffee with butter increases energy, improves focus and losing weight filled with anecdotal evidence claiming to increase.
Here are some health benefits related to the individual ingredients typically used to make butter coffee:
Coffee. Packed with health-promoting antioxidants like chlorogenic acid, coffee can boost energy, increase concentration, increase fat burning, and even reduce the risk of certain diseases.
Grass-fed butter. Grass-fed butter contains powerful antioxidants, including beta carotene, such as higher amounts of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids than regular butter.
Coconut oil or MCT oil. Coconut oil is a healthy oil that can increase heart-protective HDL (good) cholesterol and reduce inflammation. MCT oil has been shown to increase weight loss and increase cholesterol in some studies.
While it is clear that the ingredients used to make butter coffee provide various health benefits, no studies have investigated the predicted advantages of combining these ingredients.
Those on ketogenic diets may benefit
One advantage of butter coffee applies to those following the ketogenic diet. Drinking a high-fat beverage such as butter coffee can help people on the keto diet fix and maintain ketosis.
In fact, research shows that taking MCT oil can help induce nutritional ketosis and reduce symptoms associated with transitioning to the ketogenic diet, also known as the “keto flu.”
This is because MCT oil is more “ketogenic” than other oils, meaning it converts more easily into molecules called ketones that the body uses for energy in ketosis.
Coconut oil and butter are also beneficial for ketogenic diets because it is necessary to consume high-fat foods to reach and maintain ketosis.
Combining these oils with coffee is a filling, energizing, keto-friendly beverage that can help those on a ketogenic diet.
It can promote feelings of fullness
Adding butter to your coffee will add MCT oil or coconut oil to your coffee because of the extra calories and ability of oils to make you feel more full. However, some butter coffee drinks can contain more than 450 calories per cup (240 ml).
That’s good, if your cup of butter is a meal replacement like breakfast, but adding this high-calorie brew to your regular breakfast meal can lead to weight gain if the calories are not counted for the rest of the day.
Choose a nutrient-dense diet instead
Besides being an option for those looking to achieve and maintain ketosis, buttered coffee doesn’t offer many health benefits.
While the individual ingredients of butter coffee offer a variety of health benefits, evidence does not show that combining them into one beverage offers benefits associated with consuming them separately throughout the day.
While butter coffee enthusiasts might suggest drinking butter coffee instead of a meal, choosing a well-rounded meal with a more nutritious intensity is a healthier option regardless of what diet you follow.
SUMMARY
Although butter coffee benefits people on a ketogenic diet, no evidence suggests that drinking it offers benefits beyond the benefits of simply consuming its individual ingredients as part of your regular diet.
As a result;
Butter coffee has recently gained popularity in the Western world, but there is no evidence to prove its claimed health benefits.
Sometimes drinking a cup of butter coffee is probably harmless, but overall, this high-calorie beverage is unnecessary for most people.
It can be a useful dietary supplement for those who want to reach and maintain ketosis. For example, those on a low-carb diet often use butter coffee instead of breakfast.
However, plenty of keto-friendly meal options offer significantly more nutrients for the same calories than butter coffee.
Instead of drinking butter coffee, you can take advantage of coffee, herb-fed oil, MCT oil, and coconut oil by adding these ingredients to your normal diet in other ways.
For example, try filling your sweet potatoes with herb-infused butter filling, sautéing greens in coconut oil, adding MCT oil to a smoothie or enjoying a hot cup of quality coffee on your way to work in the morning.
