Can I Have Bulletproof Coffee on Whole30?

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Chances are if you’ve been around the Paleo community for a while, you’ve heard someone mention Bulletproof Coffee.

It’s been one of many food crazes that has gone viral on the internet in recent years, causing its popularity to soar and making countless people fall in love with this decadent beverage. Curious?

We’ve got a whole post here to outline its awesomeness and its place in Whole30. Let’s get started!

First Off…What is Bulletproof Coffee?

Bulletproof Coffee is basically your standard coffee beverage, but supercharged.

This paleo and keto-friendly latte alternative is a combination of:

  • Brewed coffee

Throw all your ingredients into a blender to make a frothy, luscious coffee drink!

The founders of Bulletproof claim that this magical coffee beverage can help you burn fat, keep you full longer, and jumpstart your day with an added nutritional punch that’s way more impactful than your morning coffee.

Many folks testify to the added focus and energy they receive when starting their say with bulletproof coffee.

Bulletproof Coffee is a part of a whole Bulletproof nutrition program that is similar (but not synonymous) to Whole30, so it’s no wonder Whole30-ers everywhere are fans!

bulletpoof-coffee

So…Is Bulletproof Coffee Whole30-Approved?

This is where it gets a little trickier. Butter is not allowed on Whole30 because dairy is not compliant on the program.

However, ghee, which is essentially butter with all milk solids (and problematic proteins that come with it) strained out, is allowed!

As long as you make your Bulletproof Coffee with grass-fed ghee instead of butter, you may enjoy this delicious breakfast beverage on Whole30.

What About Breakfast?

If you’ve looked into the official Bulletproof Coffee guide straight from the creators, you’ll see that they recommend using this drink to replace breakfast. Although this is how Bulletproof Coffee is recommended on the Bulletproof Program, this doesn’t align with Whole30 quite as well.

Whole30 encourages starting your day with a really good breakfast complete with a protein, fat source, and plenty of veggies. True, the coconut oil and ghee in your cup of Bulletproof Coffee take care of the fat source just fine…but what about the rest?

If you want to make yourself a frothy cup of Bulletproof Coffee on Whole30, by all means, go for it! Just don’t forget: your coffee is not your breakfast. In order to keep things Whole30-approved, make sure you have plenty of protein and vegetables alongside your Bulletproof Coffee in the morning.

How Do I Make Bulletproof Coffee?

Dying to try this crazy coffee drink you’ve heard so much about! We’ve added a recipe below so you can add it to your Whole30 breakfast repertoire.

First off, brew your coffee using your preferred method–Bulletproof recommends French Press since it doesn’t filter out the beneficial oils from the coffee, but whichever way you prefer works!

Once complete, add the brewed coffee, oil and ghee to your blender and blend for about 30 seconds until the mixture froths up and looks like a latte!

Pour into your favorite mug and enjoy alongside some sauteed spinach and your favorite Whole30 breakfast sausage. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon to your coffee for a little bit of spice!

coffee-beans

What Kind of Coffee Should I Use?

You might be wondering if it really matters what kind of coffee you use…why not just use your usual breakfast blend you get from the grocery store?

Well, there’s actually a lot more to consider when choosing your coffee than you might think.

According to a post from the Bulletproof Blog, at least half of commercially available coffee could contain a mixture of carcinogens, chemicals, and a toxic mold called ochratoxin.

Ochratoxins are a type of mycotoxin, a known fungus that commonly grows on coffee beans. The effect of these molds on our bodies is uncertain, but it has been linked to cancer, brain damage, kidney disease and cellular damage with exposure over time. Yikes!

The main way of avoiding your exposure to this mold toxin is to source your beans consciously–wet processed, single estate beans, for example, are much less likely to contain these mycotoxins.

Bulletproof offers their own brand of beans that are said to be the best on the market for protection mycotoxin exposure, but there are other brands out there (we love Kicking Horse for taste and for attention to their production process) that are conscious of these same issues.

Don’t know where to begin? This PaleoLeap article is a great resource for how to choose the best coffee!

Can I Change the Recipe?

Many people ask if you can use coconut oil instead of Bulletproof’s fancy Brain Octane or XCT oils…and while they recommend their own products for the best performance, Whole30 does not require it.

Keep in mind that Bulletproof’s intended use for Bulletproof Coffee is to replace breakfast, emphasizing the importance of their ingredients to work most effectively in hunger suppression and brain function in conjunction with one another.

On Whole30, we would only be enjoying Bulletproof Coffee in addition to a veggie and protein-filled breakfast, so using the ingredients that keep you fuller longer in order to replace your meal are not as crucial in this context.

Bulletproof’s Brain Octane Oil contains a type of MCT (medium-chain triglyceride) that is derived from coconut oil, but works four times harder than coconut oil alone at turning into ketones, increasing the fat-burning and brain-boosting effect that Bulletproof Coffee claims it will provide.

While the Brain Octane Oil and XCT Oil formulated by Bulletproof are specifically made for the purpose of optimizing your morning cup o’ joe, if you’re not so concerned with having the best of the best, a bit of pure coconut oil will do just fine in a pinch.

Coconut oil, although not specifically formulated for the purpose of giving you superhuman brain and fat-burning power the way Brain Octane Oil is, still has the potential to supply us with many health benefits.

Though there is no hard evidence yet to prove this, science indicates that coconut oil may have the similar effect of supplying our brain with ketones for energy, giving us a little bit of a cognitive boost.

Although it is not as concentrated a source of MCTs, therefore making it less efficient than Bulletproof’s products claim to be, we still love coconut oil as one of Whole30’s favorite fat sources!

What do you think of Bulletproof Coffee? Have you tried it? Are you nervous to put ghee in your precious coffee? Tell us what you think in the comments below!

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about the author:
Emily Edgar
Emily is a writer, yoga teacher, and graphic designer lucky enough to live in sunny San Diego, California. She loves learning about holistic health and wellness and sharing her findings through her writing. When she's not behind her computer, you can find her on her yoga mat, at the farmer's market or putting avocado on practically everything she eats.

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