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While Bulletproof Coffee has been popular for some time, it’s less commonly used, but an effective tool, to support the process of intermittent fasting. Enjoy this Keto, Low Carb, Paleo and GAPS recipe that allows you to lose fat and gain energy! Just 3 ingredients and five minutes of prep time provide a satiating breakfast and heightened performance for your day’s goals.
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How Intermittent Fasting with Bulletproof Coffee works
The basic principle of intermittent fasting is this: After 12 hours of holding on to fat, the body allows it to be released. By skipping one meal, or in this case enjoying Bulletproof Coffee for breakfast, a longer fast of 16 to 18 hours gives the body 6 hours to usher out fat and cleanse the liver.
Our digestive system rests during the fast, which allows the body to remove fat cells and toxins!
As Tom Cowan says in his article for the Weston A. Price Foundation, “…in those final six hours you are creating an anti-inflammatory, anti-insulin and glucagon-rich environment. It’s probably the best anti-aging strategy you can adopt.”
Cowan continues by saying that caffeinated coffee (with a Bulletproof-style preparation) does not alter the hormonal process of intermittent fasting and may even help it.
Benefits of Bulletproof Coffee
Depending on your health goals, Bulletproof Coffee can have several benefits:
- Increased energy levels throughout the morning and day
- Hunger prevention
- Improved mental clarity and focus
- Keeps the body in ketosis
- Extends intermittent fasting
- Can help reduce inflammation
Bulletproof Coffee recipe
The recipe that follows is the “cleanest” version of bulletproof coffee, specifically designed to aid intermittent fasting. This recipe does not contain any sweeteners, any cocoa, any additional flavorings or milk.
Yet, it’s delicious and yes, you can even make it with decaf.
If you’d like to try Bulletproof Coffee with flavor and nutritional variations, see 10 Bulletproof Coffee Add-ins.
Why Bulletproof Coffee is allowed with Intermittent Fasting
Bulletproof Coffee is used during Intermittent Fasting because its ingredients increase satiety.
But, are the calories too high in Bulletproof Coffee to allow fasting to continue?
To address that concern, let’s look at what’s happening with insulin levels during the fasting period and see if fat stops that process.
Fat intake and insulin production
Insulin levels, in general, rise in order to metabolize carbs and protein.
Coffee with added milk and sugar, therefore, is not acceptable for Keto or IF.
Coffee with milk and sweeteners causes insulin levels to spike and then drop.
Coffee with added fat, as found in Bulletproof Coffee, keeps insulin levels stable and low. (source)
The originators of Bulletproof say this:
Like ketosis, one of the ways fasting works is because it keeps insulin levels low enough to keep your body in a fat-burning state. Carbs and protein require insulin in order to be digested. However, fats like butter, coconut oil and MCT oil don’t cause insulin levels to rise … Bulletproof Coffee keeps you satisfied and full without switching on digestion. (source)
While fasting with zero calorie intake, a process called autophagy occurs — when the body is able to clean up and repair itself.
Bulletproof Coffee extends this benefit, but does lessen or interrupt it slightly. (source)
But, for many, the benefit is greater than the small compromise to the fast, which is why Bulletproof is still allowed during Intermittent Fasting. And, doctors like Dr. Cowan believe the fat in coffee may actually help the IF process:
The only thing you can have—which does not seem to interfere with the hormonal situation and maybe even helps—is any kind of caffeinated beverage like coffee or black tea with pure fat in it like coconut oil or ghee.
For me, this satisfying cup of coffee allows a longer fasting period before I need to fully break my fast. Perhaps the fact that I can feel the benefit with more energy and better detoxification is evidence enough.
Autophagy reduces inflammation and supports the immune system
This article wouldn’t be complete without mentioning one final benefit of Intermittent Fasting: Autophagy that occurs during fasting reduces inflammation and supports the immune system. (sources 1, 2, 3)
If coffee or decaf coffee agree with you, and the Bulletproof version of either helps you feel satiated for longer, this extended fasting period allows your body to continue to take out the trash, recognize invaders and refine its defenses!
You may also consider Bulletproof Tea.