SPOKANE, Wash. – Some coffee drinkers are adding grass-fed butter, and coconut or octane oil to their coffee rather than cream and sugar.
It is part of the Keto diet, a low-carb, high-fat diet that is supposed to make your body use fat for energy.
Rhonda Kissack is the manager at the espresso bar inside My Fresh Basket in Spokane.
Although the coffee stand where Kissack works does not sell Bulletproof Coffee, she is familiar with the craze.
Bulletproof Coffee is eight ounces of coffee, mixed with one tablespoon of grass-fed butter and either one tablespoon of coconut or octane oil, depending on the recipe you use.
"Being in coffee for as long as I have, there are certain trends that come and go and up until just recently is what I have heard about the Bulletproof Coffee, so whether this is a trend that will stay or not? I don't know, we will have to see," Kissack said.
According to an article from American Web Media, the omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids in grass-fed butter can reduce your risk of heart disease and help you burn fat throughout the day.
Many viewers commented on the KREM Facebook page about this drink.
One viewer wrote, "Every morning, I have already lost 25 pounds!"
Another said her mom tried the trend and she lost weight.
Others were not convinced, including Sacred Heart Medical Center's clinical nutrition manager Michele Healey Smith.
Smith said that grass-fed butter in small amounts might be a better option than creamers, but it does not contain enough omega-3 fats to ramp up your metabolism or improve your heart health.
Here is Smith's full statement:
I am surprised by multiple inaccurate claims made in this article. Most of what is expressed is based on fad opinions rather than nutrition-based science.
Grass-fed butter, in small amounts, may be a better option in your coffee than many popular "creamers" that are made with artificial ingredients and loaded with sugar. However, while grass-fed butter does contain slightly more omega-3 fats than traditionally produced butter, the one to two tablespoons that you might put in your coffee will not provide enough omega-3s to improve brain function or to ramp up your metabolism, or to improve cardiovascular health.
Additionally, using grass-fed butter in place of low-fat milk in your coffee will add 100-200 calories per cup to your daily intake. This is much more likely to add excess weight to your mid-line than it is to help you lose it. I would not recommend replacing a good breakfast of whole grains, healthy protein, and fruit with coffee and grass-fed butter. The nutrient profile of the latter simply does not measure up.