Friday, May 13, 2016

Coffee with Fat

Having coffee with healthy fats can help you in achieving some specific health goals.  I have used coffee with added fat for specific nutritional reasons.  Initially, I used it to control my hunger during the day and reduce the amount of time I spent feeding myself while at work. I found that I would make poor food choices during the day at work. Beyond birthday cakes, doughnuts, breakfast tacos and lunch out with coworkers even going out on my own, I would often be drawn in by the Golden Arches or promises of "all I can eat."  For me, the best strategy ended up being to control my hunger during the day and politely decline all the offers of social food with the assistance of coffee with butter and MCT oil in it.

Since then, I have embraced a low carbohydrate and appropriate protein lifestyle where the coffee allows me to fill in my daily calorie deficit with healthy and nutritious fats.  It also allows me to lower my endogenous insulin requirements, since fat causes little to no insulin response as far as I have found in my research, which has additional health benefits that are beyond the scope of this guide.


I have included shopping links for some of the items you will need at the bottom of this page.

-SUPPLIES-

Fats:  Any combination of at least two of the following:

     Unsalted grass-fed butter: Kerrygold brand should be readily available at most grocery stores for about $3 per half pound. I have found it at Trader Joe's, Walmart, Kroger, HEB. DO NOT get salted butter!  It will taste horrible. 

     Organic coconut oil:  check for your local grocery house brand. I get a big 32 oz vat from from my local grocery store for around $14



     MCT oil (medium chain triglyceride): you can find it in stores but it is expensive. Best deal I have found is on Amazon. 




 

Decent coffee:  whatever you like whole bean or ground but try to find something locally roasted for freshness. I use what I can find in whole beans in the $4-7/lb range. Don't spend more than $10/lb unless you are really into your coffee. There is no health benefit difference in the final brew once you get past $4/lb. (you may need to adjust the price for your location)

Coffee machine:  drip, French, percolator, anything will work

Blending container:  I use the carafe that goes with my coffee maker or you can use something like an Anchor Hocking 2 Quart Glass Batter Bowl.

 

Mixing device:
  
     Blender:  DO NOT try to use your standard blender. I tried twice and it resulted in an explosion of butter and coffee all over my wall. If you have $400-$800 dollars to blow on a very good blender, you should consider getting a Vitamix or Blendtec.

     Immersion blender:  I use something like this 
Cuisinart Hand Blender at home.  


     Milk frother:  I use one of these when I make the coffee at work with my French press. You should be able to find one locally for pretty cheap or you could get one like the 
Ikea Milk Frother on Amazon: 

 

Thermos:  if you plan to exist all day at work on the coffee, you can get one of these Thermos Stainless Steel King 40 Ounce Beverage Bottle and make it the night before. It will still be hot enough to burn you until lunch the next day.  

 


-INSTRUCTIONS-

Large serving

     1)  Make Coffee (see below for my single cup French press recipe I use at work)

     2)  Add fats:  any combination of any two above (see below for proportions).

     3)  Blend:  in the pot, Pyrex bowl or coffee cup.

     4)  Drink or pour into thermos:  in general it is not good to leave coffee in the pot in the warming plate or in a percolator. This is especially true when you have added your fats in. Coffee by itself will start to burning once the brewing stops. When fat is present, they will burn as well and ruin the flavor of your coffee.

Single serving French press:

     You will need a French press similar to this one:  Bodum 8-Cup French Press Coffee Maker

 
     1)  4 tablespoons of grounds.

     2)  Fill about 1/4 of the way and add grounds.

     3)  Stir the grounds and let sit for 1 minute.

     4)  Add the rest of the water up to a little past half way, to account for the volume lost by the grounds when pressed to the bottom, and leave a little above the filter so that I can avoid dumping the last dirty bit of water in your cup.

     5)  Let the brewing continue for another 3 minutes (4 minutes total)

     6)  Pour the coffee over the fats, up to half way up the cup.

     7)  Blend the ingredients until homogeneous.

     8)  Add the rest of the coffee and blend again.

 

-PORTIONS-

A good place to start in general:  half and half butter and coconut oil, 3 tbls (1 tbls) each per pot (cup)

For appetite control with higher carb diet:  You want to play around with the levels of fat and caffeine that allow you to go throughout your day without feeling hungry and without making you jittery or keep you up at night. You want the lowest levels of everything you can get by with.

For insulin control and calories with low carb, low protein diet:  You want to increase the amount of fat needed to fill in any calories you are not able to get while you are eating at night while keeping the caffeine as low as needed to prevent being jittery during the day.

-VIDEO-

I have posted a video on YouTube where my wife shows you how we make our coffee:




-SCIENCE-

"Supplementation with coconut oil does not cause dyslipidemia and seems to promote a reduction in abdominal obesity"

Benefits of lauric acid found in coconut oil

Health benefits of Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT)

"Why butter is better" 

"13 evidence based benefits of coffee"


-PRODUCT LINKS- 

Below are links to products mentioned above.  Most are items I have used but some are just for convenience:

MCT Oil
Glass Bowl
Immersion Blender
Milk Frother
40 oz. Thermos
French Press
Coconut Oil
Self Grinding Coffee Maker
Drip Coffee Maker
Percolator 

2 comments:

  1. There are many ways to make a cup of coffee. I use a K-cup single-serve coffee maker. However, what are the differences in taste if I use a traditional coffee maker or a French press?best cappuccino maker

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    Replies
    1. I feel the french press gives you a fuller taste and you do not have the burning problem you might have with a drip or percolator since there is no heating element. Another reason I like the french press is that it is easy for me to use at work. All I need is a source of hot water and my grounds. Do note that you have to get the beans ground a little courser than you would for drip makers.

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