Will Coconut Oil Coffee Break My Fast?

How to make bulletproof coffee and bulletproof coffee benefits

On today’s episode of Live Lean TV, I’m answering the following question, “Will coconut oil coffee break my fast?”.

I’m also showing you how to make bullet proof coffee, the bulletproof coffee benefits, and why it can help you lose weight.

My answer to this intermittent fasting question also includes coffee made with MCT oil and grass fed butter, known as Bulletproof coffee, which was popularized by Dave Asprey.

But before I get to the answer on will coconut oil coffee break my fast, let me first clarify why people add oil and butter to their coffee, and the overall health benefits of drinking coffee.

Side note: I drank my first cup of coffee when I was 31 years old

The reason was simple.

At the time I really didn’t like the smell of coffee, plus I didn’t like all the negativity surrounding caffeine and how most people were dependent on coffee, just to get their day started.

I remember thinking, if I survived 31 years without it, why would I start drinking coffee now?

Well that all changed after I began researching the health benefits of coffee.

Health Benefits of Coffee

#1. Coffee is a good source of antioxidants

This is important as antioxidants help prevent excessive oxidation and free radical formation in the body.

They can also help reduce inflammation and increase your recovery after your workouts.

Excessive production of free radicals can damage your body’s cells, which can lead to increased aging, and potentially a higher risk of cancer.

Although fruits and vegetables are a major source of antioxidants, drinking high quality coffee can also help increase your antioxidant consumption.

I did a full video on foods high in antioxidants here.

#2. Coffee helps increase mental performance 

The caffeine in coffee helps increase focus, mental performance, information processing, alertness, and overall motivation.

Whenever I’m lacking motivation or procrastinating on a project, a coffee usually helps me get sh!t done.

#3. Coffee may help reduce the risk of disease and cancer

Due to the antioxidants, regular consumption of coffee may help decrease the risk of Parkinson’s, as well as lowering the risk of prostate cancer, dementia, and Alzheimer’s.

#4. Coffee may help you burn more fat

Consuming coffee before your workouts, may play a role in realizing fatty acids from your fat tissue, to be burned for energy during your workout.

Plus the caffeine helps increase your endurance, focus, and energy during training.

You could also reduce your caffeine consumption, while still increasing your antioxidants, by drinking more green tea.

Green tea has much less caffeine and is loaded with antioxidants.

Coffee: welcome to my life.

After learning all of this, I started by adding a cup of black coffee to my pre-workout protein shake.

This lead to a major energy boost and amazing workouts in the gym.

Plus adding coffee to my protein shake actually tasted really good.

Here’s a link to that iced coffee protein shake.

So up until 2013, I had the occasional coffee when I drank this pre workout shake.

But my coffee consumption behavior completely changed when I first heard about coconut oil coffee.

Not only does it turn the coffee into a creamy latte, it also tastes amazing, fills you up for hours at a time, and totally lights up your brain and overall focus.

I now drink coconut oil coffee every morning.

Here’s how to make coconut oil coffee:

Print Recipe

Coconut Oil Coffee Recipe

Course

Drinks

Prep Time

2 minutes

Servings

serving

Ingredients

• 1 cup brewed black coffee (if using instant coffee add 1 heaping tsp in boiling water)
• 1-1.5 tbsp Coconut Oil (to keep calories lower, use 2 tsp)
• 1/4 tsp stevia powder (or 6-8 drops of liquid stevia - optional)

Course Drinks Prep Time 2 minutes Servings serving Ingredients 1 cup brewed black coffee (if using instant coffee add 1 heaping tsp in boiling water) 1-1.5 tbsp Coconut Oil (to keep calories lower, use 2 tsp) 1/4 tsp stevia powder (or 6-8 drops of liquid stevia - optional)

Instructions

1. Brew one cup of coffee in a mug.
2. Add 1 to 1 1/2 tbsp of coconut oil to the coffee cup. To keep calories lower, use 2 tsp of coconut oil.
3. Add a serving of stevia powder or 6-8 drops of liquid stevia (optional).
4. Pour the coffee into a blender, add the top, then blend for 10-45 seconds, or until frothy.
5. Adding the coffee to the blender is key, as this is the part that makes the coconut oil coffee smooth and creamy.
6. Pour the coffee back into your mug. It's a perfect pour.
7. Enjoy.

Recipe Notes

Nutrition Information (per serving):

Calories: 120

Protein: 0g

Carbohydrates: 0g

Fat: 14g

Recently, I’ve also been making my coffee with MCT oil and grass fed butter.

This is often called a Bulletproof coffee.

Here’s how to make bulletproof coffee:

Print Recipe

Bulletproof Coffee

Course

Snack

Prep Time

2 minutes

Servings

serving

Ingredients

• 1 cup brewed black coffee
• 1 tbsp MCT oil
• 1 tbsp grass fed butter
• 1/4 tsp stevia powder

Course Snack Prep Time 2 minutes Servings serving Ingredients 1 cup brewed black coffee 1 tbsp MCT oil 1 tbsp grass fed butter 1/4 tsp stevia powder

Instructions

1. Brew one cup of coffee in a mug.
2. Add 1 tbsp of MCT oil, 1 tbsp of grass fed butter, and 1/4 tsp of stevia powder (optional).
3. In a blender, add the coffee, then blend for 10-20 seconds until frothy.
4. Pour the coffee back into your mug and enjoy.

Recipe Notes

Nutrition Info (per serving):

Calories: 200

Protein: 0g

Carbohydrates: 0g

Fat: 25g

Will coconut oil coffee break my fast?

You’ve probably read that black coffee doesn’t appear to break the fast.

But now that you know how to make coconut oil coffee, the question is, will coconut oil coffee break my fast.

The technical answer is yes.

Coconut oil coffee will technically break your fast.

Since you’re consuming calories, even when these calories are coming from fat, not carbohydrates, this amount of calories will break a fast.

However, from a fat burning perspective, consuming fat has little, if any, effect on insulin production, also known as the fat storing hormone.

Plus, the fat in coconut oil, and/or MCT oil and grass fed butter, along with the caffeine in the coffee, usually helps people feel full, for longer periods of time, thus making you eat less calories throughout the day.

Eating less calories equals weight loss

So again, this will help keep you eat less food, thus helping put you in a calorie deficit that is required to lose weight.

If you’re into intermittent fasting, the majority of you are probably doing it for the weight loss benefits.

So if this is true for you, the real concern should be, does drinking coconut oil coffee negatively affect weight loss.

Well it could, if the extra calories puts you in a calorie surplus, but fortunately the added fat does not negatively produce the release of the fat storing hormone, insulin.

Bottom line:

If you like adding healthy fat to your coffee, because you love how focused you get, along with helping you eat less calories, than that’s what’s really important to your weight loss goals.

Not if you technically broke the fast or not.

When it comes to coffee, the most important things are not to pile in the sugar, dairy milk, creams, syrups, and whip cream.

All these added ingredients are just belly busting empty calories.

If you need sweetness, replace sugar and syrups with a zero calorie natural plant based sweetener like stevia.

Also if you need creaminess, replace the milk and creams with healthy oils and grass fed butter.

But ultimately, the health benefits of coffee is from the coffee bean.

My Coffee Disclaimer

Let me preface these health benefits with a note on moderation.

People can really overdue it on coffee consumption.

I limit my consumption to 1-2 cups of coffee per day.

However if you suffer from restlessness, frequent headaches, tremors, heavy palpitations, and anxiety, it may be a sign that you’re drinking too much caffeine.

In fact, I’ve been dealing with anxiety issues and took a month off from drinking coffee.

Although nothing really changed, it is something I’m going to consult my naturopathic doctor about.

I recommend you do the same if you have any of these issues.

Remember, when it comes to Living Lean, everything in moderation.

If you’re ready to start your Live Lean journey, go take our free and quick, Live Lean Body Quiz to find the best program for you.

Each program includes a 6 week workout program designed for your goals, fitness level, and access to equipment, as well as a nutrition plan, and access to our private Facebook accountability group.

Thanks for watching and keep Living Lean.

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Brad Gouthro

Brad Gouthro is the founder of Live Lean TV, a media company focused on helping men and women “Live Lean” 365 days a year. Brad’s programs and content have helped millions of people all over the world learn how to get in shape, and more importantly, sustain it for life.

www.liveleantv.com