WASHINGTON – It’s a new brewing trend in coffee houses and home kitchens across the country. Called bulletproof coffee, some nutritionists are wondering if it’s a good dietary choice.
Bulletproof coffee is a mix of coffee, unsalted butter from grass-fed cows and coconut oil. Some drink the concoction daily. But at Del Ray’s Bon Vivant Cafe, bulletproof has been on the menu for a year.
“I love the aroma. I’m a coffee person to start with but the coconut flavor really adds a level,” says regular customer Mark Vick who is trying it for the first time.
The beverage looks like tea, but he says it’s smooth and easy on the stomach. It’s being praised by some as a weight loss option.
“It has a consistency of somewhere around coffee but kind of like tea as well. It stays fairly light,” he says.
Vick is one of many who have tried to create the strong blend at home, which is being praised for the mental clarity it provides those who start their day with a cup.
“Not such a sharp spike in the caffeine kick-in. It’s a little more (of) a gentle slow burn on the caffeine. It made me feel a little fuller actually than a normal cup of coffee,” Vick says.
“What I think is this is a fad diet,” says Dr. Daphne Keshishian who specializes as an internist in Bethesda.
She says there are plenty of nutrition dense ways to start the day and a coffee loaded with fats isn’t the best idea.
“It really is a nutrient poor beverage. Longterm that’s just not a sustainable way to start your day,” Keshishian says.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends getting less than 10 percent of daily calories from saturated fats.
“Clearly this beverage is loaded with saturated fats,” she says.
She recommends a varied, balanced diet anchored in fruits and vegetables like the Mediterranean diet.
