Go Get Ya Caffeine Fix

The first time I heard about bulletproof coffee was when I was in Chicago this May for my friend Jayne’s wedding. My group of friends are spread across Canada and the States and the wedding was an opportunity for all eight of us to be together, in one condo!!

At “family” breakfast we sat around the kitchen table and my friend Scott brought up bulletproof coffee, or as I referred to it, “butter coffee.” My first thought was, of course my Vancouverite friend would be into this weird butter coffee stuff.

Within the last couple of months I’ve been inundated with bulletproof coffee. It seems to be the newest health trend. I’ve also read a fair share of blog posts bashing bulletproof coffee and its apparently not-so-amazing benefits.

So, I decided I might as well give it a shot and see for myself what all the hype (and hate) is about.

Benefits of bulletproofing your coffee:

• Mental clarity and focus without the usually caffeine-fix crash
• A bounty of energy
• Weight loss via ketosis (a metabolic state that is trigged by lack of carbs that burns fat)*
• Helps fight cravings.

And there are some other benefits, too, but these are the biggest/most common perks of trading your everyday breakfast for this butter-coffee stuff.

*I’m personally not interested in bulletproof coffee for the third benefit listed. I’ve done my research on the ketosis diet and I’m not a huge fan of the concept. Well, I’m not a diet supporter at all; it’s all about making lifestyle changes. Also, I’m not agreeing that these are all proven benefits.

Anyways…

I trolled through all corners of the Internet looking for recipes for this miraculous coffee bevy. To be honest, I did pick and choose a bit between the recipes I found. Bulletproof coffee is basically three things– coffee, butter, and oil. The key to making legit bulletproof coffee is to use special coffee beans that are free of mycotoxins (essentially fungi and mold), butter made from grass-fed, organic cow’s milk, and MTC (medium-chain triglyceride) oil. I used coconut oil as my MTC oil because I’m not willing to shell out money for the fancy stuff that is marketed exclusively for making this bevy. Another confession, I didn’t use fancy coffee beans. So shoot me!

At the upper end of the butter scale, you can put 6-8 Tbsp of grass-fed butter in your bulletproof blend. Does anyone else think that sounds a little, uh, crazy? I opted for a starter’s variation. Maybe I’ll work my way up the butter scale, one day.

Here’s what I used:
1 Tbsp unsalted grass-fed butter
1 Tsp coconut oil
1 Cup coffee

Directions:
1) Pour freshly brewed coffee into a blender.
2) Add in butter and coconut oil.
3) Blend until it’s a light caramel colour.

It should also have a layer of buttery-coconutty froth on top.

My verdict:
I’m currently on day three of (possibly) seven of bulletproofing my morning bevy, but I have a pretty solid opinion formed already. Some sources told me I should give it at least 10 days because I might not notice any benefits before that.

I don’t know if I can make it to day 10.

I’ll give bulletproof coffee a few pros, but I think there are definitely some inherent cons, for me at least.

Pros:
• It tastes pretty decent.
• Zero caffeine crash (I don’t usually notice this after my morning coffee though)
• I did notice I had more energy than I do when I drink regular coffee with almond milk.
• It was moderately filling. Maybe this was a psychological thing, though.
• I felt more alert, albeit for short time, first thing in the morning.

Cons:
• I’ve missed the sensation of sinking my teeth into actual breakfast food.
• On day two, I did get a bit hangry by lunch time…
• I don’t think it’s helping to keep things moving/flowing in my system.
• Greasy teeth. Enough said.

I don’t think this is a health fad I’ll be continuing in the long term. I like eating, not drinking, my breakfast. But in desperate situations, I would recommend trying bulletproof coffee over guzzling an energy drink. Don’t get me started on energy drinks, though. That’s a whole other blog post.

Have you tried bulletproof coffee? Let me know your thoughts, DM on Instagram @thelifeof_lucky, or send me an email– breanne.thelifeoflucky@gmail.com

Back to Bloggin’ and… Eating for Pleasure?

Back to bloggin’, and all things CreComm and IPP-related. No more frolicking in sunflower fields for this girl. Adieu summer, see ya next year!

Throughout the last three years working at a salon, one thing has become evident to me – hairstylists do much more than simply cut, colour, and style hair. They’re confidants, advice-givers, and very often (under-paid) therapists. And because many clients are comfortable divulging intimate details with their stylist, I’ve been privy to some pretty juicy gossip.

A few weeks ago, I was at the coffee bar when I heard one stylist and their client talking about something that piqued my interest – dieting. Diets, cleanses, and fitness routines are topics that are frequently discussed at the salon. Perhaps working in the beauty industry makes us more image-conscious than those in other industries. But what caught my attention about this conversation was one simple phrase “you should eat for pleasure only once a week.”

What!? Eat for pleasure ONLY once a week? The stylist and client both agreed that “you should eat purely for nutrition and have one cheat meal a week, or have one ‘cheat’ day.”

Why can’t eating healthy be pleasurable? I think it can! With that being said, I think there’s an assumption that healthy eating requires certain food/food groups to be off limits. I’ve made a conscious effort over the last couple of years to not demonize any food/food groups. However, I avoid certain dairy products because I’m lactose-intolerant. 😥

This conversation made me think about the idealized notion of what it means to be “healthy.” I don’t think healthy eating should revolve around any sort of restriction. Moderation and balance are two concepts I try to always keep in mind. Adhering too much to an idealized version of health can lead to orthorexia, the obsession with eating food that fits into a preconceived paradigm of health. I’ve definitely had my issues with restrictive eating, but until recently I didn’t know that it was a recognized eating disorder; I just thought I was a health-nut.

I’m currently working on creating a e-cookbook of healthy recipes–for those of you who didn’t already know–and I’m struggling about how to position and market it. I want to stray away from representing it as something that idealizes what a healthy breakfast should be. I don’t eat only foods that will be included in my e-cookbook. Sometimes, if a girl wants bacon and pancakes, a girl has gotta eat just that. It’s not a cheat/dirty meal; It’s just a meal.

On Saturday afternoon while I was microwaving a frozen burrito, a coworker asked me, “why are you eating that if you have a health and fitness Instagram account?”

My response: “Because, moderation. If I don’t eat what I want, I know I’ll just binge at some point.”

I don’t think it really got through to her. I guess, I should have just said, “Oh, this? This is my cheat meal…”

PS. follow me on my ~new~ health and fitness Insta account – @thelifeof_lucky