Coffee is the world’s favorite drug, and we keep finding ways to make it better.
The latest caffeination innovation: Bulletproof coffee!
(sidenote: apparently caffeination isn’t in the dictionary 😧 that’s startling news)
Bulletproof coffee is any coffee drink mixed with fat that helps you metabolize the caffeine better. I first discovered it around 2016 in an article about putting butter in your coffee.
The entire bulletproof trend is Dave Asprey’s creation. Asprey is a silicon valley entrepreneur who has become a scion of biohacking and a keto evangelist.
He allegedly biohacked his way out of obesity and brain fog. It’s hard to argue against his results now that he seems to be extremely healthy and energetic.
I was skeptical about bulletproof at first, even after I explored the science of it. Putting butter in your coffee just sounds weird.
There is a lot of skepticism about bulletproof’s health benefits, and about keto diets in general. This is normal. Some people are predisposed to skepticism, and not everyone will benefit from a keto lifestyle.
Skeptics be damned
I’m entirely sold, though. As I write this, I’m drinking coffee with Bulletproof’s Brain Octane Oil in it. The caffeine boost I feel is more level, and I don’t feel as hungry as I normally do.
I started putting regular old coconut oil in my coffee recently, both for the flavor and the bulletproof benefits.
Dave Asprey will tell you that regular coconut oil isn’t good enough. He has a direct financial stake in you specifically buying his products.
A lot of folks report experiencing the same benefits by buying cheaper products. And I’m always one for saving a buck. It’s why I buy store-brand yogurt instead of the local organic probiotic brand.
Bullsh*tproof
Asprey is an entrepreneur and an extremely savvy marketer. And after my rigorous BS inspection, I’d give him and his business a B+/A- on thruthiness.
His claims about mycotoxins in normal coffee are exaggerated at best and lies at worst.
But here’s the thing: I don’t care about that!
If I had the money I would be buying bulletproof coffee all day and virtue-signaling my extremely healthy lifestyle to everyone all the time!!!!! That’s what it’s about, people!
I could buy a cheaper MCT oil, just like I could buy a cheaper knockoff android smartphone. But I’m not going to do that. I want an iPhone and bulletproof branded products so everyone can tell instantly how affluent and healthy I am.
(Oddly enough, bulletproof is more expensive when you buy it in bulk. On amazon the 3 oz. container is 0.47/oz while the 32 oz is 1.53/oz. Weird.)
Bulletproof’s worst-case scenario is that it’s all an expensive placebo. I’m completely fine with that.
There’s a substantial body of research that demonstrates placebos work, even when we know they’re placebos!
Our brains are superpowered adaptation machines. By giving ourselves some sort of miracle substance we actually prime our brains to improve our health. In the case of Bulletproof coffee, drinking this buttery concoction might just make you think you’re reducing hunger, improving performance, and becoming a superhero.
That actually might be the secret of biohacking and nootropics. You create a framework in your life to drive confirmation bias that the things you’re doing really improve your health and performance.
I always go back to crystal healing when discussing placebos. I know that there is no real tangible impact that crystals have on my health.
However,I always feel better after I go through the process of researching a crystal’s metaphysical benefits and buy that crystal. Amethyst helps me get in a thoughtful state, rose quartz makes me feel loved, and moss agate helps my plants grow faster.
While you debate whether or not this stuff works, I’ll be over here sipping bulletproof mochas and examining my new carnelian spheres.