Want a quick coffee drink recipe that will help you hack the most energy for your body?

Skip to the end and read how I prepped for my best marathon with this high-octane coffee.

Otherwise read on…

‘Bulletproof coffee‘ is one thing I drink when I want to get ready for a surprisingly fast tempo run or marathon.

I’m not alone either. I recently read that the L.A. Lakers are dipping their pre-game biscotti in this stuff. Kidding. I’m sure there isn’t too much biscotti, just coffee. Their recipe, as I understand it, contains three basic ingredients:

coffee raw, grass-fed, unsalted butter MCT oil which stands for medium-chain triglycerides (creative) and is derived from coconut oil

Here’s my own simple 5 minute DIY vegan version for relatively cheap Bulletproof Coffee…

On the cheap, I suggest doing some second string substitution starting with the coconut oil. MCT oil, while a good idea I’m sure, seems gimmicky and not worth the extra penny. MCT oil is refined coconut oil. Though proponents of MCT would say that regular coconut oil is much higher in calories, saturated fat, etc. etc…coconut oil is hard enough to find and expensive enough that, since I have it, it will work just fine in place of “MCT” for my cuppa bulletproof joe. Plus, since coconut oil actually is MCT oil, in other words, coconut oil is a medium-chain triglyceride, you may as well just use it if you want to try your own bulletproof coffee. This way you won’t need to hunt down any additional fancy/expensive ingredients. I have, however, found MCT oil on sale and downed it before running this marathon. It’s quite smooth.

Let’s look a little more into MCT or medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA). Not only is it in coconut oil, but MCFA are also found in mother’s milk. This makes sense because unlike long-chain fatty acids found in most other fats, they put little strain on the digestive system and provide a quick source of energy. They are broken down almost immediately by enzymes in the saliva and gastric juices. This is perfect for an infant with an immature digestive system or a marathoner in need of quick energy. In fact I read of a study where mice were put to endurance swimming tests every other day for several days. To sum it up, the mice fed MCFA/MCT quickly outperformed the mice fed a standard mice diet. Which reminds me of this…

Not much for MCT in sharp cheddar, but I’m sure it is in fact quite a strong cheese.

Anyway.

For my brew, I’m leaving out the butter to focus just on adding coconut oil to coffee. Here’s what to do…

Brew a cup of your favorite joe. 6-8 ounces

Toss about 1-2 T coconut oil in a blender and add the hot brewed coffee (no coffee grounds, just brewed coffee).

Whiz it around for a few seconds which will emulsify the oil a bit and make the drink creamier, as opposed to just adding a dollop of oil to your coffee. Euww.. oil spill. If you’d like a little sweetener, add a squirt of honey or try stevia. I usually like honey in coffee, but with this, it’s good straight. Bulletproof.

I had a cup at 4pm today. I might not sleep tonight.

Would love to hear how your cup turns out.

What’s your favorite coffee drink?