What Not to Eat When Doing Keto: The Truth about Bulletproof Coffee
Episode #7 of the course The Ketogenic diet beginners guide by Theo Brenner-Roach
Welcome back.
Yesterday, we looked at all the things you can eat, so let’s now turn our attention to what you can’t.
These are all the foods that will kick you straight out ketosis and mess up your diet.
• Sugary foods: These include things like soft drinks, fruit juices, smoothies, cakes, biscuits, ice cream, sweets, etc.
• Fruits: Most fruit should be avoided due to their high sugar content. However, certain fruits, like berries, are fine in small portions.
• Grains and starches: This list is a long one and includes pasta, bread, potatoes, rice, cereals, parsnips, white potatoes, couscous, etc.
• Diet and low-fat products: These foods are often highly processed and contain many carbs to replace the fat, which is the opposite of what you want when on keto.
• Beans and legumes: Things like peas, kidney beans, lentils, and chickpeas can all be high in carbs and should be avoided.
• Alcohol: Most alcohols have a carb content that is too high and will knock you out of ketosis.
• Unhealthy fats: A good rule of thumb for any diet is to avoid unhealthy fats, particularly trans fats.
Again, this list is not exhaustive but gives you a good starting point when planning your diet and what to eat.
But what about bulletproof coffee? Is it good or bad?
Bulletproof coffee (BPC) has become synonymous with the ketogenic diet, as it promises to prevent hunger, increase satiety, and kickstart your ketosis.
It’s meant to replace breakfast, so the standard BPC consists of 2 cups of coffee, 2 tablespoons of grass-fed, unsalted butter, and 1-2 tablespoons of MCT oil, all mixed together in a blender.
However, there are several potential downsides of regularly drinking BPC.
Downside #1: Bulletproof coffee is low in nutrients. As the recommended breakfast replacement, BPC provides you with plenty of fats, which can help reduce hunger and provide energy, but it is low in nutrients.
If you go from eating three meals a day to two meals and a BPC every morning, you’re essentially reducing your nutrient intake by a third. If not accounted for, this can have an impact on your health over time.
Downside #2: Bulletproof coffee is high in calories. One of the supposed benefits of BPC is that it helps with weight loss and fat burning, but when you consider that those effects are minimal at most and that BPC is approximately 500 calories, it stops looking so amazing.
Starting your day with 500 calories of fat is not necessarily the best approach when trying to lose weight.
Downside #3: Bulletproof coffee is high in saturated fats. BPC is high in saturated fats, and while the argument about the effect of saturated fats can be controversial, it’s commonly believed that a high intake is associated with greater risk factors for many diseases and should be avoided (29).
By consuming your daily saturated fat allowance (or close to it) in one go, you may be putting yourself at risk, particularly if the rest of your diet is not nutrient-rich and balanced.
The bottom line is that BPC is not a magic bullet, it’s a high-calorie bullet, and if you’re not careful, it will see you gaining weight, not losing it.
Additionally, as regular caffeine has also been shown to suppress appetite and help with hunger control, you’d be much better off sticking to your usual black coffee in the morning (30).
With the food side of things covered, tomorrow’s lesson will look at how the ketogenic diet and ketosis affect weightlifting.
If you’re looking to lose fat and maintain your muscle mass, then you won’t want to miss this lesson.
See you tomorrow.
Recommended book
The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet by Nina Teicholz
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