I am not a morning person. Traditionally I waste the first few hours of the day laying on the couch reading the news and slowly getting through my email. That is until I found bulletproof coffee, and it boosted my productivity immeasurably. It’s all turned around!

I can hear the sceptical groans already. I was in exactly the same boat. Yet another placebo I thought to myself. Yet with so many wealthy, successful people swearing by it, I thought what the hell and gave it a go. From cup number one, I was a convert!

What Does Bulletproof Coffee Do To Improve Productivity?
In simple, it’s brain food that helps you concentrate. Scientifically it’s feeding your brain with saturated acids called medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). Our body rapidly absorbs them and converts this into ketones, which the brain uses as an instant source of energy. That’s what it needs to start working hard!

As a result, the brain fog a lot of us feel vanishes. We can instantly focus on our tasks and productivity shoots through the roof. What’s nice is that you can have a couple per day, no problems!

The Science Of The Gut
In a talk on bio-hacking, Tim Ferris noted: “One of the reasons Bulletproof Coffee works is when you’re blending the butter and specifically the brain octane you get small micelles the cross the gut barrier more easily. They carry in basically the pharmaco-active things in the coffee. The coffee oils and the other chemicals.” Tim Ferris on biohacking

So What Is Bulletproof Cofee?
The recipe is deceptively easy. Just melt butter and MCT Oil (buy it online) into your coffee. Use a blender or frother to mix. Then drink. You can add your milk, spice, coconut milk or whatever you want on top, no worries!

• 1 x tablespoons of MCT Oil (C8)
• 2 x tablespoons grass-fed butter
• Mixed into coffee

Now I know the coffee lovers will roll their eyes. I’m a Melbournian, so nobody loves coffee more than me, but believe me you’ll be a convert. The oils are what your body craves. So it’s natural that you’ll quickly come to love the taste if not immediately.

Why Do These Bulletproof Coffee Ingredients Work?
This is all a little technical, but let me try to make it simple.

Grass-fed butter
Grass-fed cow milk is jam-packed with healthy fats and vitamin A, K, and E, all of which are great for the body. It’s also rich in fatty acids including conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which burns fat and is anti-inflammatory, and butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid that strengthens the gut and the brain. It’s important to get grass-fed butter as this is far more potent with vitamins and nutrients.

MCT Oil (Brain Fuel)
It’s saturated fatty acids called medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). This comes from coconut oil, but it’s not the same as just eating coconut oil.

MCTs, come in four types: C6, C8, C10, and C12. It’s the C8 (caprylic acid) you want, as it turns into ketones the easiest. Studies show that C8 is the most ketogenic oil. Try to buy MCT oil that is mostly (more than 80%) C8, it will say it on the bottle.

MCT oil works because normally to create ketones your body has to be starved of carbs or workout at the gym super hard. Instead with MCT, you can increase your ketone level in minutes, and this turns directly into brain fuel which you can feel take effect.

Coffee Beans – Don’t Waste Money
If you read the official website of David Asprey, the inventor of Bulletproof coffee, he will tell you the coffee you choose is important. he claims most coffee “carries naturally-occurring mould toxins — these can be carcinogenic and impair the immune system”. This is absolutely false.

Modern coffee making techniques have removed these mould toxins for decades. It’s a non-issue, buy whatever coffee you like, although I recommend trying to save the environment. Avoid plastic pods if you can.

Other Benefits of Bulletproof Coffee
It’s not just your brain getting the good stuff. There are clear links to gut health and general well-being also. Reading through the blogs of hundreds of converts, I kept seeing the same trends. People on bulletproof coffee generally felt better. It’s not hard to believe, modern diets have demonised fatty acids, but they are a fuel we need to be at the top of our game. I strongly recommend doing some research into fats v sugars in terms of body damage, it’s an eye-opening experience.

So How Much Did My Productivity Improve?
It is hard to quantify just how much my productivity has improved. The best example I can give is that when I spring out of bed, I go straight for the coffee. Within a minute I feel charged and ready to concentrate. I no longer sit on the coach, I now go straight to my desk and knock through the 30 – 40 emails awaiting my attention. By midday I’ve got through everything and I start breakfast…. oh there’s some research about intermittent fasting for productivity also, but that’s for another day 🙂

Challenge Yourself To Just 1 Week
So here’s my challenge to you. Try it for just 1 week and let me know if you feel a difference. In my experience and that of those I’ve read online, most people feel it immediately. The brain fog rises, they feel more attentive and generally better right away.

Let me know how you go, what is your experience?