Coffee and fasting – do they go together? Many people think they have to give up all stimulants while fasting. While that certainly applies to sugar, a daily cup of coffee can actually give you an extra energy boost. However, you should keep these things in mind...
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1. Intermittent fasting and coffee – is that possible?
This actually works very well! However, only under the condition that you enjoy your coffee black or as Bulletproof Coffee . During the fasting phase , milk and sugar are an absolute no-go , as both trigger glucose metabolism in the body, which immediately knocks you out of ketosis.
During the fasting phase, your body shouldn't be distracted by calories from important tasks like cell renewal and waste removal. Black coffee is low in calories and doesn't interfere with this process. And the calories in Bulletproof Coffee come from the healthy MCT oils and don't affect your blood sugar levels.
2. Sugar is a no-go during intermittent fasting
You should avoid sugar completely , even in your meals, if your goal is to reach ketosis faster through intermittent fasting (you can read more about ketosis here ).
Sugar and carbohydrates interrupt ketosis because they stimulate glucose metabolism. As soon as your body releases insulin, it stops burning fat. This means that fats are immediately ignored, instead of being used to produce ketones and thus valuable energy.
What you've just achieved through disciplined fasting will be undone by even the smallest amount of sugar. Therefore, stay strong and stick only to a diet that supports ketosis!
Take-home message #1: When it comes to intermittent fasting, coffee, and especially Bulletproof Coffee, is the ultimate booster – as long as you avoid milk and sugar.
3. Why can you drink coffee while intermittent fasting?
One reason why intermittent fasting is so popular could be the fact that it's allowed to consume coffee. After all, if you're going to commit to a longer fasting period, you want to at least have a little joy along the way—in the form of your beloved cup of coffee.
But why is this even allowed during intermittent fasting? Simple answer: Because coffee actually supports fasting in several ways:
It curbs your appetite: If you want to burn fat and lose weight through intermittent fasting, coffee is a good way to overcome the onset of hunger in the morning when using the 16/8 method.
Because coffee affects your hormones : the “ hunger hormones ” leptin and ghrelin are reduced, while at the same time the “ satiety hormone ” peptide YY is produced in greater quantities.
This curbs your appetite, and you no longer feel hungry. Adding a shot of MCT oil increases the effect, as researchers at Columbia University demonstrated in a study with overweight men [1].
It boosts your metabolism: During the fasting phase, coffee increases your basal metabolic rate and your energy expenditure. At the same time, it stimulates fat burning, especially in the form of butter coffee with MCT oil.
A study on overweight test subjects at the University of Quebec demonstrates the success of weight loss through the intake of medium-chain fatty acids [2].
It gets you into ketosis faster: The long overnight fasting phase has just switched your body to ketosis. You should definitely use this moment to boost the process.
Now a Bulletproof Coffee – and your body will receive a ketogenic energy source in the form of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which it can quickly tap into for energy production.
The valuable fats are converted into ketones by the body and do not affect your blood sugar levels. The high-fat, low-carb coffee gives ketosis an extra boost, which you should also promote throughout the rest of the day with ketogenic foods. In other words: avoid carbohydrates and eat plenty of healthy fats .
Great side effect: Butter coffee also boosts your mental performance and provides your brain with a balanced ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
The positive effect on cognitive performance despite hypoglycemia was demonstrated during a study at the Yale School of Medicine, in which test subjects were able to successfully pass various memory tests after taking MCT oil [3].
And as mentioned, Bulletproof Coffee also fills you up. It's a perfect way to start the day during intermittent fasting and bridge the gap until your first meal.
Take-home message #2: Coffee curbs your appetite, stimulates your metabolism, and with MCT oil, can promote ketosis and your memory performance.
4. Intermittent fasting: coffee recipes
Drinking coffee as black as night gets boring in the long run. That's why we're presenting you with a few recipes to boost your daily caffeine intake to promote fasting success:
regular coffee
This is the basic version: brew 9 to 14 gof ROCKET COFFEE (buy here) per serving, depending on your taste, in a filter coffee machine or French press and enjoy.
Bulletproof Coffee (butter coffee)
This is the classic way to stimulate ketosis:
- 1 cup of coffee
- 1 tbsp grass-fed butter (or ghee)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil (or MCT oil, available here )
- ½ tsp cinnamon (to taste)
- Mix everything well until the consistency is creamy. This works best in a blender.
Upgraded Rocket Coffee
Want the premium version of butter coffee that'll put you in mental power mode? Then enjoy this upgrade:
- 1 cup of coffee
- 1-2 tablespoons ROCKET C8
- 1-2 tbsp pasture butter
- Here too, mix everything for 15 to 20 seconds to ensure the coffee is the ultimate taste experience.
BRAINEFFECT HACK: You can enjoy different coffee flavors during intermittent fasting, because black is boring all the time. Our tip for mental power: the UPGRADED ROCKET COFFEE .
Discover our ROCKET COFFEE KIT now
This is how you prepare your UPGRADED ROCKET COFFEE!
5. How much coffee can I drink?
Do you need your coffee in the morning to get you going? No problem: You can have one cup —but no more. Black, of course, without milk or sugar.
Or you can drink your Bulletproof Coffee as a breakfast substitute. Butter and oil further stimulate ketosis, which you enter in the morning after a fast of several hours. However, your buttered coffee shouldn't contain more than 400 kcal , because fats are concentrated calorie packages.
You can drink coffee in the afternoon without restrictions. However, this only affects the effect of intermittent fasting. If you react strongly to caffeine and become fidgety, or if you lie awake in bed late at night, you shouldn't drink more coffee than is good for you to ensure your fasting is successful. Even for habitual coffee drinkers, a general recommendation applies when fasting: no more than three cups per day.
More tips on intermittent fasting
Take-home message #4: In principle, there's nothing wrong with coffee during intermittent fasting. However, you shouldn't overdo it to avoid disrupting your sleep.
6. Conclusion
Yes, you can believe it: Coffee is allowed during intermittent fasting! And even better: It even promotes ketosis. Bulletproof coffee, in particular, lives up to its name, because its valuable MCT fats provide you with ketogenic energy during intermittent fasting and give you an extra boost toward fat burning. As long as you don't overdo it, there's nothing stopping you from consuming coffee while fasting.
7. Sources
[1] Marie-Pierre St-Onge, Brian Mayrsohn, Majella O'Keeffe, Harry R. Kissileff, Arindam Roy Choudhury, Blandine Laferrère (2014). Columbia University, New York, USA. Your J Clin Nutr. Impact of medium and long chain triglycerides consumption on appetite and food intake in overweight men [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4192077/]
[2] Sabri Ahmed Rial, Antony D. Karelis, Karl-F. Bergeron, Catherine Mounier (2016). University of Quebec, Montreal, Canada. Nutrients. Gut Microbiota and Metabolic Health: The Potential Beneficial Effects of a Medium Chain Triglyceride Diet in Obese Individuals [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4882694/]
[3] Kathleen A. Page, Anne Williamson, Namyi Yu, Ewan C. McNay, James Dzuira, Rory J. McCrimmon, Robert S. Sherwin (2009). Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, USA. Diabetes . Medium-Chain Fatty Acids Improve Cognitive Function in Intensively Treated Type 1 Diabetic Patients and Support In Vitro Synaptic Transmission During Acute Hypoglycemia [http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/58/5/1237.short]
