What is Keto Coffee?
Keto Coffee is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate version of a traditional brewed cup of joe. The blend is prepared using quality coffee beans, alongside an assortment of fat sources that nourish the body and support a low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) diet. These fats are often coconut milk, almond milk, MCT oil, butter, ghee, and half and half, with some variations. Keto Coffee is popular among those following the ketogenic diet and looking to reap the health benefits associated with this rigorous eating regimen.
How Keto Coffee Compares with Traditional Coffee
Traditional coffee contains varying amounts of caffeine and other stimulants, and can help boost alertness and energy levels. The main difference between traditional and keto coffees lies in the addition of sources of dietary fats to the latter. By adding fat sources to the beverage, keto coffee increases satiety and steadies the body’s energy production for longer periods of time. In some cases, keto coffee can also provide more sustained mental clarity and a reduced crash typically associated with coffee’s short-term effects.
Can Starbucks Make Keto Coffee?
Keto-friendly coffee can be made by just about any coffee shop, and this includes Starbucks. Common additions to Starbucks keto coffees include heavy cream, butter, and MCT oil, among others. However, the ingredients you opt for can vary widely, and it’s best to check with your barista before making up your mind. Additionally, it’s important to note that non-keto options like syrup and high carb milk substitutes should be avoided when aiming to keep the beverage’s carb count down.
The Advantages of Keto Coffee
Drinking keto coffee has several advantages. The combination of dietary fat and caffeine helps the body access and burn its reserves of fat for energy. In addition, keto coffee’s unique profile of minerals, vitamins and compounds make it a perfect supplement to individuals looking to adhere to their LCHF diet. Additionally, because of its blend of healthful fats and other micronutrients, keto coffee can help stave off hunger cravings and increase energy levels, helping individuals stay active throughout their day.
Other Alternatives
If you’re looking for healthy, keto-friendly coffee options, you don’t necessarily need to resort to Starbucks. Several companies offer pre-made keto coffee blends and even powders like creamers that make preparation easier. These usually contain MCT oil, butter or other dietary fat options, so they’ll provide the same benefits as a homemade keto coffee. They also come with other add-ons like collagen peptides that can further enhance the health benefits associated with the beverage.
The Potential Disadvantages of Keto Coffee
Keto Coffee does come with some drawbacks. Consuming excessive amounts of caffeine can lead to cardiovascular problems and negatively affect your metabolism. In addition, if you’re trying to follow a strict LCHF diet, it may be difficult to find pre-made keto blends in stores. For some, the taste of these mixtures may also be unpleasant. However, these issues can largely be avoided by making the beverage yourself and only consuming it in moderation.
Keto Coffee Benefits for Exercise
Keto Coffee helps those looking to get fit by providing a long-lasting supply of energy. Therefore, it can give an extra boost of mental clarity during physical activity, and help improve endurance during intense workouts. Alongside this, keto coffee contains several essential vitamins, minerals and enzymes that can help increase recovery time. Lastly, because of its fat content, keto coffee can also lead to weight loss when partnered with regular exercise.
Keto Coffee vs Other Pre-Workout Supplements
Keto coffee offers a convenient and natural substitute to pre-workout supplements that often contain various unhealthy ingredients and artificial colors. Additionally, the energy boost you get from keto coffee can be gentler and more natural, and its benefits are not as short-lived when compared with the effects of these beverages. Therefore, keto coffee can prove to be a healthier option when it comes to fitness and performance nutrition, even though it may not provide all the same benefits as pre-workout supplements.
Potential Health Benefits of Keto Coffee
Keto coffee can provide a number of health benefits, though not all of them have been scientifically studied. Caffeine is known to increase mental focus and alertness and to stimulate increased fat burning. Furthermore, MCT and other healthy fats can give you steady, long-term sustenance. They can also help you maintain your weight, improve brain and nervous system function, and decrease energy crashes. Therefore, you can pair a moderate consumption of keto coffee with exercise, a healthy diet and your daily supplement routine for a potentially more efficient, healthful lifestyle.
Recipes for a Perfect Keto Coffee
Making your own keto coffee is easy and a great way to individualize the beverage to suit your unique flavor and nutrition need. One way to make keto coffee is by adding one teaspoon of kahlua liqueur, one cup of hot coffee, one teaspoon of coconut oil, one tablespoon of cream and your favorite sweetener to taste. If you’d prefer a creamier, frothy texture, mix the beverages in a blender. You can also experiment with different types of nuts, nut butters and proteins to supplement the blend.
Alternative Fat Sources
In addition to coconut oil, there are many other fat sources that you can use to create keto coffee. These sources include high-fat dairy items like full-fat cream, heavy cream, grass-fed butter, coconut cream, and high-fat cheese. You can also combine different nuts and nut butters, such as almond butter and walnuts, as a tasty and healthy addition to your coffee. Healthy oils like olive oil, and avocado oil are also great options for keto coffee and provide a unique flavor.
Understanding Carb Count and Sugar Content
It’s important to understand the carb count and sugar content of keto coffee because those attempting to follow the ketogenic diet may want to restrict the amount of net carbs they ingest. Fortunately, most fat-based additions to keto coffee are very low in carbohydrates, making the overall drink a relatively low-carb beverage. Therefore, depending on the ingredients you use, the sugar content of your keto coffee may be negligible.
Keto Coffee Alternatives
If you’re looking for healthy alternatives to keto coffee, there are several beverages that provide similar benefits without the carbs. For instance, green tea contains antioxidants and natural caffeine, and can be drank either in its traditional form or with the addition of healthy fats like ghee or MCT oil. Black tea is also a good option, as it contains several metabolic and anti-inflammatory properties. Likewise, adding healthful fats to herbal teas can limit the amount of carbohydrates you ingest, yet still give you much needed energy.
Keto-Friendly Snacks
For snacks, protein bars, energy bites and jerky are healthy additions to a keto-friendly diet. If you’re looking for something even simpler, challenging cheese is a great snack with high-fat, low-carb qualities that can also help with satiety. Alternatively, high quality nuts and seeds, like macadamia, walnuts and pumpkin seeds, often contain high amounts of dietary fat and are a delicious snack choice. Lastly, avocados are also a good option; their creamy texture and delicious flavor make them a great keto-friendly snack.
Reducing the Risks
Keto Coffee, although potentially beneficial, should always be consumed in moderation. Caffeine and ingredients like MCT oil can cause digestive issues if drink in excess and should therefore be used as dietary supplements and not meal replacements. Individuals with a weakened metabolism or other chronic conditions should consult their doctors prior to adding any new beverages to their diet.
Put Your Keto Coffee to the Test
A great way to judge the efficacy of your keto coffee is to test your metabolic response to the beverage over time. By using a pulse oximeter to measure your body’s reaction to the blend, you can gain insight into your metabolic response and see how different fats and sweeteners might affect your body weight and performance. You can also play around with different amounts of caffeine, fats and other ingredients to get a better understanding of the drink’s potential range of effects.
