Bulletproof Coffee vs. Ambrosia Ritual - Which is the Powerhouse Option?
Need a pick-me-up to get going? Have a cup of coffee. Want to relax after nice meal? Have a cup of coffee. Pulling an all-nighter for finals? Have several cups of coffee.
Morning, noon, or night, coffee is great, but there's just something irreplaceable about having that first morning cup of coffee that you don't get from it any other time of day. In fact, you could even say it's part of your morning ritual.
Related - Is Coffee the Healthiest Beverage on Earth?
But, there's a popular trend these days to bastardize the humble cup of coffee into something that packs the caloric equivalent of a quarter-pounder from the Golden Arches. Yes, we're talking about bulletproof coffee, and we've got all the details ahead on why it's a terrible way to go about your morning ritual cup of coffee.
Ritual AM by Ambrosia - Perfect Biohacking Morning Ritual
What is Bulletproof Coffee?
Bulletproof coffee is brainchild of Dave Asprey. If your'e not familiar with what "bulletproof coffee" is, it's basically a replacement for your breakfast that consists of:- 2 cups of coffee (using Bulletproof's "toxin-free" coffee)
- 2 tablespoons (minimum) of grass-fed, unsalted butter
- 1-2 tablespoons of MCT oil
Sure butter is great, and so is MCT oil, but mixed in coffee... No thanks.
The upside to drinking this crazy coffee concoction? Enhanced energy, mental focus, reduced hunger cravings - the list goes on, but suffice it to say, Bulletproof Coffee is regarded in some circles as the best thing since the discovery of coffee itself.
But, there's three big reasons that Bulletproof Coffee isn't the be-all, end-all replacement for your morning ritual, and we've got a superior alternative for you too!
3 Reasons to Ditch Bulletproof Coffee
#1 - Terrible Breakfast Replacement
Proponents of Bulletproof coffee say it's an ideal replacement for breakfast altogether. When you add up the calories you can see why, two tablespoons of butter and two tablespoons of MCT oil is well over 400 calories!Sure, Bulletproof coffee might fill you up, and it's mildly better than a giant bowl of corn flakes for breakfast, but you're essentially getting 400 calories of pure fat - no protein, no fiber, no significant nutrition.
Why replace a great nutrient and fiber-packed meal of eggs, bacon, fruit, and veggies with hot coffee-flavored butter and oil?
#2 - Disproportionate Fat Ratio
let's get one thing straight, saturated fat is NOT bad. it's been unfairly demonized for far too long, and only now is the general population starting to realize the benefits of including some saturated fat in their diets - improved joint health, hormone production, etc.However, humans didn't evolve eating copious amounts of fat all at once. Fats need to be used to cook and enhance the flavors of other foods like steak, chicken, asparagus, etc. They don't need to be used as a replacement for those foods but an addition or supplement to them.
Yes, butter and fats can be healthy, but like anything else when consumed in excessive amounts, it can result in negative health consequences, see fructose (found in fruit) and linoleic acid (found in nuts) when they're in a refined form. [1][2][3]
It's perfectly reasonable to consider the fact that the same could happen when consuming massive amounts of saturated fat. In moderate amounts, yes saturated fats are fine (and healthy!), but when mega-dosed we really have no idea of their impact on health, which brings us to the third and final reason to ditch bulletproof coffee.
#3 - Potential Health Complications
A growing body of evidence has shown the low-carb/ketogenic diets can be helpful for certain demographics of the population (i.e. the obese and Type 2 Diabetics). [4][5] Blood sugar spikes are reduced, HDL ("good") cholesterol increases, triglycerides decrease, and several other important health markers show improvement.Bulletproof coffee enthusiasts use this as proof positive that their morning drink is part of a healthy, wholesome diet. However, none of the research to date has tested the safety or effectiveness of drink bulletproof coffee with (or without) a keto/low carb diet.
However, there are numerous anecdotal accounts of people experiencing cholesterol problems after incorporating bulletproof coffee into their daily regimen. Furthermore, a recent case study where a man consuming bulletproof coffee, not only showed elevated levels of Total and LDL cholesterol, but also increases in ApoB and LDL particle number, which are very strong and accurate indicators of cardiovascular disease. [6][7]
Suffice it to say, you'd do well to ditch Bulletproof coffee, but that doesn't mean you have to give up your coffee as part of your morning ritual, there's a superior alternative out there!
Start Your Morning Ritual the Right Way
Start your morning right with Ritual AM: Morning Biohacking Theorem. Order now.
Starting your day with Ambrosia Ritual AM as opposed to Bulletproof coffee allows you to get all of the benefits associated with Bulletproof Coffee (increased energy, enhanced brain function, etc.) along with greater muscle protein synthesis and fat loss!
Best of all, Ambrosia Ritual AM doesn't put a 400 calorie dent in your daily caloric budget. Each serving contains a modest 129 calories and an extremely balanced macronutrient profile to optimize your mental and physical performance each and every day.
How Ritual AM Works
What makes Ritual AM a superior choice to Bulletproof coffee?Simple - it's scientifically formulated to provide everything you need for superior physiological and mental function.
Ritual AM includes goBHB, salts, Clean Cream, and MCT to support and enhance both physical and mental performance and function by providing your body and mind with ketones to run at peak output. On top of that, Ritual AM also includes the revolutionary ingredient Velositol, which has been clinically proven to double the power of muscle protein synthesis in the body - that's why you'll also find whey protein isolate included in Ritual AM.
You don't have to go full keto either and ditch carbs altogether. Ritual AM still affords you the opportunity to enjoy those tasty carbs and enjoy the perks of ketones too.
Simply put, Ritual AM is the ideal way to start any day.
Maximize your Day the Right Way
Upon waking, mix one scoop of Ambrosia Ritual AM in water or coffee as a delicious way to kick off a new day. it's also great to take pre-cardio if you do that first thing in the morning (for added fat-burning), or pre-weight training mixed in with MTS Clash to provide your body with all of the essentials to really get after it in the weight room.For rest days, it couldn't be easier, have your Ritual AM while cooking breakfast and then get about your day! Any way you shake it, there's only one way to start your day - Ambrosia Ritual AM.
References
1) Stanhope KL, Schwarz J-M, Havel PJ. Adverse metabolic effects of dietary fructose: Results from recent epidemiological, clinical, and mechanistic studies. Current opinion in lipidology. 2013;24(3):198-206. doi:10.1097/MOL.0b013e3283613bca. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4251462/2) Stanhope KL, Schwarz JM, Keim NL, et al. Consuming fructose-sweetened, not glucose-sweetened, beverages increases visceral adiposity and lipids and decreases insulin sensitivity in overweight/obese humans. The Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2009;119(5):1322-1334. doi:10.1172/JCI37385. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2673878/
3) Ramsden CE, Zamora D, Leelarthaepin B, et al. Use of dietary linoleic acid for secondary prevention of coronary heart disease and death: evaluation of recovered data from the Sydney Diet Heart Study and updated meta-analysis. The BMJ. 2013;346:e8707. doi:10.1136/bmj.e8707. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4688426/
4) Dashti HM, Mathew TC, Hussein T, et al. Long-term effects of a ketogenic diet in obese patients. Experimental & Clinical Cardiology. 2004;9(3):200-205. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2716748/
5) Johnston CS, Tjonn SL, Swan PD, White A, Hutchins H, Sears B. Ketogenic low-carbohydrate diets have no metabolic advantage over nonketogenic low-carbohydrate diets. Am J Clin Nutr . 2006;83(5):1055-1061. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/83/5/1055.full
6) Lamarche B, Moorjani S, Lupien PJ, et al. Apolipoprotein A-I and B levels and the risk of ischemic heart disease during a five-year follow-up of men in the Quebec cardiovascular study. Circulation. 1996;94(3):273-278. http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/94/3/273.long
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