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Coffee already has a reputation for being healthy. Bulletproof Coffee took this fact to a whole new level, but are they the best way to enjoy a healthier cup?
Health-focused coffee takes the antioxidant-rich base and adds a little something new. Some brands fortify their coffee beans with medicinal mushrooms that improve gut health and mood. Others prefer to reduce the negative aspects of coffee, such as high amounts of acidity or caffeine. Bulletproof Coffee’s oil and butter mixture is just one way to improve your drinking experience and health.
We have some of the best alternatives to Bulletproof Coffee below. We’ll explore other brands that take a different health-focused approach, such as additional vitamins, minerals, or healthy fats. We’ll also teach you how to put together your very own Bulletproof Coffee alternative!
Brief Breakdown of Bulletproof Coffee
Caffeine feels good in the moment, but the crash is always around the corner. Bulletproof Coffee’s biggest selling point is giving you an energy boost with none of the downsides.
Nicknamed butter coffee or ketogenic coffee, Bulletproof Coffee provides a slew of healthy nutrients such as vitamin A, beta-carotene, and omega-3 fatty acids. The ‘butter coffee’ nickname is due to their key ingredient of grass-fed butter. The ‘ketogenic coffee’ nickname is due to being friendly for keto diets, ideal for people with diabetes or PCOS.
Bulletproof coffee not only provides you energy without a crash but may even help you lose weight. Its additional ingredient of MCT oil gives you an energy boost and encourages your body to shed excess fat.
Finding Bulletproof Coffee alternatives involves looking for key ingredients that increase energy and reduce fat. You can also seek out other health boosters such as low-acidity or medicinal mushrooms.
What to Look for in Bulletproof Coffee Alternatives
Bulletproof Coffee asked the question, “Can you get the energy without the crash?”. We’re here to ask the question, “Are there other ways of getting coffee with an extra health boost?”
Black Coffee
The key ingredient is, what else, black coffee! Bulletproof Coffee provides light, medium, and dark-roasted coffee tested for toxins. It’s also certified Rainforest Friendly and received a specialty grade certification by the SCA.
The black coffee you choose should ideally be certified organic to reduce the risk of exposure to pesticides and herbicides.
Grass-Fed Butter
The second and best-known ingredient of Bulletproof Coffee is grass-fed butter. The benefits of grass-fed animal products are higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids and lower levels of saturated fats.
Omega-3 fatty acids are closely linked with a reduced risk of heart attack, cancer, and stroke. They can even reduce eczema and arthritis flare-ups.
MCT Oil
Last but not least, the last key ingredient in Bulletproof Coffee is MCT oil. Short for medium-chain triglycerides, this supplement is a type of easily digestible fat. To compare, LCT is short for long-chain triglycerides and takes longer to digest.
Your bloodstream is able to quickly absorb MCT oil and transform it into energy you can enjoy almost immediately.
Medicinal Mushrooms
Mushrooms are known for being flavorful additions to common dishes, but did you know they come in medicinal varieties? Cultures around the world have used these fungi as health supplements for thousands of years.
Best Alternatives to Bulletproof Coffee
Whether you don’t like Bulletproof Coffee’s products or just want to see what else is out there, we’ve got you covered. Our top picks below supplement coffee’s natural benefits with additional nutrients or organic certification.
1. Purity Coffee
The coffee industry unfortunately comes with a lot of smoke and mirrors. Where does your coffee come from and how healthy is it, exactly? Purity Coffee provides a transparent approach to make it easier for you to enjoy health-conscious coffee.
This organic coffee comes with organic certification so you’re drinking beans with reduced exposure to pesticides. In fact, Purity Coffee recently gained Bird Friendly Certification – brands receive this certificate when they commit to farming practices that maintain the trees and shrubbery birds need.
The company then rigorously tests its coffee for exposure to mold and hazardous compounds to keep it as safe as possible. You’ll even receive twice as many antioxidants, an essential compound that protects against chronic stress and cancer.
Top Benefits:
- Organic certification
- Lab-testing for toxin exposure
- Twice as many antioxidants
Similarities to Bulletproof Coffee:
Purity Coffee provides you with carefully vetted organic coffee beans, reducing the amount of mold and toxins you’re exposed to.
2. Healthy Bean Coffee
Healthy foods aren’t just what you put in. It’s also what you take out. Healthy Bean Coffee offers low-acid coffee for people who can’t go for the usual fare.
The acidity level in coffee can be a pleasurable detail that contributes to tart and sharp flavors in your cup. It can also exacerbate health conditions such as acid reflux, IBS, and liver problems. Healthy Bean Coffee reduces acidity by offering darker roasts, since heavier roasting processes eliminate most acidity.
If you’re not sure if you want to commit, Healthy Bean Coffee offers sample bags. You can also enjoy their coffee in pod form, which they’ve received recyclable certification for.
Top Benefits:
- Low acidity for sensitive stomachs
- Coffee pods that are actually recyclable
Similarities to Bulletproof Coffee:
Healthy Bean Coffee offers healthier coffee by reducing acidity and preventing issues such as upset stomach, acid reflux, or abdominal pain.
3. Ryze Mushroom Coffee
While the first few options remove some elements from coffee, Ryze Mushroom Coffee adds to them. Rather than the crimini or button mushrooms you add to a stir fry, these mushrooms are medicinal in nature.
Medicinal mushrooms provide wonderful health benefits such as higher antioxidants and gut-healthy compounds such as digestive tract-friendly bacteria. There’s even compelling evidence that these fungi can reduce the risk of heart disease, ulcers, or dementia. Ryze Mushroom Coffee adds many medicinal mushroom staples to their coffee such as Lion’s Mane, Turkey Tail, and Reishi.
Their products are dairy-free, soy-free, and even keto-friendly. If you’ve never had medicinal mushrooms before, make sure you’re not allergic before buying.
Top Benefits:
- Higher levels of antioxidants
- Gut-friendly compounds
- Keto-friendly
- Sugar-free
Similarities to Bulletproof Coffee:
Like Bulletproof Coffee, Ryze Mushroom Coffee is keto-friendly and sugar-free.
4. Clver Blends
Lattes are absolutely delicious, but they tend to come at the expense of your health. Whether loaded with syrup or caffeine, many people today crave alternatives. Clver Blends provides health-focused latte packs that can be turned into classic cups or blended into a smoothie.
No more crashing after drinking one of your favorite espresso-style recipes. This brand takes out sugar and dairy, then replaces them with probiotics and medicinal mushrooms. The caffeine amount is also lower so you can keep those frustrating jitters at bay.
For example, their Coffee Superlatte comes with just 50 mg of caffeine per serving. Compare this to a traditional two-shot espresso latte, which hovers between 120 to 160 mg. If you’re extremely sensitive to caffeine, their Sleeptime Superlatte is decaf.
The addition of probiotics means you’ll enjoy improved gut health, a phenomenon closely linked to boosted mood and healthy sleep.
Top Benefits:
- Medicinal mushrooms
- Probiotics
- Reduced caffeine as well as decaf options
Similarities to Bulletproof Coffee:
This Bulletproof Coffee alternative provides another way of getting the energy you need such as medicinal mushrooms and probiotics.
5. Lifeboost Coffee
Another great source of low-acidity coffee is Lifeboost Coffee. These roasters work hard to provide coffee that’s as flavorful as possible while going easy on your digestive system.
The coffee you buy here has undergone rigorous testing for safety, such as being inspected for mold, chemicals, and heavy metals. It’s also certified organic by the USDA, shade-grown, and non-GMO. They routinely experiment with new batches of coffee to see how much acidity they can remove.
Their coffee comes in several roast levels, as well as decaf or K-Cup options. If you want more than low acidity, check out their Health Boosters. They provide omega-3 softgels as well as medicinal mushroom supplements.
Top Benefits:
- Very low acidity
- A separate section for supplements
- Certified organic
Similarities to Bulletproof Coffee:
Lifeboost Coffee makes it easy to enjoy gut-friendly coffee and provides additional supplements you can mix into your morning routine.
6. Fabula Coffee
If you want to see what else low-acidity coffee has to offer, Fabula Coffee is a solid pick. Not only is all their coffee low-acid, but they also offer a wide variety of roasts.
Most low-acidity coffee comes in medium-dark or dark roasts. If you want a wider range to choose from, there’s an impressive selection of whole bean and K-Cup options. They source their coffee from Mexico and Latin America under organic certification.
Their coffee is also non-GMO, meaning your coffee hasn’t been altered with genetic engineering.
Top Benefits:
- Low acidity
- Certified organic
- Non-GMO
Similarities to Bulletproof Coffee:
Fabula Coffee is an easy drinking experience – it’s low acidity, organic certification, and non-GMO.
How to Make Your Own Bulletproof Coffee Alternative
If you want to save a little money and mix up your own Bulletproof Coffee-style drink, we have a quick recipe for you to follow.
Step 1: Buy Your Favorite Black Coffee
Your first step is to choose your coffee by roast level or origin. Take your time sorting through different benefits here, since there’s no end to how healthy you can make it.
Low-acidity or medicinal mushrooms are good starting points when browsing for beans. We also recommend purchasing coffee that’s certified organic, such as USDA or a Bird Friendly Certification.
Step 2: Purchase MCT Oil or a Similar Substitute
MCT oil is a major source of energy in Bulletproof Coffee, so pick out a bottle or find a substitute. Good substitutes are olive oil and coconut oil – while not as concentrated, they have a decent percentage of MCT.
Step 3: Seek Out Grass-Fed Butter (or a Similar Substitute)
Grass-fed butter has a much higher amount of unsaturated fats and vitamins such as vitamin A and vitamin K. Organic Valley, Anchor, and Rumiano are all options you can easily find at the grocery store.
A similar substitute is a grass-fed cream, which also contains a higher amount of nutrients.
Step 4: Mix Your Oil and Butter Together First
We recommend mixing up the more oily ingredients first so they blend more seamlessly. While your coffee is brewing, you can whip these together in a bowl or use a blender.
Step 5: Brew Your Coffee, Then Blend Your Ingredients
Brew your coffee in any style you like, then mix in your ingredients. You can drink this mixture straight or blend it into a smoothie.
Your alternatives for Bulletproof Coffee should have you feeling more energized, awake, and cheerful than ever!
