Buttered Coffee: The New Superfood?

Here’s something you probably never considered embracing: butter—and in your coffee, no less.

New York blog Well + Good NYC has an interesting piece this week about the latest liquid-breakfast craze, buttered coffee. The gist: Adding high-quality fat to your AM caffeine jolt not only lengthens the energy buzz but also turns your cup o’ Joe into a fat-burning powerhouse.

Listen to this:

Despite butter’s bad-boy reputation in years past, the high-quality grass-fed variety (not Land ‘O Lakes) is now seen as a superfood by some nutritionists and functional physicians like Frank Lipman, MD. That’s due to its high concentration of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), which has been shown to reduce belly fat, enhance weight loss, and boost heart health. And there’s now also research showing that some saturated fats may be (gasp!) good for you. MCT (or coconut) oil, also high in saturated fat, has been linked in small studies to fat-burning, enhanced brain health, and more.

Buttered coffee is apparently a staple of many Paleo dieters and was originally popularized by the website Bulletproof Executive, which is where the video above comes from. Now health coaches, dietitians and even some physicians are latching on to the buttered coffee idea.

Of course, you can’t just go dumping any ol’ processed butter into your coffee, and whether or not you see the fat-burning, energy-boosting results depends on the rest of your dietary habits. Head over the Well + Good to check out alternate buttered-coffee recipes and read more about how it works.

But I’m curious: Any buttered-coffee proponents out there want to weigh in on how it makes you feel? Do you have a favorite recipe? Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments.

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