We have heard for years that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Any meal at any time could be the most important meal of the day. As my previous blogs did allude to though, it is mission critical that you do start mornings off on a positive note. You know full good and well that the day ahead of you will require all of your mental faculties. Thankfully not everyday requires you to reach absolute max, but for me, as husband, father, business owner and recreational athlete, the majority of these days do. I don’t want to leave anything on the table because the relationships and responsibilities that I have deserve my best. Chances are, you feel the same way. I want you to live your life to its fullest by having an arsenal of wellness artillery that you can deploy on a whim.

One of my morning go-to’s, the topic this blog is a ketogenic coffee concoction that I have developed through trial and a fair amount of error (like the one time, I put a raw egg in my coffee). But this blend will leave you satiated for hours, keep your blood sugar stable so you can fire up fatty acid utilization, and if you must, power through lunch at the office, you should surprise yourself with the energy that remains in the tank. Below I’ll present the basic recipe. After, I’ll give you the upgraded version.

Keto Coffee – Basic

24 oz of filtered water

1-2 Tbs of organic ground coffee

-Ideally, you are buying whole beans-not ground because coffee beans are similar to other fruits and vegetables in that once the skin is pierced, they begin to oxidize. For instance, when you peel a banana, you are wise to eat it then rather than leave it out on the countertop for a week, a month, or more. The same thing happens to coffee once it has been ground.

-Organic of course because consuming pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides are in no way going to make you a more optimal human and in fact, the opposite will occur. This is of even greater importance when like most Americans, you consume coffee most days of the week.

1 Tbs of organic, cold-pressed, unrefined coconut oil

-Adding coconut oil to this blend will aid in your ability to use fat as fuel as you get your day going. It will keep you satiated throughout the morning hours and because it contains some MCTs (Medium Chain Triglycerides), you will be better able to access stored fats.

1 Tbs of grassfed butter

-Grassfed butter is a great source of fat-soluble vitamins including vitamin K2 which many of us are low in. Vegans and vegetarians can just leave this out. If lactose presents a digestive issue then substitute something like a lactose free Ghee. Dr. Josh Axe has a great article on the benefits of grassfed butter.

1 – 2 tsp of organic Ceylon cinnamon

-If you’re like me, you may not have known that there is more than one kind of cinnamon. The most common form of cinnamon is called “Cassia.” Due to its higher levels of Coumarin (a natural blood thinner), Cassia could interact unfavorably with certain medications and is thought to be less beneficial overall. Ceylon cinnamon, the other type, has lower levels of Coumarin. For more information on the difference in the two, check out this blog post from the Paleo Foundation.

-It adds a nice flavor to the mix but also, it stabilizes blood sugar and since it does that, it will also help with insulin sensitivity. One of our biggest challenges as a nation is insulin resistance which in a nutshell results in Type II diabetes. Anything we can do to keep our bodies sensitive to insulin as we age will be helpful.

1 scoop of Ancient Nutrition Multi Collagen Protein-Chocolate

-I recommend collagen proteins largely because we don’t consume enough of these types of amino acids our my diets. I recommend Ancient Nutrition’s because I trust their labeling. Aside from all that, the flavor this adds to the blend makes it taste like hot chocolate despite not having any artificial sweeteners such as sucralose or acesulfame potassium.

Pinch of a quality salt

-A high quality mineral salt will help the adrenal glands balance the cortisol response that caffeine from the coffee can cause to be produced. Even if you prefer decaf, I would encourage you to add a pinch of salt simply for the mineral value that it will add to your body. As long as you don’t overdo it, you won’t give your coffee a salty taste.

Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix. CAUTION: do not blend on the highest speed unless you want to decorate your kitchen cabinets with coffee stains.

Keto Coffee Upgraded

Same as above but add the following before blending:

400mg of L-Theanine

-L-Theanine has been shown to reduce stress levels, help with mental fatigue and support cognitive function. Adding it to coffee with the caffeine will aid in your mental performance as you head into the workplace or whatever you have in store for the day.

600mg of Alpha-GPC

-This is delivers choline to the brain. Choline is needed to produce acetylcholine which is an important neurotransmitter. All this really means is that adding alpha-gpc to your coffee will allow your brain and nervous system to function at a higher clip than normal. You may find that your memory and mood are improved when consuming this supplement.

1/4 Tsp of Creatine

-If you have renal issues, creatine would not be a good place to start. If not creatine can be a great place to start to increasing your mental performance. That’s right. Mental performance. Creatine has been well documented for its role in assisting physical performance but in recent years, it has gained momentum in terms of its mental enhancing properties.

-Absorption of creatine is relatively low. Usually you will see a serving size for creatine as being 5 grams. Some variance exists from person to person but most likely, you cannot absorb more than 2g in one setting. Don’t waste your money by adding 5 grams to your morning brew. For the mental benefits, the 1/4 of a teaspoon will do the trick. For the physical performance benefits, accumulate 5 grams over the course of the day having it in pre or post workout beverages or in smoothies or just mix in with water as it has no taste.

Am I keto?

So there it is. A great way to begin your day with a bang. A balance of fats, some protein and if you upgrade it, some noortropics to get your brain ready to rock. BUT, before assumptions are made, I want to clarify that I am not a devout ketogenic diet follower. Consuming lower carbohydrates earlier in the day tends to couple better with our physiology as the day begins with a rush of cortisol. Afternoons and evenings are more opportune times for carbs as our bodies shift to production of rest and digest hormones like melatonin. Carbs, and let me say quality carbs, pair well with the rest and digest Vagal tone that accompanies this change that generally happens around 2-4pm depending on your particular Chronotype. Your Chronotype sets your sleep and wake cycles. For more on that check out this 👉🏻 quiz 👈🏻 from the sleep doctor Michael Breus, PhD.

Finally, do not feel obligated to buy every single item I suggested above. Certainly you can but these are just ingredients that I have added over time to this blend as I learn what helps me function better as time goes by. If you aren’t a coffee kind of guy or gal, you can add almost all of these ingredients to an herbal tea too. I hope you’ll take an item or two though and incorporate to see how you can improve your mood and enhance your performance.