Proteinizing everything – including coffee, commonly known as “proffee” – is perhaps better understood as part of a broader exercise of everyday life. Because it’s not just protein that adds to what should be a wonderful way to start your morning. Example: creatine coffee, something that unfortunately exists. And it is, and I cannot express this enough, so brazenly stupid.
As reported Good cleaningcreatine coffee is a modern line of instant coffees, from someone else Bulletproof coffee. You may recognize the name Bulletproof, as well as its founder Dave Asprey, from many potentially questionable health claims related to adding butter to coffee or that their coffee is “toxin-free.” They also sell protein coffee and collagen coffee and MCT oil coffee etc. Coffee with creatine is the newest coffee in its line, and each serving of medium-roasted, “pure, toxin-tested” Arabica instant coffee also contains 5 g of creatine, MCT oil and a pinch of electrolytes.
If protein supplement is the first addition to your gym lifestyle, creatine is certainly the second. Creatine, one of the most researched supplements in the world, is a naturally occurring compound used in the body to produce ATP – the primary source of energy for muscles. Basically, it’s a compact impulse that will lend a hand you complete the fifth repetition. Creatine during cycling, especially during the “massing” phase, has been part of exercise culture for decades. However, recent research has shown that creatine also promotes brain health and may be especially beneficial for vegetarians and people who refrain from eating red meat, one of the main sources of creatine in the diet.
So what’s the beef? Creatine is good, coffee is good, everything is fine, right? Not exactly. Above all, some claimed long-term exposure to warm drinks and acidic environments can break down creatine – and coffee meets both of these requirements. So sipping warm coffee with creatine in the morning could potentially reduce the actual usable amount of creatine entering the body. The jury is still out on how warm the liquid needs to be and how long of exposure before it begins to break down, but since powdered creatine – the time-honored way of supplementing – can be easily mixed with water, protein shakes, pre-workout, or any other liquid consumed throughout the day, why add it to the only one that can reduce its effectiveness?
Specifically, Bulletproof adds “natural flavors” to its instant coffee with creatine, which seems like an odd addition for a brand that focuses on purity and what you’ve got. One commentator on their website asked about this additive in a very bulletproof way: “Why are these two ingredients added to instant coffee? Is there a reason and why do they talk about natural flavors after the coffee has its own taste, so what garbage are you throwing here? I hope you will answer this question and tell me exactly why these three things are added to this instant coffee.” A strangely aggressive, but good question.
To which the company responded that natural flavors are a “proprietary blend of natural ingredients that ensures that the creatine cannot be tasted.” Is this a good time to mention that creatine is tasteless? This seems like vital information.
The real issue, at least from a coffee perspective, is: why? Why do we have to spend all day thinking about the best thing we will drink? Why can’t coffee just be coffee and not a vehicle for some fallacious nutritional maximization? Drink coffee because it is wonderful and has too many health benefits to count.
Here’s a better idea. Mix creatine with 20 ounces of water. This way, you not only get delicious, unadulterated coffee, but you also work towards achieving your daily hydration goal. (As anyone who has experienced middle-of-the-night creatine cramps due to insufficient water intake can attest, hydration is vital).
And if you insist on adding creatine to your coffee, then I say: go with God, peace be with you. But apply good coffee. Just because you feel the need to add creatine to your coffee doesn’t mean you have to limit your intake to instant coffee. In tiny it’s okay, but come on, there’s much better coffee to drink. Add a little scoop to it. No additional oils, electrolytes or natural flavors are needed.
