Coffee on Keto: The Science of Coffee on the Keto Diet

Coffee is considered the de-facto drink for the ketogenic diet as it helps suppress appetite and enhances energy levels by increasing the release of fatty acids and triglycerides into the bloodstream making them available for use. The wakefulness and improved focus effects of coffee is due to the caffeine which inhibits the neurotransmitter adenosine from binding. This effect also raises norepinephrine and dopamine levels causing an increase in motivation and a slight euphoric feeling.

Let’s start with the health benefits, coffee is fairly well studied, and it contains many compounds other than caffeine that have benefits to the human body which can help fight disease.

Firstly, in a study across 10 European countries found that independent of country all cause mortality was lower in people the highest coffee drinkers (r).

Caffeine, the primary active compound in coffee is found to be protective against Alzthiemer’s disease and dementia due to its antioxidant capacity and improvement in insulin sensitivity (r).

Coffee and decaffeinated coffee individually is associated with a decreased incidence of Type 2 Diabetes for every 2 cups / day intake and caffeine is also has the same effect for every 200mg per day (r).

Associations have also been seen in studies for cardiovascular disease. Habitual drinkers of 1-5 cups per day has been associated with 15% reduced risk of cardiovascular disease in healthy people and people who have already suffered a cardiovascular disease event, habitual consumption does not increase the risk of a recurrent event or death (r, r).

Both coffee and decaffeinated coffee has been shown in mice to activate autophagy one to four hours after consumption. Autophagy meaning “to eat itself” is the process in which cells in the body recycle damaged cell parts by breaking them down back into protein components for reuse. This process is an important process for preventing disease and is a field of active research especially due to its impact and potential to the aging process(r, r).

All plant foods contain some level of phytic acid which includes coffee (r). The main disadvantage of phytic acid is that it binds to minerals, particularly iron, zinc, calcium and magnesium and prevents us from absorbing it. However this is on a per meal basis and not throughout the day and so we can minimize this by drinking our coffee separately from our meals.

Coffee also contains oxalates which is a compound also found in many plant foods. In high concentrations, oxalates are toxic and is used by plants as a natural pesticide against predators and pests. Our gut can neutralize a certain amount of oxalate and our body has ways of excreting oxalates as well such as through the skin. Ingestion of too much oxalates in our diet can lead to kidney stones and accumulation in other organs as well such as our thyroid in the form of crystals. Oxalates also binds strongly to minerals and prevents our body from using it.

A cup of coffee, depending on the kind of coffee can contain 45mg to 123mg of oxalates (r). Instant coffee contain higher amounts of oxalates than brewed coffee (r).

The caffeine in coffee acts as a diuretic causing your body to pass urination. Although this may not mean that you become dehydrated due to the loss of liquid as the coffee drink itself contains water, it can cause a loss of minerals in your body. This effect should be minimal in decaf coffee as almost all the caffeine has been removed.

Caffeine also has an effect on blood pressure and people with uncontrolled blood pressure should not consume high doses of caffeine (r).

A cup of black coffee brewed from grounds contains zero net carbs and is keto friendly.

Coffee is an excellent drink on the ketogenic diet. However, to keep it keto-friendly, avoid adding sugar to your coffee and use half and half or cream instead of milk. Milk is high in sugar and should be avoided, instead opt for high fat, low carbohydrate options.

Coffee is an excellent tool to use while doing intermittent fasting on a ketogenic diet. Many people while on the ketogenic diet will incorporate a simple fasting 16/8 fasting protocol where you eat all your meals within 8 hours during the day and fast for the rest of the 16 hours. The easiest way to do this protocol is actually to just skip breakfast and then eat lunch and dinner between 12pm to 8pm. Since coffee suppresses appetite, drink coffee to replace your breakfast so you can benefit from the suppressed hunger as well as cognitive improvements of coffee and fasting while having it early enough to minimize the effect on your sleep.

Of course, “the dose makes the poison” when it comes to all things in nutrition. A cup of coffee, is around 284ml or approximately 8 fluid ounces. Generally, health benefits are found drinking 2-4 cups of coffee a day, unless you are having problems with mineral loss. If so, drinking less, taking rest days or adding a mineral supplement to your regimen would definitely be beneficial.

A cup of coffee contains approximately 90mg of caffeine. Of course the amount will vary greatly depending on the coffee beans used to brew to the brewing time and method.

Although called decaf coffee, a very small quantity of caffeine is still present the coffee beans as the process to remove the caffeine is generally not able to fully remove all the caffeine. There is usually 2-5 mg of caffeine in a cup of decaf coffee.

Both coffee and decaf coffee contains a compound called chlorogenic acid. In coffee, this works synergistically with caffeine. In decaf with minimal caffeine, this compound is the primary compound which stimulates your brain.

The true nootropic, motivational and mood boosting effects of coffee can only be experienced with a good night’s sleep. Don't drink coffee just because you didn't get enough sleep and use it to keep you awake. When you get a good nights sleep and drink coffee the morning after, the motivation and mood enhancing effect that comes with it, is why coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world. In general, 2-4 cups of coffee a day will provide these benefits and exceeding that may have you feeling worst and get poor sleep. Experiment with what works for you and this drink will definitely help you get a good start everyday.

Caffeine found in coffee is a very well studied supplement which has fat burning properties. Studies have shown that it can boost metabolic rate and fat burning by up to 10% for a short period of time. This effect is not decreased even when you have developed tolerance to caffeine. Studies in mice show that other compounds in coffee, independent of caffeine, improves insulin resistance in the fed state which may help keep insulin levels for coffee drinkers.

Studies have shown that caffeine improves muscle power output as well as aerobic endurance. Caffeine is also shown to acutely increase fat oxidation which is synergistic with the ketogenic diet as your body will metabolize fatty acids to perform lower intensity activities while sparing glucose for explosive movements.

1. Getting a good night's sleep will maximize the benefits, as mentioned above.
2. Don’t drink too much, around 2-4 cups should be enough. Experiment with what works for you. Drinking too much may have you feeling worse.
3. Coffee is a diuretic and contain an antinutrient called oxalate. This will hamper absorption of water and bind to minerals in your body causing it to flush out. It is best to drink coffee separate from your meals and drink water afterwards if you are feeling thirsty. Switch to decaf if you are experiencing a mineral deficiency.
4. Drink coffee as early in the morning as possible so it does not disrupt your sleep. Once again, experiment with this to see what works for you.

Coffee is a delicious drink and a unique and powerful tool when used properly and has many benefits. Use it to enhance your productivity and reach your health goals!

How much coffee grounds per cup of coffee?

A single cup of coffee uses approximately 10.6 grams, 6 teaspoons or 2 tablespoons of coffee grounds.

Brewing Water and Temperature

Brew the grounds in 170 milliliters of water which is 16:1 ratio water (ml) to grounds (g). The ideal brewing temperature for coffee is between 90°C to 96°C or 195°F to 205°F. To get this temperature without measuring, you can generally boil water and let it stand for 30 seconds or boil water and then transfer it to another vessel to reduce the temperature.

The time for brewing coffee depends on the method you are using as follows:

Drip Type Brewing: 5 minutes

French Press: 2-4 minutes

Espresso: 20-30 seconds

Cold Brew: 12 hours (steep overnight)

The best drinking temperature for hot coffee is between 48°C to 60°C or 120°F to 140°F, which prevents the heat from overpowering our taste buds allow us to fully taste the flavors in the coffee.

How to make cold brew coffee?

It is fairly simple to make cold brew coffee, but just requires a long period of time, generally you do it overnight. Simply grind your beans coarsely and mix into cold water, allowing it to steep for 12 hours. Then strain and remove the coffee grounds. You can use the same amount of water as hot coffee which is as above at 16:1 ratio water (ml) to grounds (g). You’ll probably want to make a bigger pot of coffee instead of single cups since it takes a while.