By definition a sponsor to an athlete or a team is: “an individual or entity who organizes and is committed to the development of a product, program, or project.”
But at what level is that commitment? When it was first announced in November 2018 that Bulletproof Coffee has partnered with the U.S. Ski and Snowboard team, our first response at Action Sports Today was celebratory only in the nature that maybe just maybe, the coffee at the ski and snowboard events in the press room would not be terrible. But any thought beyond that, frankly did not occur.
It was not until the World Championships that we discovered Bulletproof Coffee was more than just a sponsor, they by definition above where committed to the development of the science in their product and how it could aid in bringing the best out of the ski and snowboard athletes. So we have spent the past few months learning more about the coffee to share our discovery with you.
“Bulletproof’s belief that all people have the ability to achieve super-human goals falls directly in line with U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s mission of creating the best ski and snowboard athletes in the world,” said Dan Barnett, U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Chief Marketing Officer. “Bulletproof’s coffee products boost energy and brain function and will help athletes on their journey to the podium. We are excited to offer these products to our athletes as they train and compete this season.”
Energy boost and increased brain function? Coffee with science behind it? We had to learn more.
For starters; Bulletproof’s premium coffee beans are certified clean and tested for performance-robbing toxins. Grown on high altitude estates in Guatemala and sustainably washed, their beans are of the highest quality.
But how does that boost energy and increase brain function?
Fat coffee, also known as ‘butter coffee’ and bulletproof coffee or keto coffee, was invented by Dave Asprey, an entrepreneur and biohacker. What inspired him was a yak-butter tea given to him by a local in Tibet back in 2004.
At that time, he was suffering from obesity. It affected his mental and physical functions.
He was surprisingly refreshed by that cup of tea that he had to figure out what made it do what it did. When he came back home, he did a lot of experiments and came up with his bulletproof coffee concept in 2009.
The ingredients in a fat infused coffee aim to give you more energy and more capability to perform well physically and mentally. It consists of three essential ingredients:
1. Coffee – The most obvious ingredient is of course, coffee beans. But not any coffee will do well. Low quality coffee can do the opposite of what you would want to achieve – it can drain your energy and thinking capacity as many of them contain mold. So, lesson learned always purchase quality coffee.
In terms of performance, there are two things people worry about when it comes to coffee: dehydration and caffeine’s effects. But does coffee really cause dehydration? Well, contrary to popular belief, coffee does not cause dehydration. In fact, it has several benefits for workouts.
What about caffeine? With the right amount of caffeine, it could actually make you more awake and alert and make you feel energized and less tired.
Photo: U.S. Ski and Snowboard
“I use caffeine especially on race day,” said Steve Nyman, four time olympian and alpine ski racer . “It really helps me focus and execute. But learning about prolonged energy and the effect with the addition of fat has transformed my diet. Not just adding fat to coffee but to a lot of my meals has given me prolonged energy throughout the day. For example, I wok my pancakes in coconut oil and put a lot of ghee butter on top. The fat elongates the carb release for my workouts and gives me longer lasting fuel.”
2. Grass-fed butter – Grass fed butter in my coffee? Um…. I am more of a cream and sugar kind of coffee drinker. Butter is commonly perceived as a big no-no for health-conscious individuals because it is wrongly known to be unhealthy due to its saturated fat content. But according to recent studies, the fat found in butter, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) CAN actually cause fat loss as well as being beneficial for the heart. Color us surprised!
Grass-fed cows produce butter that has more CLA content as well as several other nutrients such as healthy fatty acids, beta-carotene, vitamin A, E, K, and D. The saturated fat content of butter also has been shown to relate to higher testosterone levels. Higher levels of testosterone means better results from your muscle building workouts.
Grass-fed butter also contains a short-chain fatty acid called butyrate. This fatty acid has been proven to promote good brain health.
And as we discovered, the plus side of having butter in your coffee is that it gives a creamy texture to your drink and makes it taste a whole lot better!
3. MCT oil – Another good source of fats, medium chain triglyceride, aka MCTs, from MCT oil or coconut oil (less concentration) has a number of benefits such as weight loss, better brain function and higher energy.
Ashley Caldwell, World Champion aerialist and 3 time olympian spoke to the increased power that Bulletproof has provided to her training program.
“As an avid coffee drinker I was thrilled with the partnership announcement between the US Ski Team and Bulletproof coffee. With so many different flavors and types I always have a good pick me up for training or competition. It also keeps me energized longer than other types of coffee since it has the grass-fed butter and Brain Octane Oil in it.”
Since their announced partnership with the U.S. Ski and Snowboard team, Bulletproof has been more than just coffee at the events. The team at Bulletproof is taking all the data and feedback from the athletes to evolve their coffee into a stronger more beneficial coffee, always evolving the science.
“This is a partnership that has the potential to bring our athletes to a higher level mentally and physically,” said Bryce Bennett: 2018 Olympian and U.S. mens downhill racer. “As a company they believe in human performance, and they strive to build products that conform to that without skipping steps, which a lot of companies do unfortunately. And as an athlete, it’s often difficult to align yourself with companies that prioritize the products’ quality and the results it actually delivers over their bottom line.”
Photo: U.S. Ski and Snowboard
Steve Nyman shared similar feelings in terms of how the sponsorship grows as a team not just acting in a co relationship.
“Being a fan of Bulletproof for a while now has opened my eyes to how I can maximize myself as a human. They don’t have all the answers and only you can figure out what works for you, but Bulletproof open the door in helping me figuring out how I function best physically and mentally. I love the biohacking mentality.”
So how do you improve yourself daily? Our suggestion, maybe start with a cup of Bulletproof. It is working for us and we aren’t even sponsored by them.
Learn more about Bulletproof here.