Coffee is pretty amazing when it comes down to it. Consumed for centuries, revered across the world and pretty much the easiest way to mask/make up for/power through the lack of sleep we all have each day. It’s one of the most widely drank beverages on the planet but has become controversial as of late because although it has been used for a long, long time and believed to have many benefits it has also been criticized for a number of reasons. One of these days I will break down coffee in detail (because I have quite a bit to say on the topic) and add it to the Rethinking Health paradigm, but for the purposes of this article, let’s just say the following three things, 1) I like drinking it, 2) I don’t think it’s bad for you and 3) I think that if treated correctly it can be a nice part of life…

Bare 5 Coffee

Many people know of things like Bulletproof Coffee and since putting a name on something seems to be what we do now, I present Bare 5 Coffee, my take on optimizing the coffee in my life. This arose from my desire to have a quick and simple but well rounded small meal in the morning. After growing up eating cereal every morning for most of my life, followed by eggs every day for another couple years, I got to a point where I just got tired of having breakfast. After a few years of developing a taste for coffee (or coffee flavored sweet cream some might say) I began, due to life and lifestyle preference, only having coffee for breakfast. My desire to tinker with things kicked in not long after and I thought it would be nice to make my coffee a little more well rounded than the average cup of joe. It already had carbs and fat from the cream and sugar so I simply needed protein, fiber and some vitamins and minerals. A little experimenting later and I had the following Bare 5 Coffee recipe:

1. Coffee – 10-12 ounces coffee (I like the Keurig pods from Kauai Coffee, my favorite is Garden Isle – medium roast)

2. Sugar – 2-3 teaspoons of plain cane sugar (which is enough to give it just a touch of sweetness)

3. Cream – 1 tablespoon Heavy Whipping Cream (a brand with few additives like Horizon or no additives like Clover)

4. Collagen – 1 tablespoon Collagen Hydrolysate (best I’ve found is from Great Lakes Gelatin) *post coming soon

5. Inulin – 1 teaspoon inulin powder (Now Foods and Metamucil Clear & Natural are 100% inulin with no additives)

*Multivitamin – 1 tablet, not mixed in coffee and taken separately (Pure Encapsulations Nutrient 950 with Vitamin K is the best all around one I’ve found)

The whole process takes about 5 minutes from start to finish, if that. All of the 5 basic ingredients mix instantly and easily with a spoon so you end up with a nice creamy, slightly sweet cup of coffee that gives you a more balanced start to your day. Granted it’s less than ideal to try to add up individual ingredients to make a balanced meal and I don’t think it’s better than a well rounded whole food meal but I look it simply as a way to improve your coffee, particularly if that’s all you’re having.

The cream and sugar provides a nice blend of both sugar and fat, collagen is a necessary protein that most of us should (but do not) consume and the inulin provides prebiotic soluble fiber which is another missing ingredient from many of our diets. Add in the multivitamin/mineral with the added vitamin K and you’re not coming out of this too bad. Once again, this isn’t meant to be better than food, just maybe a bit better than your average cup of coffee.

Thanks for reading, have a great day!

Bare 5 Coffee – Nutrient Breakdown

150 calories
6 grams fat
15 grams carbohydrate
– 3 grams fiber
– 12 grams sugar
7 grams protein

40 % fat, 40 % carbohydrate, 20 % protein

The multivitamin adds the basic micronutrients:

• A as mixed carotenoids (beta carotene, lycopene, lutein and zeaxanthin) – 2500 i.u.
• C as ascorbic acid (water soluble Vit C) – 1500 mg.
• C as ascorbyl palmitate (fat soluble Vit C) – 20 mg.
• D – 1500 i.u.
• E as d-alpha tocopherol succinate – 65 i.u.
• K1 – 40 mcg.
• K2 (MK-7) – 2.5 mcg.
• K2 (menaquinone-4) – 80 mcg.
• B1 as thiamine HCl – 15 mg.
• B2 as riboflavin – 8 mg.
• B2 as riboflavin 5′ phosphate (activated B2) – 4 mg.
• B5 pantothenic acid 65 mg.
• B6 as pyridoxine HCl – 4 mg.
• B6 as pyridoxal 5′ phosphate (activated B6) – 4 mg.
• B12 as methylcobalamin – 150 mcg.
• Niacin as niacinamide – 15 mg.
• Niacin as inositol hexaniacinate (no-flush niacin) – 15 mg.
• Folate – 130 mcg.
• Biotin – 130 mcg.
• Calcium (citrate) – 35 mg.
• Magnesium (citrate) – 35 mg.
• Potassium (aspartate) – 15 mg.
• Zinc (picolinate) – 4 mg.
• Manganese (aspartate) – 1 mg.
• Boron (glycinate) – 350 mcg.
• Copper (glycinate) – 350 mcg.
• Iodine (potassium iodide) – 35 mcg.
• Chromium (polynicotinate) – 35 mcg.
• Selenium (selenomethionine) – 35 mcg.
• Vanadium (aspartate) – 35 mcg.
• Molybdenum (aspartate) – 15 mcg.