MatchaMonday – Keto Bullet Matcha Milk / Latte!

This recipe came about as I was looking for an alternative to the Bulletproof Coffee and my version of the Bulletproof Chai Latte. I’m sensitive to caffeine and should avoid (high doses of) it, but I needed something which had a bit more of a kick to start the day, without the jitteriness from coffee.

Tea, caffeine & epilepsy

Before I start, note that caffeine and epilepsy aren’t exactly the best of friends, and all teas do contain some amount of caffeine so epileptics do need to drink it with caution.

However, tea is my weakness and I’m from a part of India where we love our tea but I try and limit myself to 1-2 cups a day.

Depending on the serving, a serving of Matcha contains approximately 35mg caffeine. This normally isn’t enough to make you feel “wired” like coffee does. Bearing in mind that an average cup of filter coffee has 145mg of caffeine, and a cup of instant coffee can have up to 170mg per cup.

The caffeine in Matcha is also absorbed differently due to ‘catechins’ which are antioxidants and known to have many beneficial health properties. Caffeine molecules in Matcha bind to catechins and are absorbed slowly over time. Whereas caffeine molecules in coffee go straight to the bloodstream leading to a high followed by a crash within a few hours. With Matcha however, the caffeine is absorbed over the course of up to six hours.

This is a literature review of the beneficial effects of green tea – many of which are related to catechins, particularly epigallocatechin-3-gallat content. Recently it has been suggested that Matcha has greater benefits than other green teas as indicated in this study. This is due to the concentration of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) available from drinking matcha which is seen to be 137 times greater than the amount of EGCG available from China Green Tips green tea, and at least 3 times higher than the largest literature value for other green teas.

So overall, I think the nutritional health benefits are worth it! 

Keto Bullet Matcha Milk / Latte

Apart from Matcha, the key ingredient in this brain boosting Matcha Milk is MCT (Medium Chain Triglycerides) Oil.

• MCT’s are found in coconut oil, but also in palm oil and high fat products such as cheese and butter.
• MCT’s are considered to be good fuel for the brain because they are smaller and easily metabolised.
• MCT oil is a manmade supplement produced from coconut oil, palm oil or safflower oil.
• This study highlights that MCTs offer neuro-protective benefits for a range of diseases including epilepsy as well as dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, stroke and traumatic brain injury.

Ingredients

1 serving

You will need:

• Matcha green tea powder: 1-2 tsp
• Almond Milk: 1 cup
• Vanilla Stevia drops: 1-2
• MCT Oil: 1 tbsp
• (Optional) Butter of choice: 1 tbsp
• (Optional) For a bit of a twist, sometimes I like to add 1/2 a teaspoon of Cinnamon to my Matcha milk / latte.

Method:

• In a bowl, whisk the matcha powder in some warm water.
• (Warm the almond milk if you’d like a warm milk).
• In a high-speed blender, add the almond milk, matcha, vanilla stevia and MCT Oil.
• Blend for 30 seconds – 1 minute – A froth will have formed on top when you stop, and the matcha should be well combined.
• Pour into your mug and serve hot or cold!

Macros:

1 serving (Excluding butter)

• Energy: 161 kcal
• Caffeine: 35-70mg
• Protein: 1.9 g
• Net Carbs: 1.69 g
• Fat: 17.15 g
• Vitamin A:938 IU
• Vitamin D: 100 IU
• Vitamin E: 10mg
• Vitamin K: 58 ug
• Calcium: 208mg