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Finally, a drinkable chai.
Jan. 20th, 2022 01:54 pmFor over a year, I've been trying to come up with a chai-like drink for my coffee replacement. My goal was to get a lower-caffeine drink that also had a keto-friendly nutrition profile: fats & protein are OK, carbs are not. This coincided with my interest in collagen as a good protein source.
I started with Primal Kitchen's Chai Tea Collagen Keto Latte, a powder meant to be dissolved in hot water. This had a mild chai flavor & a dissatisfying mouth feel, but it was the nutrition base I wanted: 5 g of protein per mug (all from collagen), 2 g of fat, 1.5 g of carbs, 37.5 mg caffeine. I made this with heavy cream for a while, which contributed more fat & improved the mouth feel, but didn't really help with the blah flavor.
I then tried Nutpods French Vanilla Creamer. This boosted the flavor a bit with a little bit of fat & no carbs. I also tried Califia Farms Vanilla Oat Creamer but it was a large increase in carbs for no benefit.
But now, I've hit upon the magic mix. 1 scoop of Primal Kitchen chai collagen, 1/4 cup Bhakti Unsweetened Chai Concentrate, 1/4 cup Picnik Unsweetened Keto Creamer, all vigorously mixed into about 8-10 fl. oz. of boiling water. The Picnik creamer contains MCT oil, which I find sharpens my thought processes noticeably. The chai concentrate adds a strong ginger smell & taste. The result is a beverage with a strong chai flavor, a creamy mouth feel, & a good nutritional profile:
This comes at a price, of course - none of these nutritional supplements or keto-friendly foods are ever cheap:
This works out to about $2.27 per cup or about $4.54 a day. I drink 2 mugs of this almost every morning & hold off on breakfast until around noon. On fast days, I'll drink two cups of this & possibly a cup or two of bone broth in 24-30 hours.
I started with Primal Kitchen's Chai Tea Collagen Keto Latte, a powder meant to be dissolved in hot water. This had a mild chai flavor & a dissatisfying mouth feel, but it was the nutrition base I wanted: 5 g of protein per mug (all from collagen), 2 g of fat, 1.5 g of carbs, 37.5 mg caffeine. I made this with heavy cream for a while, which contributed more fat & improved the mouth feel, but didn't really help with the blah flavor.
I then tried Nutpods French Vanilla Creamer. This boosted the flavor a bit with a little bit of fat & no carbs. I also tried Califia Farms Vanilla Oat Creamer but it was a large increase in carbs for no benefit.
But now, I've hit upon the magic mix. 1 scoop of Primal Kitchen chai collagen, 1/4 cup Bhakti Unsweetened Chai Concentrate, 1/4 cup Picnik Unsweetened Keto Creamer, all vigorously mixed into about 8-10 fl. oz. of boiling water. The Picnik creamer contains MCT oil, which I find sharpens my thought processes noticeably. The chai concentrate adds a strong ginger smell & taste. The result is a beverage with a strong chai flavor, a creamy mouth feel, & a good nutritional profile:
- 101 kcal
- 6.5 g fat
- 7 g protein
- 2 g of carbs
- 37.5 mg caffeine
This comes at a price, of course - none of these nutritional supplements or keto-friendly foods are ever cheap:
- Primal Kitchen chai collagen (a subscription delivered monthly): $71.98/month
- Bhakti chai concentrate (from City Market): $8.99/week
- Picnik keto creamer (from Natural Grocers): $4.75/week
This works out to about $2.27 per cup or about $4.54 a day. I drink 2 mugs of this almost every morning & hold off on breakfast until around noon. On fast days, I'll drink two cups of this & possibly a cup or two of bone broth in 24-30 hours.
