We have covered a litany of viral TikTok coffee trends over the past few years here on Sprudge, but this may be the first Tiktok coffee trend that is bacterial. Protein coffee is a thing now, but some health professionals are warning it can make you sick.
First, the drink. It’s called “proffee”, and as the name suggests, it’s when you mix protein (in powder form) with coffee, hot or iced. It’s said to be a bit of a miracle energy boost, the blend of caffeine and protein providing both calories and pep for your next excursion. The problem, according to Travel and Tour World, is when you make yourself a nice little proffee for you hike or your workout or whatever and then just let it sit in your thermos for a few hours.
Thus the issue isn’t the drink itself, though why are you doing that to a perfectly good cup of coffee, adding all that artificially flavored protein powder? The issue is that the drink becomes a bit of a petri dish for bacteria to grow. Compounding it further is the fact that most of these thermoses aren’t properly cleaned between uses.
This, according to food hygiene specialist Mark McShane, can lead to bacterial growth resulting in “serious food poisoning.” We’re talking cramps, bloating, and diarrhea, none of which are all that great when there isn’t a bathroom within a few miles.
The recommendation to avoid any middle-of-nowhere bowel discomfort is to either keep your coffee and your protein powder separate. Or, you know, just down the drink after you make it. And wash it to keep it from becoming as cess pool.
So if you’re pro-proffee, which again I am not because coffee is too good to put all that artificially sweetened stuff in, be careful. And bring a few go bags. Or just leave the protein powder at home.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
