Coconut Oil

iowalinda
iowalinda Posts: 357 Member
edited November 23 in Food and Nutrition
I keep seeing people suggesting adding this to everything, even coffee, and I do not understand why. Can you enlighten me? I can see substituting it for worse fats, but should we really add it to food just to be adding it, like it's a nutrient? Was just reading this: https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/coconut-oil-and-health#1
Edited to add: Truly not trying to create a controversy, just trying to understand what I am missing.

Replies

  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    It's a fad that works because the idea that you can have something high fat or high cal and feel no guilt about eating plays into the way our brains have been programmed over the years. Exactly like "a glass of wine a day is good for you" and "a piece of dark chocolate a day will keep you something something" etc. etc. All in moderation, no miracle food.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    edited January 2018
    It can be healthful for brain energy and health for those who are following a lchf diet or have issues like Alzheimer's. Coconut oil has MCTs which are converted to ketones very readily. The brain uses glucose and ketones for energy. For those with insulin resistance that affects cognition, glucose is not as available to the brain so ketones can be therapeutic.

    For weight loss, it does nothing special. It might help limit your appetite... It is not as likely as other foods to get stored as fat, but if you eat excess calories, the other food (excess calories) will be stored as fat.

    I like it for taste and its high smoke point in cooking.

    ETA some sources for possible health benefits:

    http://ccidp.cardi.org/media/filer_public/0e/c6/0ec64603-3a8b-457b-bca1-add447a222d4/health_benefits_coconut_oil.pdf

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4202787/

    It is not a miracle cure, but it can be very healthful.
  • dinadyna21
    dinadyna21 Posts: 403 Member
    It's the newest miracle cure all kinda like the acai berry, green tea extract, garcinia cambogia etc. Don't get me wrong it tastes great in my stir fry but my deficit is what's making me lose weight not coconut oil.
  • MichelleSilverleaf
    MichelleSilverleaf Posts: 2,027 Member
    It's great in cold-process soaps. My mom uses a recipe with olive and coconut oil and now I couldn't go back to store-bought if I tried (and don't want to!)
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »
    It's great in cold-process soaps. My mom uses a recipe with olive and coconut oil and now I couldn't go back to store-bought if I tried (and don't want to!)

    does she share her recipe? soaps and shampoos have been giving me a rash on my back and chest (goes away after about a half hour). my shampoos are sulfate and paraben free but obviously something in them is causing a sudden reaction. the soap ive been using hasnt bothered me as MUCH as the shampoo and stuff but still a little .... (sorry, hijacking thread, here lol)

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I like it for taste and its high smoke point in cooking.

    I like the taste too and use it for things where the taste works better than olive oil (I also use avocado oil and, of course, olive oil), but virgin coconut oil (which is the kind that generally one should consume if one is worried about health effects) doesn't actually have a high smoke point. It's similar to EEVO (which fits my cooking fine anyway).

    https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/12/24/ask-well-is-coconut-oil-a-healthy-fat/?_r=0

    http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/cooking-fats-101-whats-a-smoke-point-and-why-does-it-matter.html
  • Lean59man
    Lean59man Posts: 714 Member
    It's a good moisturizer.

    Keep a jar in your car for emergency food in case you get stranded in a snowstorm.
  • MichelleSilverleaf
    MichelleSilverleaf Posts: 2,027 Member
    callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »
    MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »
    It's great in cold-process soaps. My mom uses a recipe with olive and coconut oil and now I couldn't go back to store-bought if I tried (and don't want to!)

    does she share her recipe? soaps and shampoos have been giving me a rash on my back and chest (goes away after about a half hour). my shampoos are sulfate and paraben free but obviously something in them is causing a sudden reaction. the soap ive been using hasnt bothered me as MUCH as the shampoo and stuff but still a little .... (sorry, hijacking thread, here lol)

    Could share it, she sells her soaps but it's a simple recipe. It makes a 5lb loaf and requires a lot of heating some of the stuff (which makes the whole cold-process part seem like a very misleading term). So you'd need quite a bit of equipment to make it.
  • beaglady
    beaglady Posts: 1,362 Member
    To avoid further derailment, I'm going to start a soapmaking thread in Chit Chat. Come on over @toxikon @MichelleSilverleaf @callsitlikeiseeit !
  • Slasher09
    Slasher09 Posts: 316 Member
    I use this in my sauteeing instead of olive oil because it is not as damaged at higher heats and has a lower smoke point. I don't add it to everything though because it still has calories and what would the point of that be?
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I like it for taste and its high smoke point in cooking.

    I like the taste too and use it for things where the taste works better than olive oil (I also use avocado oil and, of course, olive oil), but virgin coconut oil (which is the kind that generally one should consume if one is worried about health effects) doesn't actually have a high smoke point. It's similar to EEVO (which fits my cooking fine anyway).

    https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/12/24/ask-well-is-coconut-oil-a-healthy-fat/?_r=0

    http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/cooking-fats-101-whats-a-smoke-point-and-why-does-it-matter.html

    I think virgin coconut oil has a smoke point of only around 350F, but refined coconut oil is about 450F, and is what I usually use.
  • Calibandawg
    Calibandawg Posts: 4 Member
    Medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) were recently (2015) evaluated in a meta-analysis of 13 randomized controlled trials (Mumme, JAND). These studies were qualified as greater than 3 weeks in duration. Although some commercial bias was detected, a modest reduction in body weight (0.51 kg), waist and hip circumference, total, subcutaneous and visceral body fat was detected. MCTs are transported in plasma more easily than long chain triglycerides and are transported into the mitochondria more readily in rodent models. MCTs have been found to increase post-prandial and resting energy expenditure some studies in rodent models. It should be noted that the meta-analysis regarded replacement of LCTs with MCTs not as an addition to the diet.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I like it for taste and its high smoke point in cooking.

    I like the taste too and use it for things where the taste works better than olive oil (I also use avocado oil and, of course, olive oil), but virgin coconut oil (which is the kind that generally one should consume if one is worried about health effects) doesn't actually have a high smoke point. It's similar to EEVO (which fits my cooking fine anyway).

    https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/12/24/ask-well-is-coconut-oil-a-healthy-fat/?_r=0

    http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/cooking-fats-101-whats-a-smoke-point-and-why-does-it-matter.html

    I think virgin coconut oil has a smoke point of only around 350F, but refined coconut oil is about 450F, and is what I usually use.

    But the claims about coconut oil being healthy are about virgin coconut oil, not the highly refined stuff.
  • JetJaguar
    JetJaguar Posts: 801 Member
    I like to use it for popping popcorn to get authentic, old-fashioned movie theatre taste.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I like it for taste and its high smoke point in cooking.

    I like the taste too and use it for things where the taste works better than olive oil (I also use avocado oil and, of course, olive oil), but virgin coconut oil (which is the kind that generally one should consume if one is worried about health effects) doesn't actually have a high smoke point. It's similar to EEVO (which fits my cooking fine anyway).

    https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/12/24/ask-well-is-coconut-oil-a-healthy-fat/?_r=0

    http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/cooking-fats-101-whats-a-smoke-point-and-why-does-it-matter.html

    I think virgin coconut oil has a smoke point of only around 350F, but refined coconut oil is about 450F, and is what I usually use.

    But the claims about coconut oil being healthy are about virgin coconut oil, not the highly refined stuff.

    I have never seen that. I don't think refined coconut oil has fewer MCTs than virgin coconut oil. Maybe amongst the woo peddles they claim that.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    The link I posted had something about it:

    "there are different kinds of coconut oil, and virgin coconut oil, which is gently processed, may not have the same harmful effects as highly processed oils, even though the fatty acid composition is similar, said Dr. Tom Brenna, a professor of human nutrition at Cornell University. Refined, bleached and deodorized, or R.B.D., coconut oil, which has been treated with solvents and subjected to intense heat, raises cholesterol so reliably that scientists have used it as a control when running experiments on different fats. The harsh processing may destroy some of the good essential fatty acids and antioxidants, such as lauric acid, a medium chain fatty acid believed to raise good H.D.L. cholesterol."

    Also https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/22/well/eat/is-it-better-to-cook-with-coconut-oil-or-olive-oil.html

    "Proponents of coconut oil point out that it is rich in phytochemicals that have healthful antioxidant properties. While it’s true that extra-virgin coconut oil, like extra-virgin olive oil, contains phytochemicals, most of the coconut oil on the market is refined and provides few of those antioxidants, said Dr. Qi Sun, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School."

    I don't think it makes much difference in moderation, but worth noting if people are claiming that coconut oil is super healthy.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    The link I posted had something about it:

    "there are different kinds of coconut oil, and virgin coconut oil, which is gently processed, may not have the same harmful effects as highly processed oils, even though the fatty acid composition is similar, said Dr. Tom Brenna, a professor of human nutrition at Cornell University. Refined, bleached and deodorized, or R.B.D., coconut oil, which has been treated with solvents and subjected to intense heat, raises cholesterol so reliably that scientists have used it as a control when running experiments on different fats. The harsh processing may destroy some of the good essential fatty acids and antioxidants, such as lauric acid, a medium chain fatty acid believed to raise good H.D.L. cholesterol."

    Also https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/22/well/eat/is-it-better-to-cook-with-coconut-oil-or-olive-oil.html

    "Proponents of coconut oil point out that it is rich in phytochemicals that have healthful antioxidant properties. While it’s true that extra-virgin coconut oil, like extra-virgin olive oil, contains phytochemicals, most of the coconut oil on the market is refined and provides few of those antioxidants, said Dr. Qi Sun, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School."

    I don't think it makes much difference in moderation, but worth noting if people are claiming that coconut oil is super healthy.

    Interesting.
    I do like refined coconut oil for frying -it does not smoke. For baking and coffee I use virgin coconut oil. Best of both worlds, I guess. ;)

    I'm not worried about cholesterol from saturated fats. I'm not a big believer in the theory that raised cholesterol is bad and low is always better. If using some refined coconut oil raises my cholesterol a bit, I'm fine with that. I still prefer it to most vegetable oils - I am completely content with my current choice. :)

    The down side is that I buy large containers of the stuff. The two big jars take up a lot of shelf space.
  • Ann262
    Ann262 Posts: 266 Member
    Yep! Coconut is high in saturated fat. I remember being told to avoid it and I was surprised when, suddenly, coconut oils and milks became a super health food. Some believe that, because it is plant based saturated fat, it is good for you.

    I know that coconut oil has some healthful properties to it. So does almost every food on the planet. If you are going to use it, you have to realize it IS high in saturated fat so use sparingly and keep an eye on your SF consumption.
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