Coconut Oil: Yay or Nay?

HarveysBud

I've typically got some Calories and Fat to spare every day, so is it worth it to add a tablespoon of this stuff to my after workout shake? (was recommended)

Are the health benefits real?

What do you think?

cmriverside

It's a saturated fat. I use it all the time. The Magic Potion benefits? Who knows. Fat is good, coconut oil is good, it has a high smoke point so I use it not only for the flavor (unrefined) but also I can use a higher heat, like for popcorn.

toxikon

It doesn't have much nutritional value to it, seems like a waste when you could include something else with micronutrients. What about an avocado, handful of nuts, etc.

Here's a good overview of the current studies on coconut oil: https://examine.com/nutrition/21-of-the-best-arguments-for-and-against-coconut-oil/

johnslater461

cmriverside

so much for my "smoke point" point:

16) NAY: Coconut oil can have a low smoke point

Don’t deep fry with coconut oil! Coconut oil’s tropical cousin, palm oil, smokes at 235 degrees Celsius when unrefined. That’s good enough for deep frying, whereas unrefined coconut oil’s 177 °C smoke point will make your kitchen a smoky mess plus produce potential carcinogens.

Refined coconut oil, on the other hand, might be borderline okay for deep frying, with a smoke point around 204 °C.

https://examine.com/nutrition/21-of-the-best-arguments-for-and-against-coconut-oil/

cwolfman13

I use various oils and fats for different cooking applications. I wouldn't even considering adding it to my whey shake. I don't think their's anything "magical" about any particular oil. Coconut oil is very trendy at the moment...not so long ago it was the most evil thing on the planet.

cmriverside

But I can keep using it on my hair and skin. Good thing.

19) YAY: Coconut oil is good for skin and hair

Indian grandmothers are widely known to pamper their hair with coconut oil. And in this case, ancestral wisdom is correct: coconut oil may help prevent hair damage. It has the unique combination of relatively short molecular chains that are also linear (aka saturated), which enables coconut oil to penetrate inside the hair shaft.

And coconut oil can also be helpful for rough and scaly skin, performing better than olive oil for atopic dermatitis

90kgToNewMe

Here is an article that references various studies on Coconut oil and the risk to CVD: https://journal.thriveglobal.com/if-harvard-says-cut-saturated-fat-for-your-heart-health-what-about-coconut-oil-b12c609ae29d

And the conclusion “I would offer up the opinion of the Chair of the Harvard School of Public Health which is to use “coconut oil sparingly” until further and more definitive research on its impact on arterial disease and overall health is available.”

toxikon

cmriverside wrote: »

But I can keep using it on my hair and skin. Good thing.

19) YAY: Coconut oil is good for skin and hair

Indian grandmothers are widely known to pamper their hair with coconut oil. And in this case, ancestral wisdom is correct: coconut oil may help prevent hair damage. It has the unique combination of relatively short molecular chains that are also linear (aka saturated), which enables coconut oil to penetrate inside the hair shaft.

And coconut oil can also be helpful for rough and scaly skin, performing better than olive oil for atopic dermatitis

Yes! It's lovely for hair and skin. I personally buy buckets and buckets of the stuff for my homemade soapmaking. When used in soap, it produces a nice firm bar with a great bubbly lather.

HarveysBud

cwolfman13 wrote: »

I use various oils and fats for different cooking applications. I wouldn't even considering adding it to my whey shake. I don't think their's anything "magical" about any particular oil. Coconut oil is very trendy at the moment...not so long ago it was the most evil thing on the planet.

Ya I hear that. Will be something next for sure. Thanks for the note. I am forego it in the shake and maybe see how I can incorporate it elsewhere, if it makes sense. Thanks again @cwolfman13

HarveysBud

90kgToNewMe wrote: »

Here is an article that references various studies on Coconut oil and the risk to CVD: https://journal.thriveglobal.com/if-harvard-says-cut-saturated-fat-for-your-heart-health-what-about-coconut-oil-b12c609ae29d

And the conclusion “I would offer up the opinion of the Chair of the Harvard School of Public Health which is to use “coconut oil sparingly” until further and more definitive research on its impact on arterial disease and overall health is available.”

Thanks @90kgToNewMe . I am taking this position too.