OMG Coconut oil!! <3

questionablemethods

@ the OP

I just can't believe that you're eating 20% of your daily calories as supplemental fat on purpose. Are you one of those who can't eat enough regular food to get up to required daily calorie intake?

Some extra virgin coconut oil is likely far more nutritious than a lot of "regular food" that makes up a lot of diets, though. Personally, I'd rather have a tablespoon of coconut oil than a bagel or a bowl of Wheaties because it would probably keep me satisfied longer.

digitalsteel

I use coconut oil a lot in my cooking, its amazing. Just read the label, many crap brands make it hydrogenated - meaning trans fats- get cold pressed always. Like the Nutiva brand. Check your labels!

nattiepeach

Okay, I literally went out and bought a litre tub of it after reading this post. Have had half a tablespoon (to keep within my calorie limit) and am so excited to reap the benefits. My mother, who has worked in the natural health industry for years, has always told me that coconut oil is amazing stuff. I have dry scalp problems so hopefully it will help with that too. Yay for coconut oil! xxx

meerkat70

Every health agency in the world says to use it sparingly because it is high is saturated fats.

Don't be so quick to write off coconut oil because of the saturated fat.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/coconut-oil-benefits_b_821453.html

That article compares it to things like sunflower and canola oil. What about olive oil?

meerkat70

it is, it has to be said, *incredibly* expensive. At £15 a tub, it would have to be very good indeed to induce me to buy it....

awdamm

is it CRAZY spooky that there is a giant COCONUT OIL ad directly to the right of this thread???? Hmmmmmmm interrrresting!

meerkat70

is it CRAZY spooky that there is a giant COCONUT OIL ad directly to the right of this thread???? Hmmmmmmm interrrresting!

Good old google ads.

CherrySunday

I bought mine yesterday -- put a tbsp in my tea-- got that boost of energy!!
This morning, I put it in my cereal -- I like it MUCH better with the cereal.
AND I put some in my hair today too, as I read online that it's good for
that too. Wish me luck!!

pa_jorg

Very interesting. I've used coconut oil for a while. I love the taste and the health benefits are great. I've never noticed a spike in energy levels after eating it, but I'll have to pay more attention now!

Dayquasar

I also love coconut oil and you may think this is strange but I use it to make my homemade deodorant lol
Use 2-3 tbs coconut oil and add 1/8cup of cornstarch and 1/8cup baking soda, it makes a paste if it's not too warm, if it is warm where you keep it than you can put it in the fridge and it will be solid and doesn't take long to warm up enough to spread on like a reg deodorant would when you use it otherwise just put a dab on and it really works,ive been using it for months and I don't stink! It's much safer than store bought. I just keep mine in a baby food jar, I don't like to use plastic since whatever is in the plastic can leach onto it. Hope you try it!

tigersword

Lauric Acid, the fatty acid in coconut oil is one of the main ingredients in soaps and deodorants already.

hamton

I use coconut oil and I have never noticed the burst of energy that you are referring to. I'm thinking maybe you were low on fat in the first place? I try to consume 3tbs / day to improve my cholesterol level. I usually just put a spoonful into whatever I'm eating. So far my cholesterol numbers are improving. I'm not going to test again until the end of the year.

I finished a jar of Nutiva and wasn't really fond of it. Too coconutty for me. Almost like perfume. I'm trying out Spectrum now. So far it is better (less flavor). Although I haven't tried it yet, I also have a jar of EFA Gold at home.

olivia3263

Update - 2 weeks using coconut oil.

I had to update this morning because today I stepped on the scale and I was down 3 more pounds!!! So in 2 weeks I've lost 6 pounds!!! I had been hovering between 162 - 164 forever (I'm 5'8") and last week I dipped down to 161, but then I would still see 164 every now and again - stupid 164. Well the last couple days has been more like 161, 160's - and then this morning...158.2!!! I had to step on it a couple times to make sure I wasn't seeing things. Hahaha. Not only that - my waist is down from 31" to 29.5". I can tell the weight that came off is fat because I can see a difference - especially in my middle, my face, and my thighs (I thought that stuff was never gonna go away).

Interestingly enough, I looked back through my pie charts for the weeks: I used to be 50% carbs, 30%fat, 20%protein - this past week I was 45% carbs, 40% fat, 15% protein.

This week (and I've already planned it out) - I'm going to aim to get my protein back up, so my numbers will look like 35% carbs, 40%fat, 25% protein.

A couple other things I've noticed: my sleep has improved a ton!!! I have been waking up at 5:15am everyday, and I feel well rested, and alert when I wake up.

I used to try to keep my metabolism going by eating 6 small meals throughout the day - now with the fat, my meals are more satisfying so I now have 3 satisfying meals and 1 afternoon snack.

I'm also, ahem, may I say much more 'regular'. Very nice.

This week I really got into cooking thai curry - sooooo yummy!! I was discouraged at first because there are 6 servings in a can of coconut milk and they say on the can to use within 2 days of opening - and I live by myself, and only want to have 1 serving at a time (and would rather not waste the food, or eat if for breakfast lunch and dinner). But I stretched it out over the whole week and it lasted perfectly. But anyway, it's so easy to make and super yummy and healthy for you. Who knew?!

I love fat!!! (In my tummy, not on my tummy, haha). And I LOOOOVVVEE coconut oil

tigersword

Sounds like your issue was not enough fat, rather than coconut oil being some miracle cure.

chelle1a

Love coconut oil!!

olivia3263

Sounds like your issue was not enough fat, rather than coconut oil being some miracle cure.

You know, I agree with you. I really think it was my low-fat diet before - and before I started MFP my fat levels were even lower. I was always afraid of fat, but not anymore. I don't think coconut oil is a miracle, but I do think it is a healthier alternative, and I like how it's making me feel.

I've also been doing some reading about fats and vitamin absorption - specifically with dairy. Seems certain vitamins require fat to be absorbed in the body - like Vitamins A, D, E and K. I'm specifically interested in vitamin D, as my boss has been a HUGE advocate for Vitamin D for years - he thinks it's the cure-all for everything. I'm a teacher, and I do a lot of work after school and during school, and am notorious for getting sick during the year - I catch everything. I'm interested to see if this year, with the improved fat levels in my diet if I get sick less. That would be cool

tigersword

Vitamin D is huge. The funny thing about Vitamin D, it seems that lots of people are chronically deficient in Vitamin D, which amuses me, because your body manufactures Vitamin D from sunlight. All it takes is about 10 minutes of sunlight a day to get all the Vitamin D you need (as long as you eat enough fat to process it.)

dawnmichelea

Can't wait to research this myself!