Anyone eat Coconut Oil?

124»

Replies

  • DeeKay2169
    DeeKay2169 Posts: 72 Member
    DITTO!!! I love me some coconut oil. I don't measure and I don't count towards cals. I also use it on my feet and hair. It's excellent! Make sure you get the unrefined and virgin. You can tell by the way it smells. If it’s not obviously a coconut smell don’t get it.
    If you actually mean coconut water, it's excellent for you and very tasty. But if you mean oil, as you said, it is not at all good for you.

    And here is the danger of internet nutritional advice. Luckily, it's pretty easy to spot those who have no idea what they are talking about and don't even bother to explain their opinion.
  • jgarf4me
    jgarf4me Posts: 33 Member
    I just replaced three weeks ago all my butter and margerine with coconut oil. All the Nutritionists and friends who work in health related field is telling me its great stuff ...healthy fats. It took a little while to get used to scooping it out but the taste is really good and i love coconut. so now i have unsweetened coconut milk and coconut oil. i use the oil for cooking now all the time
  • tameejean
    tameejean Posts: 197 Member
    Personally, I've used it for a few years now. I cook and saute with it, put in coffee, use it like butter, use it on my face and body as a moisturizer and also as a make up remover, on my hair. Great stuff and I have "rockstar" blood panel results...as my doctor puts it :) I eat coconut oil and 1/2-whole avocado daily, not only yummy, but super good for you.

    A little dated, but great article and spot on (with references) on the benefits of coconut oil and why vegetable (evoo, not included) are bad:

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/coconut-oil-benefits_b_821453.html
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Eek, not to be negative about coconut oil, but Dr Mercola is not a good source to use. Incredibly biased agenda that Mercola has, that pretty much makes everything he says untrustworthy, kind of like Dr Oz now.
  • elysecea
    elysecea Posts: 161 Member
    Try this link all of you might find this extremely helpful :)
    Ps I love coconut oil!! I give it to my dogs too!
    http://www.hybridrastamama.com/2012/01/160-uses-for-coconut-oil.html?m=1
  • femmi1120
    femmi1120 Posts: 473 Member
    I just started using it recently. Because of the amount of cals, I prefer to use it for it's external uses, like using it to moisturize the tips of my hair and on my skin. I tried putting a tbsp in my bath too. It was amazing!

    As for eating it, I just use it to cook, but mostly for flavor. I like pan frying tilapia in a little bit of coconut oil and topping it off with curry! So tasty!!
  • StarvingDiva
    StarvingDiva Posts: 1,107 Member
    I use coconut oil in my cooking, baking in my smoothies. It is fabulous with eggs and mixed in with hot coffee.
  • jlbay
    jlbay Posts: 473 Member
    Isn't this the same substance that they used to cook movie theater popcorn with? The stuff that's so bad that every news outlet was attacking it and made all the movie theaters chains switch to a different oil?

    Wasn't it palm oil in the movie theater popcorn?
  • scagneti
    scagneti Posts: 707 Member
    Isn't this the same substance that they used to cook movie theater popcorn with? The stuff that's so bad that every news outlet was attacking it and made all the movie theaters chains switch to a different oil?

    Actually it should be the opposite of that since the lower heat point oils are the ones that quickly turn to Trans Fats whereas Coconut Oil has a higher heat point and therefore doesn't turn into a Trans Fat as easily as most oils/fats.
  • jj3120
    jj3120 Posts: 358
    Bump

    I haven't bought any yet, keep looking and reading lots of positives. It's very expensive in the uk, I've only looked in one shop though so need to check online as well.
  • ready2tryagain42
    ready2tryagain42 Posts: 202
    If you actually mean coconut water, it's excellent for you and very tasty. But if you mean oil, as you said, it is not at all good for you.

    This could not be more wrong.

    Get the Extra Virgin Coconut oil (organic is best), it smells and tastes delicious and is really good for you. Actually aids fat loss. I use it as makeup remover, sometimes in my hair and in the shower as a moisturizer for my body after I wash. Just don't use it on your face...oh boy.

    I also eat it, it is DELICIOUS in Quinoa, just 1/2 tbsp in 1 cup of quinoa. Haven't tried it on popcorn yet but I hear its good. It's good in a baked potato too... It's just GOOD!

    Ok I am going to have to get some and try it in Quinoa. Sounds great!
  • autumnk921
    autumnk921 Posts: 1,374 Member
    Bump...For reference later...
  • darkchocolate68
    darkchocolate68 Posts: 104
    I just recently started using coconut oil and I love it. I bought the Nutiva virgin, organic, unrefined coconut oil. I use it from my head to my toes, it is a great moisturizer. I have only used lotion once and that was when I was away from home. I need to find a small, secure container so the coconut oil doesn't leak in my purse. I have never had such soft skin. I put very little in my hair, so I can't really comment there.

    I also put about 1/2 tsp - 1 tsp. in my coffee and it is much better than I thought it woud be. I put it in smoothies/protein shakes, on top of my sweet potato, in my yogurt and cottage cheese. I have also made the coconut bark with cocoa and ate it that way. I haven't cooked with it becasue it is expensive and I want to make sure I don't waste it. I still cook with olive oil.

    I have excema on the outside corners of my eyes and the coconut oil has helped that. I also use the coconut oil to remove my eye make up. Anything other make up removers caused my eye lids to swell and cause dry patches around my eyes.

    I cut my finger and the coconut oil has helped it to heal faster than previous cuts/burns to my hands recently. I bake and cook a lot, so I am accidently burning my hand on the oven grates occasionally.

    I read about coconut oil last summer, but never bought any. I now wish I hadn't waited so long.
  • NaomiDollar
    NaomiDollar Posts: 49 Member
    My husband take it for his athletes foot and my daughter takes it for her acne. They take it in pill form.
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
    The only things that I have done with it so far is to mix it with my oatmeal (with a little ground cinnamon and flax seed) and used it once when cooking onions & peppers on the stove. I'd love some other ideas of what to do with it, though.

    Bulletproof coffee!

    And it's just great in general for just about anything that calls for an oil that olive oil can't do.
  • peacheznlace
    peacheznlace Posts: 23 Member
    I used to use it in place of butter or oil when I was on a lower carb lifestyle. Even though I'm no longer on the lower carb bandwagon, I'm still using coconut oil in some meals like when I bake or when I make stir fry.
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
    Moderation is the key word here. It's a saturated fat. But supposedly it's also good for you. I use it on my hair and it's great for the scalp. And I use it on my face once in a while. I apply it, leave it on for a couple of hours before my shower. Then I wash it all off in the shower. Seems to smooth my skin, maybe helps with flaking skin, etc.

    Moderation!

    Many things come and go and are the fad of the month, year, decade, but then they find out it wasn't so great after all. So, who knows? But I do consume it once in a while, not daily certainly.

    Coconut oil is different from other saturated fats in that the fat in it is lauric acid, a medium chain triglyceride. This provides different benefits than long chain ones, including raising HDL ("good") cholesterol.
    I use it on my son's skin. However, I don't cook with it. I have thought about it but the fat content is way too high for me. My container of Nutiva organic extra virgin coconut oil has 14 grams of fat per tablespoon (13 grams of saturated) and 130 calories. Not enough studies proving to me that it is a "good type" of saturated fat in my opinion.

    http://www.ajcn.org/content/77/5/1146.full?ijkey=846a72387ebc0d82545acd5442a0c3a9e9fc3566

    Specifically:
    Lauric acid greatly increased total cholesterol, but much of its effect was on HDL cholesterol. Consequently, oils rich in lauric acid decreased the ratio of total to HDL cholesterol.

    I've also found that a tablespoon is a huge amount when cooking with it. More like a teaspoon can grease a pan (it thins out dramatically when heated).
  • Samstudent88
    Samstudent88 Posts: 135
    My mom is going through the "change" and she using it because it is supposed to help.
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
    In terms of food, I use it for cooking eggs and stir fry, in my protein smoothies (when my macros allow for it), a teaspoon as a quick pre-workout "snack" or in hot water with lime juice first thing in the morning. For those that have a hard time eating it by the spoonful, I recommend mixing a teaspoon in hot water, which makes it easier to take down and moisturizes your lips at the same time! :wink: I add the lime juice to help stimulate digestion. Plus it's a good flavor combination.

    Put the lime in the coconut and drink 'em both up.... :tongue:
  • husker_gal
    husker_gal Posts: 462 Member
    Coconut oil is FANTASTIC for you! Your hair, skin, and ever internal organ benefit from it. It helps with vitamin absorption among other things. And has 0 cholesterol. Don't let anybody who is ill informed tell you that it is not good for you. :flowerforyou:
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    As oils go, it's one of the healthier ones. I'd only actually eat it straight if I was really short on fat one day for some reason. I use it for cooking all the time, though.
  • shirayne
    shirayne Posts: 263 Member
    I swear by this stuff now. My nutritionist has been encouraging me to eat 2 teaspoons of it a day plus use it on skin, hair, and in cooking. It's better than olive oil to cook with because it withstands heat where olive oil does not. I melt it on popcorn mixed with a bit of butter. I've melted it on asparagus instead of butter. Scrambled eggs are awesome in it! Cocnut oil is so good you in so many ways. This of course is direct from my nutritionist's mouth but given the weight i've lost following his advice, I think it's safe to say that he knows what he's talking about. :)
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    The whole heat thing is a myth. Coconut oil has a smoke point of 350 degrees. Extra virgin olive oil has a smoke point of 405 degrees. I still prefer extra virgin olive oil. Especially when I consider the fact that a coconut tree can make either coconuts, or coconut oil, but not both. I'd rather have the whole coconut instead.
  • Brizoeller
    Brizoeller Posts: 182 Member
    The whole heat thing is a myth. Coconut oil has a smoke point of 350 degrees. Extra virgin olive oil has a smoke point of 405 degrees. I still prefer extra virgin olive oil. Especially when I consider the fact that a coconut tree can make either coconuts, or coconut oil, but not both. I'd rather have the whole coconut instead.

    I could be wrong but isn't olive oil made from olives? Wouldn't you just rather have the whole olive instead? I know there is much more that goes into it, but I feel like that makes your whole "coconut or coconut oil, but not both thing" a little off. I'm going to buy some coconut oil this weekend actually, I guess i'm buying into the so called fad!
  • ketchup38
    ketchup38 Posts: 112 Member
    I have used coconut oil in place of other oils like olive, sunflower, groundnut oil and sometimes even butter.
    Honestly haven't noticed anything significantly different asides from flavour.

Categories