Coconut Oil

TardisMom
TardisMom Posts: 35 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have recently seen many posts about coconut oil on the forums so I thought I would buy some at the store today and give it a try but as I was reading the label I saw that it contains 14 grams of Saturated Fat per serving. Is there some reason why this oil is considered particularly healthy despite the very high saturated fat level?

Replies

  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    because saturated fat isn't the "bad" fat. Trans fat is.
  • TardisMom
    TardisMom Posts: 35 Member
    As a nurse I would have to respectfully disagree with that. Saturated fat contributes to heart disease and raises cholesterol. Coconut oil is actually not recommended as part of a healthy diet by the American Heart Association for this reason. That is why I asked the above.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    As a nurse I would have to respectfully disagree with that. Saturated fat contributes to heart disease and raises cholesterol. Coconut oil is actually not recommended as part of a healthy diet by the American Heart Association for this reason. That is why I asked the above.

    The AHA is using outdated info. Backpedaling is very costly and somewhat embarrassing. The reason it's considered healthy is because most that consider it healthy are using more current info than the AHA, but I can tell this conversation isn't going anywhere, so I'm not going to get much more invested than that. Saturated fats aren't the boogey monsters they were once thought to be.
  • JenKillough
    JenKillough Posts: 474 Member
    Google lipid hypothesis.
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    I'm interested in this thread because I started using coconut oil and coconut yogurt and my doctor told me to have it rarely.
  • 1ConcreteGirl
    1ConcreteGirl Posts: 3,677 Member
    I don't know about eating it and haven't eaten much of it, but it's the absolute best natural emollient ever. It absorbs into the skin completely and isn't greasy at all.

    I rub it on my body after a shower and it completely smoothes and softens my skin, even those rougher areas like elbows and knees. People always comment on how soft my skin is, and they never did that before I started using coconut oil. If you don't want to eat it, at least you have something you can use it for.
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    I have to agree with it being great for skin. You can buy it in the cooking oil section in a spray can and when I had painfully dry hands a couple of months back I sprayed it on every night and it worked like a charm. I'd dried Bio oil before that and it did nothing!
  • Leeny01
    Leeny01 Posts: 48 Member
    If you don't agree with other things that have been said, if nothing else, it is a great oil to use for high heat cooking. Canola oil, olive oil and the like are not fit to be cooked with high heat and will actually release horrible toxins, where as coconut oil will burn very cleanly.
  • 05saleengirl
    05saleengirl Posts: 549
    I eat it everyday. It hit MCTs which are good for you. The oil is also good for people with thyroid issues so I've read. Also, I've had my cholesterol checked and its perfect. I eat Atleast a Tbls a day. It's also great for skin and hair
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    If you don't agree with other things that have been said, if nothing else, it is a great oil to use for high heat cooking. Canola oil, olive oil and the like are not fit to be cooked with high heat and will actually release horrible toxins, where as coconut oil will burn very cleanly.

    True. That's why I bought it and especially like it for using on the BBQ because when cook a steak etc you need a high heat.
  • SFBarbear
    SFBarbear Posts: 146
    As a nurse I would have to respectfully disagree with that. Saturated fat contributes to heart disease and raises cholesterol. Coconut oil is actually not recommended as part of a healthy diet by the American Heart Association for this reason. That is why I asked the above.

    The Surgeon general and FDA also say that high fructose corn syrup is just peachy as well. As a fat person on a Keto diet I can tell you that coconut oil has aided me very well in losing my 23 pounds.
  • iKapuniai
    iKapuniai Posts: 594 Member
    As a nurse I would have to respectfully disagree with that. Saturated fat contributes to heart disease and raises cholesterol. Coconut oil is actually not recommended as part of a healthy diet by the American Heart Association for this reason. That is why I asked the above.

    If you're a nurse that evidently knows a bit about saturated fats, why are you asking about something it sounds like you should already know? With all due respect, this is probably an answer you could easily find on Google.

    Love and Alohas,
    Ihilani Kapuniai

    Edit: Here's a website I found on Google:

    http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html
  • taylor5877
    taylor5877 Posts: 1,792 Member
    If coconut oil was as terrible as the AHA and USDA would have you believe, pacific islanders (some eating as much as 50%-60% of their calories as coconut fat) would be the model for heart disease.

    They ain't...We are.
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    If coconut oil was as terrible as the AHA and USDA would have you believe, pacific islanders (some eating as much as 50%-60% of their calories as coconut fat) would be the model for heart disease.

    They ain't...We are.

    My doctor said to me that Pacific Islanders are obese so this is why I SHOULD NOT be using it regularly.
  • monstercakes
    monstercakes Posts: 78 Member

    If you're a nurse that evidently knows a bit about saturated fats, why are you asking about something it sounds like you should already know? With all due respect, this is probably an answer you could easily find on Google.

    Love and Alohas,
    Ihilani Kapuniai

    Edit: Here's a website I found on Google:

    http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html

    as a woman studying to be a dietician i have to agree with this ^^
  • 05saleengirl
    05saleengirl Posts: 549
    If coconut oil was as terrible as the AHA and USDA would have you believe, pacific islanders (some eating as much as 50%-60% of their calories as coconut fat) would be the model for heart disease.

    They ain't...We are.

    My doctor said to me that Pacific Islanders are obese so this is why I SHOULD NOT be using it regularly.

    But what else does their diet consist of? Sugar? Refined carbs? Junk? those are what contribute to obesity.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,422 Member
    If coconut oil was as terrible as the AHA and USDA would have you believe, pacific islanders (some eating as much as 50%-60% of their calories as coconut fat) would be the model for heart disease.

    They ain't...We are.

    My doctor said to me that Pacific Islanders are obese so this is why I SHOULD NOT be using it regularly.

    Pacific Island cultures revolve around food. Lots of food. It's not the coconut oil as much as the entire pig and all the fixings at every Sunday dinner. If you were left to your own devices, you wouldn't tend to eat too much coconut oil. Pork, on the other hand.......and plantains, pineapple, starchy root vegetables. Oh, yeah. Bring it on. :tongue:
  • geminai
    geminai Posts: 9 Member
    I've heard fantastic things about the health benefits of coconut oil, but sadly my doctor informed me (and the American Diabetes Association supports the belief) that if you have diabetes, or a propensity toward it, it is recommended to limit the intake of oils that are solid at room temperature, such as coconut oil.
  • sadein
    sadein Posts: 40
    After reading all of the pros and cons, I decided to give coconut oil a try. Of course, I bought an institutional sized, Costco jug of it! I find I can taste it in everything and I'm not sure I like my Mexican food tasting like it's some sort of Thai-Mex fusion. Oh well, it does taste good in the Asian foods but I'll stick with the olive oil for my Mexican food.

    As an aside, my hair was feeling especially dry the other day so I used the coconut oil to give it a treatment. Worked pretty good.
  • Motleybird
    Motleybird Posts: 119 Member
    The fat in coconut oil is made differently from the fat in bacon. The body processes it differently. Of course you have to watch total calories and a fat raises those faster than other things would, but it also makes you feel full faster. From what I've read, it raises good cholesterol without raising the bad side. Last time my doctor checked, my good side needed to come up.

    And in my house, it's not a solid at room temperature, at least not in the middle of the afternoon.
  • praxisproject
    praxisproject Posts: 154 Member
    More than you've ever wanted to know about Saturated Fat: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/saturated-fat-healthy/
    Humans are made out of saturated fat, so we're well able to consume it for energy.

    But solidity is not enough for analysis: http://lowfatcooking.about.com/od/lowfatbasics/a/fats1004.htm

    Trans Fats are solid at room temperature, are UNsaturated.

    Saturated fats don't oxidise as fast. http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/temperature-of-oils.html
  • her4g63
    her4g63 Posts: 284 Member
    I am strict paleo and my favorite fat to use is coconut oil.
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
    As a nurse I would have to respectfully disagree with that. Saturated fat contributes to heart disease and raises cholesterol. Coconut oil is actually not recommended as part of a healthy diet by the American Heart Association for this reason. That is why I asked the above.

    meh.
    Doctors =/= nutritionists and thats the problem with listening to everything you hear.

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