Blargh, coconut oil!

Options
jiggsauce
jiggsauce Posts: 4
in Food and Nutrition
So I'm taking 2 tbsp of (cold-pressed, extra virgin) coconut oil a day for the health benefits and because it works as an appetite suppressant, which is ideal for someone trying to live on 1,200 net calories a day.

The positive:
- yup, totally makes me feel full for way less calories than a 4th meal or my beloved punch bowl of cereal
- I might be imagining this but my skin stopped chapping in some areas after just a couple days
- helping tame yeast overgrowth

The negative:
- vaguely upset stomach. Supposedly this goes away after a week or so of taking it regularly, but for right now it sucks hard. This morning I made the mistake of mixing it with coffee to make it more palatable, and coffee sort of upsets my stomach as well, so combining the two left me miserable.
- BLEH! The taste is not awful but the mouth feeling of swallowing oil....shudder. Challenging to find some way to consume it that doesn't trigger my gag reflex. Best way I've found so far is in chai tea, the heavy spice clears the oily mouth feeling.
- I have a mild latex allergy and coconut is a trigger. I noticed 2-3 hives break out over the course of today, but thankfully they went away quickly.


I am planning on using it short-term to combat Candida (yeast) overgrowth, and then maybe infrequently thereafter. I really hope the adverse effects wear off soon! Except the hives, I think I'm stuck with little outbreaks. Stupid latex, stop having so many fruit relatives!
«1

Replies

  • GeekAmour
    GeekAmour Posts: 262
    Options
    Have you tried cooking with it? I have fried my eggs in it before, or mushrooms/spinach etc, but my FAVE thing to do with it is cook stirfrys... making one tonight actually, de-frikkin-licious.
  • lhourin
    lhourin Posts: 144 Member
    Options
    I also really like it in coffee, with cream, too.
  • maegmez
    maegmez Posts: 341 Member
    Options
    That's like 260 calories in 2 tbsps. You could have a filling breakfast for that like oatmeal.
  • WhiteGirlWasted13
    WhiteGirlWasted13 Posts: 178 Member
    Options
    If you like dark chocolate and stevia, try mixing cocoa powder with your coconut oil (melt it a little bit), then sweeten it with liquid stevia (raspberry, orange, vanilla, you get the idea). Then pour into molds or "puddles" on a sheet of wax paper. Store your candy in the freezer for a quick, healthy sweet treat.

    Again, though, you must like dark chocolate and stevia. Otherwise, this will.not.work.
  • dayone987
    dayone987 Posts: 645 Member
    Options
    I'm not sure if it's wise to continue to eat something that triggers your allergies.
  • tilos1
    tilos1 Posts: 6
    Options
    There is still a lot of controversy over consuming coconut oil (see, e.g., http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/coconut-oil-and-health). I wouldn't trust the health claims unless you actually find the medical journal and learn about the number of people they studied. Several things worth mentioning:

    1. Coconut oil is full of saturated fat

    2. The polynesian cultures that eat lots of coconut oil also have very high rates of obesity. Granted, lots of other unhealthy things are consumed there too, but I would be skeptical of any Doctor Oz style "miracle claim."

    Again, look for a peer-reviewed article and don't trust what Oz or others who are just trying to get their ratings up tell you. It may be that there is some benefit, but it is really too early to tell.

    ETA: I don't have PubMed access, but I used Google Scholar trying to find the most supportive article on deliberating consuming coconut oil that involved humans and not rats. I found this study (http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11745-009-3306-6), where in a double-blind study, women found a reduction in abdominal fat compared to the control. But the study only had 40 people in it. Anyone aware of any larger studies? Again, I tend to be skeptical about any dramatic claims without seeing hard science to back it.

    (In the interest of full disclosure, I should note that I do use coconut oil for cooking some southern indian dishes.)
  • dawnna76
    dawnna76 Posts: 987 Member
    Options
    It makes a great hair mask treatment, great for dry skin and lips as a topical treatment but eating it! Yuck!:sick:
  • dazzo62
    dazzo62 Posts: 78
    Options
    I know - kind of yucky. I did a lot of research and learned that 1 tbsp. before meals can really help your metabolism and help burn fat. Since I have been very ill the past 6 months I have lost a lot of muscle. So I tried it , even in my coffee. I didn't get an allergic reaction like you but after a few days I started to get a "gag" reaction!! I am now using it as a moisturizer on heels, elbows...
  • lotusspark
    lotusspark Posts: 367
    Options
    Thanks for posting this. I've been meaning to try it. I'll pick some up. :)
  • jiggsauce
    jiggsauce Posts: 4
    Options
    Hi guys,

    I agree with those who have said it's not a "miracle" oil - to the one poster, I don't even watch or follow Dr. Oz so I had no idea he pushes coconut oil. I'm more interested in the anti-fungal properties of the high concentration of caprylic acid (and it's nice that it suppresses appetite too.

    To the person who said I could just have a filling breakfast instead, I am actually still eating a small breakfast which is my regular habit anyway. Oatmeal is not filling to me (at least, not 260 calories worth - what can I say I like to eat!). It really helps me cut down on lunch calories and dinner calories because it tides me over and reduces my appetite, which snacks of the same calorie amounts never do.

    And yes, I know there is lots of saturated fat in it. However the saturated fats in it are medium-chain so they burn more quickly and easily than other kinds of saturated fat. With taking 2 tbsp a day and watching my diet, I am still ending up within myfitnesspal's fat goals for the day. Actually probably more than I was before because I'm now super conscious about it! And I'm not too worried about high saturated fat intake as I don't plan to be using it forever.

    As for my allergy, it's something I'm watching really closely but I've had the same issue with bananas in the past and I built up a tolerance for them. If it got bad I would definitely discontinue. Maybe I'm a little relaxed about it because I get here-and-there hives pretty often from random allergic reactions to certain chemicals - I'm just one of those people with a lot of random mild allergies.

    Thanks for your comments everybody :)
  • tschaff04
    tschaff04 Posts: 296 Member
    Options
    I too believe in the benefits of CO. I buy unrefined extra virgin CO and use it to cook, and I particularly love it in this recipe.

    http://www.practicalpaleo.blogspot.com/2011/06/primal-fudge.html

    Wanted to add, I am not Paleo, but I just love this freaking fudge!! I use raw honey to sweeten it, natural peanut butter rather than almond butter and either the vanilla extract or almond extract. I love both. I also portion it into 15 little discs rather than 12 and they are just over 140 cals a disc. Helps me on those days when I am really craving chocolate.

    I LOVE coconut so the flavor of unrefined CO is yummy to me.
  • gibsy
    gibsy Posts: 112
    Options
    I'm not sure if it's wise to continue to eat something that triggers your allergies.

    Uh yeah, I second that. If you're breaking out into hives and having stomach aches because of the stuff, it does not sound like something that you should be eating. It might benefit some people but in your case it sounds like the harm is outweighing the good.

    ** I should add that my aunt got really into bee pollen because of the health fad and now she is severely allergic to it, and has developed hay fever she never had before. Fad superfoods can be dangerous. Not all of them suit all bodies. Listen to what yours is telling you and stop eating this stuff!
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Options
    Ahh coconut oil, the snake oil of the 21st century.

    It's just oil, not a miracle cure. Olive oil has tons of health benefits, but you never see people just drinking olive oil, do you?

    Companies realized how profitable coconut oil can be, as it's readily available and very cheap (although incredibly destructive to the environment) which is why it's suddenly getting all these (mostly exaggerated or completely invented) magical health claims.
  • Lady1945
    Lady1945 Posts: 10 Member
    Options
    I mix my coconut oil with a teaspoon of honey and a teaspoon of cinnamon and
    spread it on a piece of ezekial toast. Yummy
  • islandlifenc
    islandlifenc Posts: 107 Member
    Options
    Coconut oil is wonderful in a long list of ways. There are plenty of resources for information on it. It's definitely way better than nasty oils from GM crops like corn/soybean/rapeseed (canola).

    That said, I don't take coconut just by itself. I always enjoy it in my food. A spoonful in a smoothie, or better yet, some full fat canned coconut milk with pineapple and ice makes a delicious piña colada.

    As for allergic symptoms, I don't know what to say about that, EXCEPT, I have read that anyone who is not used to getting much fat in their diet might need to build up slowly to the coconut oil, otherwise, they might have adverse effects. Obviously, if you are truly allergic to something, you should avoid it.

    One aside I'd like to add: Coconuts, which haven't been corrupted by Monsanto - YET! - could never be as destructive to the environment, or human health, as toxic GM crops.
  • CharRicho
    CharRicho Posts: 389 Member
    Options
    I wasn't aware of the Dr Oz stuff, or actually any of the potential healthy benefits that some seem to be saying exist with coconut oil.
    But I do bake with it because it's delicious! Not sure I could swallow oil.. ugh.
  • etoiles_argentees
    etoiles_argentees Posts: 2,827 Member
    Options
    Ahh coconut oil, the snake oil of the 21st century.

    It's just oil, not a miracle cure. Olive oil has tons of health benefits, but you never see people just drinking olive oil, do you?

    Companies realized how profitable coconut oil can be, as it's readily available and very cheap (although incredibly destructive to the environment) which is why it's suddenly getting all these (mostly exaggerated or completely invented) magical health claims.

    snake oil.
  • IIISpartacusIII
    IIISpartacusIII Posts: 252 Member
    Options
    I crystallize it and snort it for quick energy pre workout. Works like a charm!
  • HiKaren
    HiKaren Posts: 1,306 Member
    Options
    I too believe in the benefits of CO. I buy unrefined extra virgin CO and use it to cook, and I particularly love it in this recipe.

    http://www.practicalpaleo.blogspot.com/2011/06/primal-fudge.html

    Wanted to add, I am not Paleo, but I just love this freaking fudge!! I use raw honey to sweeten it, natural peanut butter rather than almond butter and either the vanilla extract or almond extract. I love both. I also portion it into 15 little discs rather than 12 and they are just over 140 cals a disc. Helps me on those days when I am really craving chocolate.

    I LOVE coconut so the flavor of unrefined CO is yummy to me.

    Thanks for the idea! :wink:
  • snowmanluv
    snowmanluv Posts: 200 Member
    Options
    I've been using it too now on a regular basis.

    Suppose to help thyroid too. You can use it to cook with especially in bake goods. I don't substitute the whole amount just enough to add taste. Also, I put mine in my protein shake in am. Mixed with everything else you can't taste it.

    Regard the yeast overgrowth----check with The Plan diet. They recommend something for the overgrowth of yeast. Check out your tongue if white probably have the yeast stuff going on. The Plan deals with this on day 2 with supplements (not coconut oil).
    Found this but also google Canida diets to treat that.
    For this reason, supplements are recommended. You can find two main types at most health food stores -- Lactobaccillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus bifidobacteria (freeze-dried). You'll want to take them together and look for a capsule that contains at least four billion live organisms.

Categories