Everyone told me coconut oil was good for me

I'd say most health organizations are pretty adament that you should seriously limit the amount of saturated fat you eat each day.

I wouldn't say that the apparently misinformed notion that saturated fat is bad for you is a reason to yell at the OP or anyone who was also misinformed. I, myself, am still pretty skeptical and am fairly certain that saturated fat may be necessary for health but only in the smallest (5 g or less/ day) amounts.

Note, I'm saying saturated fat not all fats. I think people aren't understanding that the conversation hasn't been about fats in general, just saturated fat. Most people who are informed about their health are aware that low-fat isn't healthful, although again I don't think that's something someone can be chewed out for that because it was "common fact" for a long time.

But that's just me. I don't like implying that people are stupid for not knowing that general health myths are incorrect. Most people are misinformed about nutrition and weight loss. It's a learning process.

Good point. WebMD has a good article on it, quote: "Neither the American Heart Association (AHA) nor the U.S. government's 2010 Dietary Guidelines suggest that coconut oil is any better or preferable over other saturated fats. Coconut oil, like all saturated fats, should be limited to 7%-10% of calories because it can increase risk for heart disease, according to the AHA and 2010 Dietary Guidelines"

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/coconut-oil-and-health

I'm going with the AHA on its recommendation on saturated fat. And, I don't agree that there's any "good" fat - just because it's vegetable based doesn't mean it's good. The only fat that's good for you is in moderation. Basically, almost everything we eat contains fat, and it's really easy to end up with 30% of your calories coming from fat without even adding 1 tsp of oil or butter. Fat is the one thing that all nutritionists agree on should be used in moderation - they may disagree on carbs, salt, protein, etc., but they all will agree about fats. I am not talking about the low-fat craze that had you replace fat calories with carbs, but just a general 25-30% of your calories from fat for overall health.

Finally, I am trying to figure out how anyone can eat 60% of their calories from fat and not be starving. I know that fat is satiating, but I have a total of 1300 calories to eat, that's 780 in fat, which only leaves me 520 in real food - that seems like it would be difficult to get in all the nutrients you need for good health, not to mention that I'd be starving.

So you want to be able to fry your mushrooms with something low fat and low calorie without too many chemicals? May I suggest unicorn oil? You can find it in the magical fantasy aisle of any grocery store. Either make it fit in your macros by dropping something else or give up the notion that your mushrooms *have* to be fried.

This. And yes everyone told you coconut oil is good for you because it is. You choose to not have good fats in your diet - that doesn't make it bad. Just like I choose not too have too many carbs in my diet, and that means I have to cut out some good stuff like a good amount of fruit - but it doesn't mean fruit is bad. It's like saying sugar is sugar is...but really not all sugar is the same, just as all fats are not the same.

I'd say most health organizations are pretty adament that you should seriously limit the amount of saturated fat you eat each day.

I wouldn't say that the apparently misinformed notion that saturated fat is bad for you is a reason to yell at the OP or anyone who was also misinformed. I, myself, am still pretty skeptical and am fairly certain that saturated fat may be necessary for health but only in the smallest (5 g or less/ day) amounts.

Note, I'm saying saturated fat not all fats. I think people aren't understanding that the conversation hasn't been about fats in general, just saturated fat. Most people who are informed about their health are aware that low-fat isn't healthful, although again I don't think that's something someone can be chewed out for that because it was "common fact" for a long time.

But that's just me. I don't like implying that people are stupid for not knowing that general health myths are incorrect. Most people are misinformed about nutrition and weight loss. It's a learning process.

Good point. WebMD has a good article on it, quote: "Neither the American Heart Association (AHA) nor the U.S. government's 2010 Dietary Guidelines suggest that coconut oil is any better or preferable over other saturated fats. Coconut oil, like all saturated fats, should be limited to 7%-10% of calories because it can increase risk for heart disease, according to the AHA and 2010 Dietary Guidelines"

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/coconut-oil-and-health

I'm going with the AHA on its recommendation on saturated fat. And, I don't agree that there's any "good" fat - just because it's vegetable based doesn't mean it's good. The only fat that's good for you is in moderation. Basically, almost everything we eat contains fat, and it's really easy to end up with 30% of your calories coming from fat without even adding 1 tsp of oil or butter. Fat is the one thing that all nutritionists agree on should be used in moderation - they may disagree on carbs, salt, protein, etc., but they all will agree about fats. I am not talking about the low-fat craze that had you replace fat calories with carbs, but just a general 25-30% of your calories from fat for overall health.

Finally, I am trying to figure out how anyone can eat 60% of their calories from fat and not be starving. I know that fat is satiating, but I have a total of 1300 calories to eat, that's 780 in fat, which only leaves me 520 in real food - that seems like it would be difficult to get in all the nutrients you need for good health, not to mention that I'd be starving.

I must have missed something here. First you say that about 25-30% of your diet should be fat for overall health. Then you go on to say that it's not a "real food." Why is fat not a real food if it's a necessary and vital part of your diet, as you yourself have said?
Additionally, you concede that fat is satiating, but wonder how anyone could feel full with a high fat diet.
Either I'm confused by what you're saying here or you're confusing what you're trying to say. Thoughts?

You don't need to add water - and I agree I like mushrooms sauted in butter actually. However I found something that works pretty well - and tasts pretty good - use a little wine :-) I have tried with white and red both - they are both good and have different flavors - sweet vermouth goes good with steak/mushrooms, but it has a higher sugar/calorie count.

I do agree it's no one's fault if they are trying to follow conventional wisdom coming from the 'experts', but as a good chunk of that advice turned out to be bad, I'm fairly skeptical about it these days. Everyone, as always, can do as they like. If you want to 'fry' your mushrooms in water, have at it. I'll stick with butter.

The problem wasn't that they were following the conventional wisdom from the experts - it was that they were not. The low-fat recommendation were not to replace fat with sugary-starchy carbs, it was - like basically all healthy diets - to eat lean protein, lots of fruits and vegetables, and whole grains, and get your fat from that food with minimal added fat. It's always the peoples' execution of these recommendations that is at fault. It's like when people say that Atkins is a no-carb or all protein diet. From day one you are advised to eat leafy greens on Atkins, but people are ignorant that lettuce is a carb.

I have to disagree here. It was not just replacing fats with carbs that was bad. It was also the stupidly low levels of fats that we were advised to adhere to as well.

I was on one of those diets - lean protein, whole grains, lots of veggies - for athletics, not even to lose weight. I was not to use any additional fat on anything. No oil for cooking or salad dressings, that sort of thing. No meats except non-oily fish and skinless chicken. Fortunately, I was only on it for 7-8 mos. Unfortunately, I followed it religiously. The end result is that it negatively impacted my digestive system for a long time. Any amount of fat sent me sprinting for the restroom within 30min of eating. It took years for my digestive tract to get back to functioning properly.

I see what everyone here is saying... But saturated fat IS the "bad" fat that everyone should stay away from...you want omega3, and monounsaturated

No it's not. The only bad fat is the trans fat.

You need to take the bad stigma away from "fat". SOME fats, like coconut oil are GOOD for you. I drink coconut milk and I eat a lot of nuts. ALL healthy fats, and my cholesterol is in GREAT shape.

Please research the difference between "good" and "bad" fats, and how they can impact your life. And enjoy your coconut oil in the process.

Yep...Fats are not created equally! I use coconut oil every day, drink coconut milk, eat avocado's and nuts!!

You need to take the bad stigma away from "fat". SOME fats, like coconut oil are GOOD for you. I drink coconut milk and I eat a lot of nuts. ALL healthy fats, and my cholesterol is in GREAT shape.

Please research the difference between "good" and "bad" fats, and how they can impact your life. And enjoy your coconut oil in the process.

This x1000000.

I eat organic butter, coconut oil, and olive oil and drink whole milk. Natural fat is NOT bad for you, its all the processed crap that makes you sick.

If you hate the thought of PAM (I use it) try one of those spritzer cans that you put oil in and it comes out in a fine mist.I don't know how much they put out in a spray, but you could weigh the can before and then after and then see how much you used to count the calories

The thing is, I like mushrooms. I eat about a half pound a day, sliced and pan fried. I can fry them in water but They just don't turn out as good.

Boiled .... BOILED mushrooms!!? Eughhh. I'd rather be fat if that was the price of thin. >> shudder <<