Coconut oil

lizettemck
lizettemck Posts: 3 Member
edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
So what's the scoop on coconut oil? I was told to have 1 tbsp once in the morning and once at night. Does it really boost your metabolism? Seems so high in saturated fat... Is anyone doing this and seeing results?

Replies

  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    No, it does not boost your metabolism. If anything, it might help you get some fat into your day. That's also 240 calories you need to log.
  • HealthyGinny
    HealthyGinny Posts: 821 Member
    every month, there is a new food that helps "boost" your metabolism... I am not saying it's necessarily wrong, but at least green tea is 0 cals :) also, exercise helps boost your metabolism and it burns cals! Just saying. If you want to boost your metabolism, choose something coherent with a diet :) I am not saying coconut oil is bad, actually I use it for cooking, but 2 tbsp a day seems a bit much... :)
  • MommyL2015
    MommyL2015 Posts: 1,411 Member
    No food boosts metabolisms, because metabolisms can't be boosted or kick started or revved up. Exercise will help, not food. Coconut oil would fall into the healthy oil category, not the weight loss boosting category. It's high in calories like all oils, so if anything, they'll cause weight gain if you eat too much and don't keep track of those calories.

    That said, I do like coconut oil and use it whenever possible for my vegetable oil substitute. And it makes my skin clear and my hair soft. ;)
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
    Great stuff! I put a teaspoon in my coffee each morning! Great for your immune system! !!
  • youngmomtaz
    youngmomtaz Posts: 1,075 Member
    Love coconut oil! The benefit I love is that fat in my diet helps keep me full longer and fuels my workouts. It is nice as a dressing, added into smoothies, and on my veggies or frying my eggs in it. I don't know about the health claims but I log it and use it, it is a staple in my pantry.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    edited November 2015
    This content has been removed.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    lizettemck wrote: »
    So what's the scoop on coconut oil? I was told to have 1 tbsp once in the morning and once at night. Does it really boost your metabolism? Seems so high in saturated fat... Is anyone doing this and seeing results?

    it's just another oil...it does not have magical properties. it is delicious though.

    ironically, in the 90s coconut oil was the greatest of dietary demons and movie theaters were even banned from using it any longer for popping pop corn...now it's supposedly this magical super food.
  • littleladie13
    littleladie13 Posts: 11 Member
    Coconut oil has some health benefits. I have seen a difference in my skin among other things. It is truly a healthy fat to eat and cook with.
  • lingo10
    lingo10 Posts: 305 Member
    Its nice for supple skin and good to cook with, otherwise for weight loss (along with other factors), maybe not but exclusively no.
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
    No. Your metabolism is on going. I enjoy coconut oil for my skin and hair though.
  • BoomstickChik
    BoomstickChik Posts: 149 Member
    I personally love coconut oil for many things but it's not magical. I like cooking with it instead of other oils or butter. Makes a great alternative to lotion too :P
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    I use coconut oil everyday because it's yummy and helps me get my fat intake in. Plus my skin has cleared up immensely since i started eating it regularly.
  • lizettemck
    lizettemck Posts: 3 Member
    Thx folks! Sounds like I will go lightly on the coconut oil. Thx!

    Btw, I do work out everyday for at least 30 mins. Most days I do 60 mins. I am tracking everything I eat but I seems to be stalled on my last 15 lbs to my goal. Looking for anything to help me over the hump
  • Pollywog_la
    Pollywog_la Posts: 103 Member
    Whether coconut oil has any benefits for you, it IS treated differently by your body than other oils.

    Coconut oil is high in MCT (medium chain triglycerides)
    C6 – Caproic Acid
    C8 – Caprylic Acid
    C10 – Capric Acid
    C12 – Lauric Acid

    When you ingest it, it is broken down almost immediately and sent to your liver to be used for energy rather than staying longer in the digestion process like long chain triglycerides. LCT require bile (like from the gall bladder) to be broken down.
    People with poorly functioning gall bladders or none at all still need fat, but LCTs are a problem.
    MCT are water soluble and do not require bile to break them down, and so MCT has been used for such patients.

    MCT oil has a higher concentration of MCTs (like 94%) compared to coconut oil (66%)
    It is basically coconut oil with the more solid Lauric acid removed. Some are against it because it is more processed than coconut oil and lacks Lauric acid. But others use it because it has no coconut flavor.

    You can try it and see how it makes you feel. I have had it in my morning coffee. I like it and I feel more energy (but I haven't determined if it was a placebo reaction because I expected to have energy)
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
    Coconut oil is gross. It's just a fat like other oils.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Pollywog_la wrote: »
    Whether coconut oil has any benefits for you, it IS treated differently by your body than other oils.

    Coconut oil is high in MCT (medium chain triglycerides)
    C6 – Caproic Acid
    C8 – Caprylic Acid
    C10 – Capric Acid
    C12 – Lauric Acid

    When you ingest it, it is broken down almost immediately and sent to your liver to be used for energy rather than staying longer in the digestion process like long chain triglycerides. LCT require bile (like from the gall bladder) to be broken down.
    People with poorly functioning gall bladders or none at all still need fat, but LCTs are a problem.
    MCT are water soluble and do not require bile to break them down, and so MCT has been used for such patients.

    MCT oil has a higher concentration of MCTs (like 94%) compared to coconut oil (66%)
    It is basically coconut oil with the more solid Lauric acid removed. Some are against it because it is more processed than coconut oil and lacks Lauric acid. But others use it because it has no coconut flavor.

    You can try it and see how it makes you feel. I have had it in my morning coffee. I like it and I feel more energy (but I haven't determined if it was a placebo reaction because I expected to have energy)

    This is all pretty much true...but how people go from that to "boosting metabolism" and all of the other erroneous health claims is beyond me. It's a healthy oil to use, but it's still not "magic" and in and of itself doesn't result in weight loss as so many people seem to think.
  • rhtexasgal
    rhtexasgal Posts: 572 Member
    weirdly enough, I mix some coconut oil with tea tree oil or lavender oil and rub it into my 13 year old son's back. He has horrible back acne! After exfoliating in the shower, on goes the oil mix. Coconut oil has anti-microbial properties as does lavender and tea tree. His back is slowly clearing up on its own. I myself use it to take off make-up as well as use it as a moisturizer.

    Food-wise, I use coconut oil in my coffee and when a sweet recipe calls for oil, I will substitute a third of it for the coconut oil. It gives cookies and brownies a great flavor.
  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,646 Member
    edited November 2015
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Pollywog_la wrote: »
    Whether coconut oil has any benefits for you, it IS treated differently by your body than other oils.

    Coconut oil is high in MCT (medium chain triglycerides)
    C6 – Caproic Acid
    C8 – Caprylic Acid
    C10 – Capric Acid
    C12 – Lauric Acid

    When you ingest it, it is broken down almost immediately and sent to your liver to be used for energy rather than staying longer in the digestion process like long chain triglycerides. LCT require bile (like from the gall bladder) to be broken down.
    People with poorly functioning gall bladders or none at all still need fat, but LCTs are a problem.
    MCT are water soluble and do not require bile to break them down, and so MCT has been used for such patients.

    MCT oil has a higher concentration of MCTs (like 94%) compared to coconut oil (66%)
    It is basically coconut oil with the more solid Lauric acid removed. Some are against it because it is more processed than coconut oil and lacks Lauric acid. But others use it because it has no coconut flavor.

    You can try it and see how it makes you feel. I have had it in my morning coffee. I like it and I feel more energy (but I haven't determined if it was a placebo reaction because I expected to have energy)

    This is all pretty much true...but how people go from that to "boosting metabolism" and all of the other erroneous health claims is beyond me. It's a healthy oil to use, but it's still not "magic" and in and of itself doesn't result in weight loss as so many people seem to think.

    yeah, even if THOSE calories basically can't be stored as fat, they are still energy that cells use, so calories not in the form of MCT's (there are plenty in the coconut oil itself that are not MCT's) will be the ones that you would find get stored as fat in a caloric surplus if you radiolabeled them...
  • ShellyBell999
    ShellyBell999 Posts: 1,482 Member
    :heart: coconut oil, use it for my skin, hair and cooking.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    edited November 2015
    The weird thing is if I apply coconut straight to my skin it makes the drier spots even drier/worse. If I use it on my face I'll break out in pimples within a couple of days.
    But ingesting it has the opposite effect, the few pimples I usually had have completely disappeared and my dry skin has improved 99%..
  • lizettemck
    lizettemck Posts: 3 Member
    So it's been three weeks since I started using it. I love what it's done for my hair and skin. I live in Singapore and the humidity is a killer for my natural curly hair. The coconut oils seems to help with the fizzing and it seems to make my hair softer. My skin seems more supple. I think I'll just cut back to one tbsp per day and see how that goes. I can't say I've seen any weight loss or metabolism effects but it's hard for me to tell since I work out everyday so who knows.

    Thx for all the point of views
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